Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-06-19
ANCIENT UMBRELLAS
THEY FIGURED IN CHURCHES IN THE
EARLY CHRISTIAN DAYS.

They Seem TO nave beeh ''AN'"
Solely ms Sun Protectors-once m
Attribute of Dignity.
In the early Christian churches
large umbrella usually hung over the
prlest. and II Is said that from this
custom II became one Of the attributes
of cardinals appointed from basllican
churches. For years the doges OF
Venice carried umbrellas Of state, and
in 1888 Pope Alexander III. declared
that these should be surmOunted by
golden statuettes Of the annunclation.
Michael Moroslni was the first Vene-
tian layman TO carry an umbrella,
which consisted Of small fiat square
Of green stuff, over which was cop
per spiral. Soon after the umbrella
was adopted by fashionable Venetian
danes. According TO COryat's "Crudi-
ties" d61D. the italian umbrella was
n small canopy and was made Of leath-
or extended by series OF wooden
hoops. He says umbrellas were used
by horsemen, who, resting the handles
on the thigh ms they rode, bore them
so that they should minister shadow
unto them for shelter against the
scorchlng sun"
In the Harleian manuscripts, now In
the British museum, there is in manu-
script No. COB a crude illustration
showing the figure of a yoeman hold
Ing an umbrella over his lord, which
leads me TO infer that umbrellas were
known in England even In the early
Anglo-Saxon period.
Beck, as quoted In the Diapers Die
tionary, asserts that at the time that
Stephen usurped the crown Of England
Twelfth century, umbrellas were In
common use among the English. The
first mention OF the umbrella In Eng
lIsh literature Is in Florio's "World Of
Wonders" Q59s). where II Is described
as "kind OF round fan or shadowlng
that they use to ride with In summer
In Italy; little shade"
In 1866 an umbrella was exhibited In
the Museum Tradescantlanum; or,
Collection OF Rarities Preserved at
South Lambeth, Near London, by John
Tradescant," which was known as
zone Of the wonders Of the ark"
In the church Of Cartmell, In Lanca-
shire, England, there was preserved
until few years ago an umbrella said
to be over 800 years old. which was
used chiefly 10 protect the host
References to the umbrella are to be
found also In Blount's "GlossOgraphla"
QG7I) and Phillips New Worlde OF
Words" Q67S). In the first the refer
ence reads: "Umbrello, fashion OF
round and broad fans, wherewlth the
Indians (and from them our great ones)
preserve themselves from the heat OF
the sun, and hence any little shadow,
fan or other thing wherewlth the wom-
en- guard their faces from the sun"
The second runs: "Umbrello, screen
against the suns heat, used chiefly by
the Spanlards, among whom It is known
by the name qultasole."
The imaginative Dean Swift In the
"Tale Of Tub" QG0O) depicts Jack, an
ever resourceful type, making use Of n
parchment copy Of his fathers viii as
n nlghtcap when he went to bed and ns
an umbrella in rainy weather Did
the worthy Hanway take his cue from
this or from Kersey, according to whom
the umbrella was n "broad fan or
screen commonly used by women to
shelter them from ralnT" The last ref
ercncc, made In 1909, Is the first mem
tion OF II ms protector from the rain.
Later Bailey, who I'm his dictionary
Q730 called II n parasol defined It MS
"a sort OF small canopy TO keep off the
rain"
Small, light umbrellas came into
fashion among the ladies Of the French
court In 1875. and these were carried
by attendants. Rlchelct tells us that
they were made Of ollcloth or leather
and had ribs Of whalcbone. A century
later they found favor with the men,
who carried red umbrellas, with edges
frlnged with gold lace
The precise date when Jonas Han
way, who died In 1856, introduced the
umbrella into England Is not recorded
In any OF the encyclopedias have ut
hand, but they all state that he was
popularity known as Its lntroduccr.
With the Dutch, as with the Indian
grandees, the umbrella was first an at.
tribute of dignity, and well II might
be, for the prices paid for them at The
Hague In 1850 ranged from $40 to Sl20
each The Dutch colonlsts who settled
at the Cape Of Good Hope were not
slow 10 insist on preserving the dignity
Of the umbrella, for Ryk van Tulbagh,
governor Of Cape Colony In 1852, en-
acted that "No one less In rank than
junior merchant or those among the
citizens Of equal rank, and the wives
and daughters only Of those who are or
have been members of any council
shall venture 10 use umbrellas, and
those who are less In rank than mer-
chants shall not enter the castle In fine
weather with an open umbrella
Frank IL. NlEetclly In New York
Times.