The new South-news., 1909-05-15
EEWS ANDWENA
EWSyE OEE eXSSsW
&yWONdENs5

demonstrated by some pvculi1rtN iu
thc color or shape oi the Attire. dlrcr-
,nt countries adopting different modes
of expressing their ffief
Roman women on melancholy occa-
sions laid aside their gold. purple and
embroidered dreescs Under thc an
cient republic they 0orc black rohcs.
but under tho emperora these we're
changed TO white. and the women GOV.
cred their head. with heavy cover.
ings
The men OF Rome. after they had
adopted the custom OF shaving the
beard. allowed it 60 grow Ions whom
ia mourning as slsn of ihelr afilic.
tlon. They also clothed themselves ln
black. custom supposed TO have
been derived from ihc auclcnl hsSp.
tlens; sometimes they Woro sarments
made OF ,hc skins of beasts
IN Greece. whore thc beard was a.
ways retained. t was considered a
hadkc oi sorrow 10 shave it o0. so OF
posiic are the customs OF various na.
,lons In everything relating 90 The
adornmcnt OF the person often. too.
they cut on their hair and laid % ON
the corpse. We read. "rhcy shaved
their hcade. aud covered With their
hair The body"
both men and women wore black
garments and laid aside All ornaments.
Tho women often tore or shaved on
their hair. aud they invariably muf.
ncd and concealed their faces. A yell
seems to have been a fayorltc cmhlem
OF mourning By the women OF ancient
| Greece and Of Thcbca.
Tho Chinese. Siamesc and Japanese
adopted white for mourning. their su-
pcrstitions teaching thom TO believe
| tina, tho dead become henenccnt gcnli.
| The Turks wear blue or violet. the
| Philippians. gray. the rcruvisns.
mouse color Tho spanlards formerly
used white serge.
At one time the Jews neither shay.
cd nor salulod any one during the
mourning period; they never wore
| black: their outward expression OF
woe was TO retain upon their bodies
the garments they wore al the time
the relative died.
In italy the women used white
mourning and the men brown; In syr-
Ia and Armenia We see them In bsn" !:
aud in Egypt yellow robes, or such
colors that strongly resemble dead
leaves In the Barbary States old
soled clothing signifies grief; It Is
frequently passed through water and
then aprinkled with earth to give II
that appearance. In Lycia and Argos
white was extensively used, and al
pclos shaving the hair WAS the onl,
sign OF aflliction.
Until the reign Of Charles VII. o
France full mourning garments were
composed entirely OF white cloth Leo
pold of Germany. who died about 1907
when In deep aiiiiction followed 'h'
custom of the Jews and allowed hii
beard to grow.
The immense expense Incurred Ii
mourning habiliments IN England as
early M the fifteenth century caused
an cdict to be framed 10 limit th'
richness and size Of the garments al
lowed to the nobility. as VOL az thoss
OF the lower orders
The following explanations have
been given for the adoption Of differ
cnt colors as symbolic OF mourning.
White n the emblem OF purity. ce
lestIal blue indicates the space where
the soul ranges after death. yellow
Tor dead leaf exhibits death as th'
end Of hope and man falling Ike th'
leaf In autumn. brown is the. color o
earth our common mother. and black
the color of mourning now genera
among the European nations, indi
Gates eternal night.
Black says Rabelais. "is the sigI
! Of mourning. because 1t IL the color o
darkness. which is melancholy and tn
! opposite 10 white. which Is the colo
OF light, Joy and OF happiness. Ne,
: York Sun.