The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-04-28
The Poetry of Pearls
BY MRS. ERIC PRITCHARD.

TN history as well as in fiction, the
pearl has probably played more
romantic parts than any other va
riety of gem-perhaps than all
other gems added together. 1t has
been loved, caressed, trodden under
foot and spurned. Both men and
women have sacrificed their lives, their
honor and their virtue for the attain"
ment of single pearls, more often for
ropes or chains of pearls.
On the other hand, history relates
that pearls have been cast away by the
handful as worthless encumbrances, as
the following incident shows:
When the army of Galerius sacked
the camp of the routed Persians, bag
of shining leather filled with pearls
fell into the hands OF private sol
der, but the latter, while carefully
preserving the bag threw away its
contents. under the impression that
anything that could not be used for
useful purposes had no other value.
ent, these "gems of the sea- afforded
much food for speculation as to their
nature, origin and significance. A IA
vorite legendary belief was that they
were crystallized drops of dew or rain.
mode of origin with more poetry in
il than the more correct and generally
accepted theory that the pearl is the
product of disease, and can be pro.
duced more or less at will by artificial
damage inflicted on the living sub
stance of the young oyster. But in
spite of their somewhat morbid origin
there is plenty of pleasure TO be de.
rived from the possession or tho con.
temptation of these most beautiful of
all gems. And. as | have already said
the paths of history are strewn with
reference to the part which the pearl
has played in the affairs Of man and
woman.
We read of pearls-ovster pearls, as
they were called-in Chinese records
dating back nearly 5000 years, and
Persian history and Persian poetry
abouuds in mention of the pearl as a
! symbol of purity, and this association
of ideas has persisted until the present
| day. But IL is curious fact that
though we have read so much about
! famous pearls which have PLAYED great
/ parts in history. there Is hardly an
authentic instance of any pearl being
still in existence which has any an
| tiquity of its own or made history OF
any Importance. This is partly due
| to the fact that valuable pearls were
nearly ALWAYS stolen in the brave days
of yore, and their unlawful possessors
had reason for concealing their histori'
cal identity. Pearls seem TO gather to
| themselves the vitality, the life, the
electricity and the brilliance of those
who make friends OF them and wear
| them constantly on their person in the
full, searching light of day and sun
! 1t is difficult TO guess what has be
come of all these pearls which were
used by tie ancieuts for the ornamen'
! tation OF their temples, or for the
| glorificatiou OF their bra2en images.
! What has haprened TO those thousands
OF pearls which Law resplendent in the
sword hilts of ancient Persian war
riorsf
During the palmy days Of the Roma n
empire pearls were greatly esteemed
as ornaments BY the women OF fash
| ion, though after it's downfall they
were again chiefly used for the deco.
ration of inanimate objects, and il
was not until medieval days that they
again served the purpose of personal
! decoration In England they were not
really appreciated for the latter pur-
pose until the fourteenth century. Yet
throughout every century and in every
country. from comparatively early
times, we see pearls depicted by con
temporary artists in such OF their
| works as survive,
IN Ia by the paiuting Of artists that