Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1890 — Bottles for Tears. [ARTICLE]

Bottles for Tears.

Before the days of la grippe, when the ladies of Pompeii were the belles of the day, posed as the professional beauties and, for all we know, had their photographs taken and got a percentage on them, well bred people didn’t cry in handkerchiefs. They dropped their tears slowly and gractr fully into vials of cut glass had gold stoppers set about wHh precious stones. There can be no doubt that the woman with thoughts upon a graceful pose practiced with her tear-bottle before her mirror, and zan there be anything more touching than, when one’s best young man was off to the wars, sending him by registered letter a little note saying: “You have all my heart and these are the tears 1 have wept for you sincaywar absence!” The tear bottle could be enclosed as practical proof, and the maiden fair i would wfite on the outside of the eni velopeib large letters: “Glass—please do not stamp too hard.” Those, indeed, were the days of romance. Undoubtedly some very fetching young women, who appreciated the impres- ; sion made by a bottle of tears, but didn’t like getting a red nose, had their slaves do the weeping for them, and j physically cultured themselves by administering to the slaves a good sound [ whipping so that they might have something to weep for.