The Jersey City news., 1901-05-04

In WOman'S World.


| always, 1n4civiiized lands, the women who
| set the standard of Manners
| -
| In dramas and novels of American ana
| English life, where instances of fiIial inn
| notation occur, the moral atmosphere
embodies the conventional undemocratic
standard, says the Forum The point
| of view is indulgent and apologize.
| Parental egotism and exactingness are
treated as moral matters of course, al
though much milder manifestations of
selfishness on the part of children would
be viewed by the writer and his readers
alike as monstrous. A serious social re-
form to be accomplished by the further
evolution of democracy is the setting
| right according to justice and common
sense-and without subyerting real affec-
: ton and respect-of the sentimental re-
lations of parents and children
| The writer Is acquainted with a woman
now in middle life whose present appear
ance would indicate that in youth she had
very fair share of physical attractive
ness. She has never married She is
phflanthropic in instinct and affectionate
in such friendships as she has been able
to form. In moments stolen from f1lial
drudgery she has managed to read a con-
siderable amount of good literature which
has been well assimilated. Considering
the seclusion in which she has passed the
greater part of her days, she manifests
a surprising culture and social aplomb.
She has suffered an eccentric and whim-
sical mother to absorb almost her every
| thought and almost her entire physical
energy. She has never passed a week
q wa " from, 1yantl7ar md 1,roha hIv doac
not average more than one waking hour
of the twenty-four out of her mothers
presence. Not only does the mother re-
quire physical offices of the daughter in
preference to those of servant or nurse,
but she insists upon practically perpetual
companionshp. There is no reason or
excuse for the daughters lot, as the fam
lily is wealthy and lives in luxury.
Too many persons who are acquainted
with the circumstances are disposed to
extenuate even this extreme instance of
parental vampirism by ascribing it to an
unusually absorbing parental affection.
On the contrary, it results from monu-
mental and wicked selfishness. Some
measure Of personal attachment undoubt-
edly exists, but it should rank in moral
grade about on a par with the tenacity
of habit which causes cat to cleave to
a garret. Sentimental ideals should be,
and in time doubtless will be, so read
justed that a parent would not dare to
go to such lengths of unconscionable self
indulgence, and a child would feel that,
though generosity prompted her to yield
to every exaction, duty compelled her to
refuse, in like manner as it constrains
a parent to withhold from children the
indulgence that spoils and makes vicious.
So
These post-Easter days are so much
favored for weddings that many brides
to-be may be interested in knowing that
wedding presents are a survival of feudal
times, when the tenants were obliged to
assist at the knighting of their lords
eldest son and the marriage of his eldest
daughter. AS feudalism declined this
gradually grew into a bridal gift accord
ing to the means of the donor, sent as
a happy augury In Elizabethan days 'a
pair of Knives i. e., scissors, was a fav-
ored wedding gift among the middle
classes.
Fortune doth give these pairs of knives
to you
To cut the thread of love if it be un-
true.
The origin of the wedding ring most
probably came from the ancient Egyp-
tians. They regarded the bracelet as the
symbol of marriage, because, as it was
a circle, it was endless. Their wives
wore no other ornaments than a pair of
bracelets Among the Assyrians, Baby
all Sh in
almost every nation of antiquity, the
bracelet had the same significance. Upon
the overthrow of the Persian Empire by
the Greeks they, noticing that most of the
leading spirits of those just overcome
wore bracelet on the left wrist as a
mark of distinction, presented their
brides-elect with a miniature bracelet
to be worn on the ''medicated finger"
The original wedding rings were a sig
net, then plain one of iron called
fronubum, and typifying the enduring
character of the contract, took it's place
Weddings rings first came into the
Christian marriage service in the ninth
century. The plain gold band was first
worn by the Anglo-Saxons, and has been
worn by married women ever since
Almost without doubt, the practice of
wearing the engagement and wedding ring
on the fourth finger of the left hand
dates from Pagan times. They called this
the 'medicated finger" because they
stirred all their potions and mixtures
with it, in the belief that a vein connect
ed it directly with the heart therefore
nothing noxfous could come in contact
with it without giving instant warning
to the heart.
This theory has been exploded in mod
ern days. yet the custom still remains,
helped probably by convenience. as the
left hand is used so much less than the
right.
The Saracens, it is said, first wore
orange blossoms at their weddings To-
gether with many other Oriental GUS
toms, this was introduced into Western
Europe by the Crusaders.
To the fiammeum or large yellow veil
with which ancient Greek and Roman
brides used to enveloD themselves during
the marriage celebration is attributed the
origin of the modern wedding veil
The Jews and Persians still use this
fiammeum. The bridal wreath is the
Christian substitute for the gilt coronet
of the olden Jewish bride. So honorable |
did they consider matrimony that they
bestowed a gilt crown on their brides, as
paying her the greatest possible honor.
The Russians and the Calvanists of Hol- |