El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-27
Wedding Ring Ancient Symbol
Mythology Says PrOmetheus Was
First to Design the Ring, and
Tubnl Cain Was One of
the First Makers.
BY Madison c. Peters.

I 4 CCORDING to mythOlogists, Pro
! ~ metheus was the first to design
! \ h the ring and the workman who
made it was Tubal Cain, who IS men
J toned in Genesis, fourth chapter, as
ore who wrought cunnlnSIy IN DIasS
! and lion"
metal signified the perpetuity OF the
contract We find that the Egypuans
were the first to introduce rings we
/ read in the ninth chapter of Genesis
/ that. having interpreted the dream, 10
seph received not only his liberty, but
I was awarded the princes ring
Among the ancient Egyptians the CIV
( ;ne- of the ring signified transfer OF
! r.roperty. The marriage ring gave TO
an EeNptian woman the, power to issue
| commands in the name of her husband
! and il made ner his representative
Tosephus tells us that the Israelites
had the use of rings after passing the
! Red sea, because Moses, on his return
from Mount Sinai, found that they had
forged the golden calf from their wives
rings, enriched with precious stones.
Homer. both in his "Iliad" and "Odys-
sey," is silent in regard to rings. though
they. were used in the time OF me me
I Greeks and TroJans and IF ID them
j handed to the Romans
The fourth finger was dedicated to
Apollo. Gold was a symbol of the sun
1t was believed that ApOllOis fourth
finger was connected by nerve TO the
heart, and it was therefore considered
NmOre appropriate that the symbol OF
loving union should rest on TINS unBef-
Custom Of Ancient Rome.
Tt was customary in ancient Rome
for the bridegroom to send to the bride
before marriage plain iron ring. rms
was to denote that the union was not
only to be lasting. but signified the
frugality they were to observe together
LuXury afterward gained ground, until
Tiberius made regulations in the au-
thOrity Of wearing rings.
AmOnor. the AnqiO-SaXOug the bride
groom at the betrothal gave we'd
Ca PLEDGE which consisted. among
other things. of a ring, placed on the
maiden'S right HAND und Wnlch re-
manned there until transferred at the
marriage. to the left hand. at which
ceremony it was placed first on the
finger. the trinity being named: and
finally on the third or marriage finger,
to signify that, next to God, the brides
duty was to her husband.
QuHl1ers Object to Ring.
Some Quakers object TO the ring be-
cause of its pagan origin; but many
Quakeresses, finding that they cannot
get along comfortably without a we'd
ding ring, wear one after the cere-
mOny.
IRE Protestant church in Switzerland
and the MOrmOnS also reject the we'd
ding ring. Butler in his "Hudibras,"
refers to the fact that during the Com
mOnWealth the Puritans in England re
jected the wedding ring because Of its
heather origin
The ring is of gold to signify the no
biIity and durability of affection. The
form is round to imply that love should
never end. The place is on the third
finger of the left hand, where the an
clients thought there was a vein that
came directly from the heart, and
where it is always in view. The third
finger being q finger least used, the
ring may be least subject to wearing
out 1t is the visible and lasting token
OF a covenant which must never be
broken.