St. Tammany farmer., 1905-03-11
EARRINGS IN ANCIENT DAYS
Wcr4 by Men, Women and Childre,,
in Bible Times Aid to
the Sight.

| the custom of wearing earrings. The,
say that Sarah, being jealous Of Haga,
vowed that she would not rest until sh
had imbrued her hands in the blood O.
her bondmaid. Abraham quickly pierced
| Hagar's ear and drew ring through it
SO that Sarah was able to fulfill her rasl
| vow without danger to the bondmaid'.
life
From that time, they say, it becam:
customary for women to wear earrings
The story of Rebekah's earring is only
| one of many early Biblical illusions tC
the ornament. When Aaron made the
golden calf, it will be remembered, he
called upon the Israelites to break off thi
golden earrings, which are in the ears
OF your wives, of your sons and OF your
daughters, and bring them unto me- 81
And out of these and other golden orna-
ments the calf was made. From this it
is plain that earrings were worn by the
Hebrews without regard to sex or age.
In Great Britain the familiar orna-
ments have been worn for many CEN
turies and not by woman only. Charles
l., it is said, wore pearl earrings of con-
siderable value, and the day before his
execution took one from his ear and gave
it to Bishop Juxon for transmission to
his daughter. the princess royal. Ra-
belais says that it was in his day-thn
era of Henry ". of England-that men
in France first began to wear earrings.
It is worth noting that at least one
existing portrait of Shakespeare repre-
sents him wearing such an adornment
This is at Wentworth park, Yorkshire,
and shows the poet with mustache and
beard and an earring in his left ear.
Lord Sherborne possesses at Sherborne
house, near the old-wor:d town of North
leach, a portrait of one Thomas Dutton.
a sixteenth century worthy. who is rep
resented, says his lordship, Sin the prime
of life and wearing remarkably fine
pearl in his left ear. The right ear is not
shown, but presumably he wore corre-
spending earring in it,
Nowadays few men wear them. save
some sailors and fishermen and navyies.
Among southern people their use by
both sexes is more common and often
begins at an early age In Spain babies
ears are bored soon sitter birth. The
family doctor performs the operation
and inserts gold ear wire. Boys wear
these ear wires till they attain manhood
when the wires are removed. The idea
is that the process has most beneficial
influence on the eyes.
A Spanish woman wries: "Ophthal-
mia and scrofula are rare in Spain and
the natives maintain that freedom
therefrom is owing to the ear-piercing."
In Portugal and Italy and frequently
In France. children. usually have their
ear; pierced at an early age. Many men
in the south retain their earrings after
reaching manhood. Cardinal Mezzo-
fanti, famous for his powers as lin
guist, is said by his biographer to have
worn them from infancy as preventive
against an affection Of the eyes to which |
he had been subject.
The popular notion that piercing the
ear exercises beneficial influence upon |
the optic nerves is widespread. An
English traveller of little more than a |
century ago noticed that many men in |
Vienna wore earrings and was told they |
we're worn good deal for the eyes
the hole in the ear and the weight of |
he earrings drawing any humor in the
yes to those parts which is hardly
scientific.
Village folk in England believe in the
rood effect of ear-piercing on the eyes
ust as firmly as their like in Italy and
elsewhere abroad. In fact, in some
places ear-piercing is regarded by the
'ustics as a remedy for many troubles.
1t the other side of the world boys have
heir ears pierced from different mo-
i've. A writer on Chinese superstitions
ays that John Chfnaman pierces his
title boys ears and makes him wear
arrings, for if an evil spirit happens to
zee him he will mistake him for a girl
md will not take the trouble to carry
i'm away.
i