UMBRELLAS AND HANDKERCHIEFS

Chronicle (Levin), 10 June 1946, Page 7

UMBRELLAS AND HANDKERCHIEFS

(Coutributed by the Sarah Anne Eliodes Ecllowship in Home Science.) To-day M'e tliink no-thing of taking an utnbrella out when it rains, but as coinmion as the umbrella is now, Ihe lnan who (irst used oue in Ameriea was niobbed for it. We are so apt to tliink that all mechanical devices bclong to our own age and dav that it is sonietliing of a surprise to learn that unibrellas are iu 110 sense a modern iuvention. In fact, they are found scul})tured 011 the nionuments .of Egypt and the ruins of Nineveli, and their use iu Chiua and lndia also dates to antiquitv. From the earliest times of Eastern countries the umbrella was oue of the insignia of royalty and power. Certain princes of lndia had among their tilles that of "lord of the umbrella. 1 11 . Ureece, umbrellas had a part in certain religious ceremonies, an'd it is evident that the umbrella, very niiich like ours, was knovvn loiig before the Oliristian era. Ln Ilome thev were also used, but only by wainui, and could be closed when not in uSe. In the 18tli ceuturv the use of uinbrellas became very general in Erance and -Italy. I11 fact, tlicy soon beciuiie artidles of luxury and fashion. Their colour, material and ornanientation indi'cated the rank 'hiid-'t'he" \veaJth 'of theff 1 owncrs; '

Lne use or tlie umbrella 111 rmgiand, in spite of the raiiiy •w'eatlier, was -not extensive in early davs. A nian named Joncs Hanaway is said' to have been the iirst to carry an umbrella through I the streets of London in rainv weather, ' about 1750, and he was liooted and 1 jeered at for liis •fears. of a wetting. i The umln-ella used in Hanaway 's days 1 was a cluinsy, ungainly all'air, ugly in ! | colour and not altogetlier rainproof. They had iong handles with a crook at the end, the ribs were thick whalebone, wh'ile the cross pieces were of wood. The covering usually consisled of oiled j silk or cotton, very heavy and apt to j stiek together in the folds. They must have weiglied 10 pounds when watersoaked and it was an 01'deal to open or close them. Would you ever tliink of cOnnecting an umbrella with a haudkerchief ? Yet iu the beginning, handkercliiefs were also used as sunshades. While the haudkerchief is a commonplace article to everyoiie to-day, this has not always been the case. The Cliinese are tlie iirst knovvn to have used handkercliiefs. With them the handkerchief was coni111011 in the jrriuiiti vo silk tissue and paper forms long before the Oliristian era. Cliurch men were tlie iirst to use handkercliiefs in Europe and for a long time priests alone were pcnnittcd to carry them. In spite of occasional references to handkercliiefs they were extremely rare through the 18th century. The Queen of Lo'uis XI had liut three, and Henry IV had only iive. That they were highly pri/.ed is shovvu by their being mentioned in wills. Beginning about the 18th ceuturv, silk handkercliiefs embroidered and fringed or laced with gold, were known in England under Queen Elizabeth. The development was rapid, and in France-ife reachecl an eleganee scarcely conceivable. I11 the 17th ceulury it was made of exquisite liandvv rough t lace and was sometimes even embroidered with gems. Do you know why handkercliiefs are usually square? It is because this shape was iixed by royal decree, and usage has perpetuated the forni.1 At one time handkercliiefs were of any shape that any individual fancv dictated." One day- at Trianon, Marie Antoinette happened to mention to Louis XVI that she "was tired of these various shapes. The King at once decreed that "The length of handkeichiefs shall equal their . vyidth throughout the kingdom, ' ' thereby settling the matter for years to come.