The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-12-21


Gorgon's head the Coral has been
fabled as possessed with many medci-
nal virtues CONFERRED upon it by
Minerva for instance, as monthly
nurses still believe, ''bafiling witch
craft and counteracting poisons."
TO an athlete or football champion
should be given a turquoise ring-''it
strengthens the sight and spirits Of the
wearer, and has protective influence
against falls Was it for these vir-
tues that Shylock mourned the loss of
his turquoise ring when he said that
he would not have lost it "for whole
wilderness of monkeys He had it of
"Rachel when he was bachelor;' and
possibly Shakespeare had heard that
the turquoise was in Germany used as
a gage d'omour presented by the loved
one, because the permanence of its
color was believed to depend upon the
constancy of the affection.
1t is in Germany that loving couples
begin life at betrothals on the principle
so dear to Secretary Blaine-ofr recip-
rocity: and exchange their own rings
at the formal ceremony of engagement
before the family festival. According
to the ritual of the Greek Church the
priest puts the rings himself on the
fingers of each, and then the betrothed
exchange the rings which have been
so blessed by the holy church.
There is authority for ceremony
by St. Gregory of Tours-tempo A. D..
5sO-of pair of shoes being added to
the ring: and significant of putting the
feet of the alliance in the symbolic of
conjugal obedience. What Christ
mas blessing it would be to shoe
makers if that custom had survived.
Shakespeare seems to have known of
this "exchange' business. for in "Two
Gentlemen of Verona Julia says, pre-
senting her ring, keep this remem-
brance for thy Julia's sake" and Pro
teus, accepting it, and handing his
own in return answers, "Why then We
will make exchange, so take you this. y
Then Julia with the courage of mod
est love, rejoins, "And seal the bar
gain with holy kiss
Neither of these lovers would have
agreed with Bryon's subsequent cyni-
cal sentiment, "the wedding ring is
the damnest part of matrimony." But
then according to Moore's life of the
poet he was from superstitious mo-
tives married to Miss Milbanke with
the long lost wedding ling of his moth
er, and which was found under the
mould of the garden window at the
very time when the letter Of ac-
ceptance of his suit arrived. Fatal
talisman it proved to be, for it possibly
conveyed his mothers temper or sa-
vored of his fathers intidelities.
DR.. Sam johnson kept his wife's
wedding ring after her death Tom
Moore's mother-vide his diary-gave
him as talisman her wedding ring
when he left on his ill-starred errand.
But such an unpoetic action on Moth
er Moore's part was phenomenal; for
ordinary rings that have been the sub
jecL ol gifts are not only treasured by
the average Man and Woman bu. have
become subjects of serious wills and
even contested codicils.
In procuring gift ring for holiday
time, and that is probably the inten-
tion, or has recently been the act of
ten thousand persons over the Union,
let giver and recipient Gin the words
of writer about the finger ring) ere.
ulcIllUeI IlldI lIlcHNSllp alu ai'NIiIh
has for thousands Of centuries wrought
the ring into remembrance. That
rings have passed by the million into
graves upon the fingers of beloved ones.
That rings are the most imperishable
Of gifts. That rings have saved and
lost kingdoms. That as small link
the ring has bound together millions
for richer, for poorer, more securely
than heavy shackles have bound to-
gether felons and galley slaves. That
a ring is symbol Of power as we'll as
of Faith, Hope and Charity. That it
has been at times mark of slavery.
And that love always places it on a
finger where vein is supposed to
vibrate from the heart. ". Y. Home
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