THE FIRST HANDKERCHIEF

Evening Star, Issue 19792, 16 February 1928, Page 9

THE FIRST HANDKERCHIEF

CHINESE PAPER IN PWLVE FORM “ Though in the vernacular, we still speak of ‘ shower ’ and ‘ blower,’ thus differentiating between the article of practical utility and that devoted to display, the handkerchief, by and large, has sunk to a lowly estate as compared to the high station it once enjoyed,” remarked Dr Frank H. Vizetelly. ‘‘Not only has it declined in favor as a means of ornament and in ornateness of design, but it has lost the savor of romance which once associated it with amorous dalliance. What maiden now has recourse to dropping her handkerchief to attract the youth on whom her fancy has fallen? Spurning such an exhibition of inferiority, she grasps him by the arm and without more ado informs him that he is picked. At one and the same time she proposes and disposes. “ Nor, on the other hand, does the gallant now wear next to his heart the filmy, perfumed fabric that was wont to flutter -in the bosom of his lady fair. A photograph of her in a one-piece bathing suit faces his accident insurance card in his bill fold. Or perhaps her bobbed haired head reposes in the case of his wrist watch. “ In short, handkerchiefs have sunk to the level of a poor relation’s Christmas present, and become links in the chain drug store. “Derived from the Chinese, with whom it ivas common in its primitive silk tissue and paper form long before the Christian era, the handkerchief wandered to the land of the ibis and the lotus flower, where it was held to have talismanic virtues, and came to us in a coarse form, first as the ‘ sweat cloth ’ worn at the belt by the AngloSaxons, and later carried in the hand as the muckinder, hand coverchief, handkercher. in turn, and ultimately as the handkerchief—a term we derive from the French couvrechef or coverchief, the kerchief or wrap worn over the head, neck, or breast by women. “ Churchmen were the first to use handkerchiefs in Europe, and for a time priests alone were permitted to carry them. Even they ivere subjected to certain restrictions of use, for the handkerchief formed part of the vestments of the cleric’s office, and as a facial was worn by the priest officiating before the altar.

“Originally a cloth or towel, the coverchief lost its original meaning, but retained its name, and the term handkerchief was generally adopted. Its prefix, pocket, we owe to the French from ‘ mouchoir de poche,’ which translated means pocket handkerchief.

“In the accounts of the personal wardrobe of Edward IV. there is, under date of 1480, an entry showing that a payment was made to Alice Shapster for making and washing five dozen handcouverchieffes. This is perhaps the first occasion of the use of the compound word that we know to-day_ as handkerchief. That handkerchiefs were once highly prized is shown by their being mentioned in wills. Thus in 1562 Ralph Cleashy willed ‘ one handkircheife ’ to a near relative, and in the inventory of the effects of a certain Jane Fullthorp, which was taken in 1566, eleven ‘ handkirchiffs ’ are mentioned. ‘‘ In the seventeenth century the cost of materials for making handkerchiefs was 7s 6d, or about l.SOdol, for ‘one ell of holin’ (hollands), and the same sum for ‘ syds of Scotts cloth.’ “Handkerchiefs of Holland, fringed with Venetian silk of gold arid silver, and some of Flanders work, were used' by King Henry VIII. History records that Queen Mary Tudor received as a New Year’s gift from Mrs Renos, a nurse of Edward VI., six handkerchiefs edged with a passementerie (pas-men’-tri) of gold and silk, and that during the reign of her sister Elizabeth lace handkerchiefs and handkerchiefs of silk and cambric, richly embroidered and trimmed with gold and lace, were fashionable. “In Tudor,times and Jacobean days it was customary for ladies to give to their favorites as tokens of affection little handkerchiefs of about three or four inches square, wrought round about with buttons at each corner. They took pride in their ability to embroider, and this they often did with the blue thread of Coventry. Then embroidery became the fashionable pastime of women of culture. “The handkerchief has often been a silent witness to tragedy and also to queenly perfidy, as in the tragic fates of Lady Jane Grey, Anne Boleyn, and Mary Queen of Scots. The handkerchief has accompanied more than one martyr to the scaffold and more than one heroine to tire stake, and the references made to it in romantic literature are numerous. Shakespeare makes it play an important part between Orlando and Rosalind in ‘ As You Like It,’ and in ‘ Othello,’ where he invests it with the power to subdue the Moor ‘entirely to her lovo.’

“Anne Boleyn, the mother of Queen Elizabeth, once dropped her handkerchief and it fell at the feet of Henry Norris. He, overheated by his exertions in the jousts, picked it up, and, wiping his face with it, returned it to the Queen at the point of his lance. This so justly enraged King Henry VIII. that he immediately withdrew from the festivities and peremptorily ordered the arrest of the Queen and of her favorite. Here the handkerchief was a fatal gift, for Norris paid the penalty of his rash act with his life, and the Queen was beheaded. “ In the days of chivalry the handkerchief was worn as a favor, either in the casque or other headdress. Then, also, it was attached to the point of a lance, from which custom we have derived the banneret or guidon. But the handkerchief of those days was fringed with gold or silver or twist, and in each corner, as well as in the centre, a small tassel was sewn.

“ Once handkerchiefs with names, flowers, or mottoes were greatly in favor. These date back to 3604, for in Friar Bacon’s ‘ Philosophic ’ we read that ‘ handkerchiefs were wrought with sweethearts’ names and true love knots.’ The flowers all expressed some thought. Thus, while a handkerchief bearing an ivy leaf indicated that the fair owner clung to her admirer as the ivy clings to the oak, the lily- the emblem of innocence, was the symbol of purity and nobleness, and the rose of large-heartedness and love. ‘"According to a legend of the lace trade, the makers of Valenciennes lace, which so often forms part of handkerchiefs, all work in dark cellars, and so impair their sight as to be unable to continue at the work after entering their thirtieth year. “ The introduction of snuff into polite English society under the Georges brought tjie handkerchief into very prominent use, and it "became an art to handle it with elegance and grace under the very trying circumstanceas of endeavoring to conceal a sneeze. “ Among the French formerly to make even the most casual reference to the handkerchief was considered the height of vulgarity. But womans coquetry and daintiness removed this prejudice if such it may bo called, and to the Empress Josephine we are indebted for reintroducing the handkerchief to court, which she did with a dainty mouchoir that had a deep lace border. This she would often raise to her lips when smiling, in an effort to conceal imperfect teeth. Her example being followed by her ladies-in-waiting, and later by the entire Court, the handkerchief was raised to the position which it has held ever since as an important accessory to one’s comfort. “ At one time it was customary for ladies of fashion to have a particular handkerchief for each one of their toilettes. Thus there was one for the morning, another for noon, a third for night, a fourth for walking, a fifth for the theatre or opera, a sixth for

the Court, a seventh for the boudoir, and an eighth which was carried while on visits of charity. “ From being made first of paper of different qualities, the handkerchief has passed through fewer changes than has probably any other accessory of dress. There is only one step from the linen kerchief, fringed with Venetian silk or edged with costly lace and tastefully embroidered, to the modern article. To-day handkerchiefs are made of lace or silk, as they were 600 years ago. “ A genuine Maltese silk handkerchief, fringed wdth a deep border of lace, can be purchased in the City of Valetta, on the island of Malta, for a little over sdol. The prices of the handkerchiefs made in Europe depend largely upon the quality of the lace used in trimming them. Ten dollars to 15dol per handkerchief is considered a moderate price. “In several regions of Christendom there is honored as St. Veronica a pious matron of Jerusalem, who, during the Passion of Christ, as one of the holy women who accompanied Him to Calvary, offered Him her handkerchief, He wiped the sweat from His brow, and returned the handkerchief to the owner, then passed on. Veronica went to Rome and brought the kerchief with her. for there was left upon it the imprint of our Saviour’s face. Tho cloth was long exposed to public veneration. In Italy St. Veronica is greatly revered. She is said to have gone to Rome at the summons of the Emperor Tiberius, whom she cured by making him touch the relic, which is referred, to as St. Veronica’s Veil, for it actually was a coverchief for the sacred imagn. At her death she bequeathed this ha nokerchief to Pope Clement and his «M» c©s:ors.