The sun., 1901-11-24
TIE ORIGIN or EARRINGS.
NJ Oha mniedan and Christian story TAKE
IL Back to the Time Of Abraham.

IL HACK 10 tNc IiHpe VI HO'""""'
From the London Giobe.
The threatened revival among young girls
Of the custom Of wearing earrings has called
forth a diatribc against what is denounced
as a senselcss and barbaric practice. But
earrings have never died out. they arc still
commonly worn by ladies Of the preceding
generation; II is only that fashion had de-
creed what WIS certain to be temporary
abstinence In the case OF their dauahtcrs.
l. II tho unnatural though harmless opera
tion of ear-bor.ug involved that has aroused
the ire OF the advanced" opponents Of the
custom or cun Il be the misfortune OF their
posse ssing ugly ears and the dread OF not
following the fashion? For 1t is the Tact that
whereas the appeudaGes enhance the beauty
OF wcll-shaped ears they accentuate the de-
fects of badly formed ones. Earrings are
lust as much relics OF barbarism as are rings,
necklaces and bracelets. but the feminine
nature will have TO undergo very great
change before the use Of all or any Is dis
cardcd According 20 MohamnSdan
legend, Sarah. being Jealous OF Hagar de-
cared she would not rest until her hands had
i'm bued in her bondmaid's blood. Then
Abraham pierced IlaRar's ears quickly. and
drew rrg through i, so that Sarah was able
TO dip her hand in the blood Of Hnsar with
out bringing the latter into danger. From
that time IL became a custom among
women to wear earrnCs
Curiousy enough. the book OF Gen ess
enables the custom to be traced back 10 the
same people and TO the same period Among
the presents which Abraham's servant carried
with him when he went forth TO take wiIe
unto Isaac. and which he gave TO Rebecca
at the well, vas golden earring OF naIi a
earrings must have been II common one
with the lsraelitas while wandering through
was fashioned by AARON out of gold earrings
belonging TO both sexes FOR very lons
prIiod earrlhRs were more or less peonl'an S u9
Romans expressed the greatest contempt
i"r the men of the Oriental nations with whom
| they came into contact wearing earrlngs
Eventually the Greeks first and then the
Romans adopted the custom With the
former. however Il was the result OF mis-
The oracle Of Apollo having declared that
II they wished To- have good citizens they
into the ears Of their children, misunder-
standing the gods meaning. they pierced
the children- ears and adorned Them Win
gold With the Romans the fashion owed
it~ origin to feminine vanity; and in the luN-
mrous % days OF the empire fabulous prices
that it was said OF Roman matrons that they
often had whole patrimonies suspended to
Gslba, stole and pledged one OF his mothers
earring, and with the proceeds betrayed
the expenses of a tour through Europe OF
course. the most costly and celebrated ear
ring on record i that OF Cleopatra. which
contained a pearl valued at lo;coo sesterSes, ,te
she dissolved In vinegar and swallowed at
the banquet given 20 Antony in order to win
cost such an enormous sum Both the Greek
and Roman men of that period affected ear
rings. but with ia" Romans the practice was
The, pan"s arr generally. credited with the
! introduct0n of earrings INTO thls country,
war wcrr NJ low ehb. the Danish women
! came 20 N" assistance Of their men folk
ins pot While King sWeno was ransomcd
! from this source. That the saNons. who
| doubto,, initiated tho Danes, were eS-
| troualy fond Of earrings is proved by the
! fu'i that a Saxon law expressly enjoined
| tuat earring aud necklrces should. az
mother's death. fan to the bot of the daugh-
| ter. After the tenth century however. the
| fashion seems 90 have declined throughout
| Europe. and earrings are neither found ia
graves n'r seen 10 pahilnes or sculptures
| The wearing "t them VA relhirpducd into
! InglInd ~ th" sNt cntL o"ntury. and
beth says H." women t'I mar are a mol % ashamed N 70
make holes ~ Their "ars Shcreat they hang
! tome But shat would Stubhs have said
! a. b" had hv"d 60 sec men thus sdorning
! aftarvari. for aNample. IN tie famous
thlHd'- portrait. Shakespeare - depicted
/ With earrings wlf" II one closely scruti-
/ uize- the pictures ~ tie great mobiles Of the
! day. y sIll . found that many of them ar.
! w"arIhg l'it earring only. usually q pearl
uu i'us"r worn Nv Eughshflen Of birth and
! lH.' ON. ~" fashion becoming transferred
ih"W. ,"iuinYu' m th" form - guid hoop
| down g. our own Tin" u has bong been
. "omm.n Grli.f sinons sraiar'gg urn -
-'f"r .'b'r- a." q, "-igAt aud 10 q orftain
,Irr Tor -'r" aud hir.r, "g",
orl.',s..sh ieds 70 .,g ..,, r'''"' .,.,..d ,.ns
o. ..r ,Iu,ltrd ola .-H- s- vel g.. .Hs
.''," ,t,.f- Of iadi.,. va" fln, n".;,,
Ii Is .H'. 20 uU.~. huN'ttI Iu4f NN.. t.II.
.a' 'h, f' Boz ur.I "H ..n"d m'a.,.H o..