The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-14

man denoted one who prays for anoth- | CT. People of high station or great $ wealth employed these people to offer
 supplications for them, and in time they lived together in hospitals, as they were then called. The kings bedesmen in 1 Scotland were often accused of being mere Rendicants, and it is curious to l note that some old documents were signed your bounds or bedesman, or | your humble bedeswoman,' instead of obed1ent servant. A very interesting l specimen of bead-work has survived the faVages of time in pair of bellows which formerly belonged to Bridget, wife of General Charles Fleetwood and daughter of Oliver Cromwell They are solidly mounted in brass, and the beads cover the upper surface in the form of the figure of a woman In the costume of
 the period, supposed to be portrait of
 Mrs. Fleetwood, surrounded by a scroll
 work and flowers Simulated beadwork occurs on Whatlot representing the king on his throne, with his prime min isteri and the queen, having her train 1 carried for her. This bears the date
 1868, and was bought by Lord Albert Conyngham
 Tn October 1S45, when the Scarbor- ough railway was being exeavated a plain jet bead was found in an urn full
 of coins, with two holes perforated, to-
 gether with one in the form of a bear,
 the string hole between the two fore
 and the two hind legs, These beads re-
 sembling animals are very rare indeed;
 but the ancient British beads are said
 to be more durable than the Roman.
 Many superstitious observances are att
 tached to stnkestones or adder headed
 fossils like bears, which have been bur
 jed with other relics, and there is plen-
 tiful evidence that these snakestones
 were used as charms and amulets
 among the Druids Some of the most
 treasured ancient beads found in Eng
 land came from the Celtic, Roman and
 Saxon graves. Gold drum shaped
 beads and amber heads have been
 found, which seems to indicate that the
 paleolithic men, or cave men, wore
 bracelets and necklaces of beads.
 Beads in the PeleW Island pass as mon |
 ey, and some very interesting ones have
 been discovered in the ancient Peruvian l
 graves. Pearls have from time imme |
 morial been threaded, and agate and l coral beetles, and carved peach kernels, l together with seeds and muman bones and shells as we'll as the teeth of ami 1 mals, are all included under the head of | beads In our day the ordinary com- | mon glass beads made in England are employed by the North American 1ndf- | ans in their embroideries and among | South African tribes as coins The | fashionable women of England are only | too glad to obtain, if possible, a string of Kaffir beads. There is no doubt that | beads from various countries would | make capital souvenirs unless we fall 1 back upon the most costly ancient rel ics. They are far cheaper than gems and are in themselves decorative.
 Now history repeats itself! The Ninevitish women, as we see by the paintings and sculptures, and the ladies fo ancient India were hung with bead chains and bedizened themselves in the same fashion as those of our time. lobe tears pretty satin-like gray seeds, which the writer has often brought over from Jamaica, make pretty necklaces. At present the Egyptian blue bead is much in favor, as we'll as the Greek and Roman But those who have spent any time in Egypt will know what choice collection of egg shaped beads are to be had there. The writer has a string of about forty-eight, no two alike. The of each is either black, yell low, blue, red or amber, and they are painted with tiny forests, zigzag lines, and indeed, every variety of device. three or four colods being introduced into each But the early part of the last century has left US some curious relics; some take a ribbon-like form about half an inch wide, black beads with star angles. toothlike vandykes and other devices in colors, the pattern changing about every four or five inch es. They are greatly prized now by col
 ectors. But more beautiful than this are the tasseled necklets, about a yard in length, some composed of lengths of the minutest amber-colored beads, uni ted by four white beads, forming stars at intervals, a couple of lines of pink heads in the middle. The yellow beads are united by these white stars in dou ole lines and each space divided by a oand of bead work an inch across and
 hree- quarters of an inch deep. It makes a frame in minute blue beads vase filled with pink lowers and green foliage on white ground, the tassels of green, pink and blue beads. one of many fine specimens If minute bead work, interesting in col IT and form, handed down to us from he very early part of lS00 "
 BAKERS THREATENED STRIKE,