The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1914-11-05
STORY
oFITSOWN
Habit Of snuH Taking First Brought
u Into Common uss-its connec-
tlon With noyaity-Was Die
semlnator Of NeMs. /

New York.-The. first handkerchief.
used originally In Persia. was a small
square Of silk, the principal use Of
which was to wipe the moisture from
the brow. From Persia It passed to
Greece and then by the way OF Rome
spread slowly throughout Europe.
It was for centuries affected only by
people OF wealth. and was used for
many purposes-6rnament, as q carrier !
OF strong scents, as q favor to be worn
by q gallant in his hat.
II was the odious habit Of snuf1 TAX
ing which finally broughtsth the handker-
chief into common use. which In.
creased its size snd changed the ma
terih OF which 1t was composed, a
writer in the Rochester IN. W POST
Express observes. The varied uses
to which handkerchiefs have beenYput
are numerous.
Az propagators Of general knowledge
they were employed during the reign
Of Queen Anne to carry the text OF
her majesty's speech to parliament, on
April s.. 100, which was printed upon
their surface, into the homes Of many
who would otherwise have remained In
blssful ignorance. In like manner
were circulated, the announcements Of
the treaty Of Utrecht and Of Marlbor.
ough's victories over the French. In
1745 handkerchief stamped with the
portraits of the young ~pretender's
leading adherents were issued with q
view of facilitating capture Of the
rebels. In retaliation the Stuart party
printed other ha~ndkerchiefs, that tho
rough likeness of George II depicted
THEREON, might be put to ignoble use.
Naturally ha~ndkerchiefs kept pace
with other e~xtravagances in dress. be-
ing oftentimes edged with costly lace
and embroidered with initials. armorial
bearings, love notices and sundry In
genious designs-those, for instance.
of the duchess Of C%hevreuse being
worked with cupids pursuing one an
other and garlands Of roses. Sprays
Of heliotrope, tied with mauye colored
ribbon. adorned the handkerchief of
La Grande Madenaciselle. the niece Of
Louise XIII, while the colors Of the
comtesse de Castigl!one's-correspond-
ing on all occasions to those al. her
garters-changed with every passing
mood and passion. Thus, when she
landed herself In love, garters and
handkerchief were blue. but II the
sub5ect OF. her Maynard affection was
suspected Of .tnfidelity. azure was dis
carded for yellow. which she retained
until her naturally buoyant spirits,
having exercised the demon Of jeal-
ousy, demanded the substitution OF
green, as b~etokening exuberant gayety
and rude health.
Jewels, as insight have been expected.
entered largely into the decorative
schemes employed in these delicate
samples Of lace work. Nine. du Barry
owned q handkerchief on which her
name was embroidered In precious
stones, while. pearls to the value of
G1,000 were scattered over q square Of
precious lace In the possession Of the
Inflated Marie Antoinette. whose
friend, the equally. hapless Nine. idu
Lamballe, owned q similar superfiuity.
More valuable. however, than these is,
a handkerchief owned by Queen Mar
gerita Of Italy-a unique specimen Of,
Fifteenth century lace valued at
$4,000.
On January 2, 1855, Louis XVI. at,
the instance OF Queen Marie Antoinette,
issued an edict decreeing that the
length Of handkerchiefs shall equal.
their breadth henceforth throughout
the kingdom" This edict would seem
finally to have determined custom
Throughout the civilized world q to
the future shape OF a useful article.