72 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



be inferred from the Hebrew tradition, which attributes the invention 

 of this ornament to Tubal-Cain, the " instructor of every artificer in 

 brass and iron." The barbaric lover, in choosing a token for his mis- 

 tress, was doubtless actuated, like the lover of to-day, by the wish to 

 be kept in remembrance, and the proverbial saying, " Out of sight, out 

 of mind," being as true in savage as in civilized times, he sought for 

 a memento which should be always in view, never laid aside, not in 

 danger of being lost — which, in short, should become a part of her- 

 self, mutely reminding her of him, and presenting a silent remon- 

 strance when her affections went astray. For the purposes of a love- 

 gift, he could find nothing more suitable than the ring. And when 

 the agonies of courtship finally settled into the steady troubles of mat- 

 rimony, it was not remarkable that this token of affection should re- 

 main on the finger of the bride, or be removed, to be succeeded by 

 another of a similar kind. 



The uses of the finger-ring have been many and diverse. Origi- 

 nally purely for ornament, it became a signet for kings and a warrant 

 for their messengers ; to civil officers it was once an emblem of oflSce, 

 and to ecclesiastics an indispensable portion of the episcopal costume. 

 It was once worn by physicians to prevent contagion, and by patients 

 to cure disease ; the timorous wore it as a charm against evil spirits, 

 and the ambitious clung to it as a talisman, giving the wearer success 

 over his enemies. But as a love-token, and a symbol of marriage, the 

 use of the ring is so general, and of so long standing, as to dwarf into 

 insignificance its employment in all other directions. 



At what period it came into play as a recognized factor in the mar- 

 riage ceremony, it is impossible to say. The Hebrews used it in very 

 early ages, and probably borrowed the custom from the Egyptians, 

 among whom the wedding-ring was known — a circle, in the language 

 of hieroglyphics, being the symbol of eternity, and the embodiment 

 of the circle readily symbolizing the hypothetical duration of wedded 

 love. The Greeks used wedding-rings, so did the Romans, both put- 

 ting them on the forefinger — by-the-way, a practice followed by the 

 mediaeval painters, many of whom represent the Virgin's ring on her 

 forefinger. In the East, where the popular estimate of woman is low, 

 the use of the wedding-ring has not been common, though occasion- 

 ally the favorite wife of an Oriental monarch would receive from her 

 master a ring as a mark of his favor. The conclusion, therefore, is 

 safe that, with increase of respect for the institution of marriage, 

 come also increased respect for and use of the ring as a token of the 

 alliance. 



During a part of the middle ages, this respect showed itself in a 

 peculiar way, custom demanding that the wedding-ring should cost as 

 much as the bridegroom could afford to pay; and there are records in 

 Germany and France, during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, 

 of many large investments made in this direction by grooms eager to 



