The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1921-01-28
Odd Facts About Gloves

Gloves were so thoroughly recognized
as emblems of trust and honor in for
mer times that they were sent as
pledges of safe conduct in times of
truce. The one stain on this custom
was that the Queen-Dowager of Ma
varre was persuaded to go to Paris
to attend the marriage of the King of
Navarro, by the embassage of a pair
of gloves, and, unhappily, on the morn
ing of the ceremony, met her death by
means of poisoned gloves.
AS a proof of the power of a glove,
we would relate how, when Franz
Joseph /, of Austria, was travelling
through the southern provinces of his
kingdom, he met an old superannuated
soldier, who complained that for some
years he had not been paid his PEN
sion
The Emperor babe him call upon
him the following day, when he would
listen to all he had to say. The old
man explained that he would not be
allowed to pass the guard. The EN-
peror drew off one of his gloves and
gave it to the man, saying:
"Show this, and you will certainly
be admitted into my presence"
The directions were followed, and
the sight of the glove was all power
full, he was shown into the room where
the Emperor sat, and was received
with kindness.
Another instance of the power of
the glove is shown in the following
historical fact:
When Conradin was deprived of his
crown and life by the usurper Main
troy, he flung his glove among the
crowd as he stood on the scaffo1d, be-
seeching some one to pick it up and
carry it to his relatives, who would
avenge his death. A knight who heard
this appeal, took up the glove and car
ried it to Peter, King of Aragon, who,
in virtue of this glove, was afterward
crowned at Palermo.
Everyone knows the story of how
Richard Occur de Lion was discovered
on his fateful journey by the jeweled
gloves which hung from his pages
girdle.
An amusing story is told about the
glove, which has the merit of belong
ing to our time. A famous actor, TAX
ing the part of "Othello." thought to
save coloring his hands by wearing
black gloves. At the end of the first
act, on going to his dressing room,
he took off his gloves and threw them
on the table. Unfortunately, he forgot
to put them on in the second act, and
the laughter of the public on seeing
the Moor with pinky red hands nearly
set him wild. On going off the stage
for a moment, he caught hold of a
person hanging about behind the
scenes, and said:
81 will give you five dollars if you
will run out and buy me a pair of
fesh-colored silk gloves before the
next act"
On appearing before the public
again, in the third act, in flesh colored
gloves the laughter knew no bounds;
quietly he drew off his gloves, show
ing hands of black to match his face.
This clever trick met with the ap-
probation it deserved.
An anecdote in connection with the
glove shows how fashions are started.
A young and beautiful duchess, hav-
ing promised to be at an entertainment
given for a charitable object, in Trou-
vile, France, found herself late in pre-
pairing. She hurriedly took up her
gloves and put them on in the carriage.
AS she entered the brilliantly lighted
room, she found to her dismay, that
she had put on one black and one
white. The mistake had arisen from
the maid having laid out two pairs,
not knowing which her lady would
prefer-black or white.
Imagine the surprise of the duchess
on preceiving that, in all subsequent
entertainments of the season, the
ladies wore odd gloves, correspond
ing with the colors of the dress.
Hoo1 Chox,o1 ond Sitter