Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 March 1907 — REASON FOR ALL THINGS. [ARTICLE]

REASON FOR ALL THINGS.

Customs That Now Seem Peculiar Ha' Origin in Wisdom. If you are patient enough to ferre it out you will find that there Is a ret son for every little idiosyncrasy "w| have, for every queer thing we de Take, for example, the wearing o widows’ caps. Why do widows cove their heads with these curious littli arrangements of maline, crepe am lace? It Is a custom handed down t< us from the Romans, who shaved thel heads when they mourned the loss o a dear one. This idea was all right for men who did not mind appearini without a single spear of hair on thel heads, but of course it was most un attractive for women. No one, no even a Roman matron, liked to b< seen bald-headed, so the women oi the Tiber devised a little cap to hld< their baldness, and thus the custon has come down to us, even thougl heads are no longer shaved as a sigi of mourning. The reason that bells are tolled fo| the dead Is that years ago, when toll Ing was ffirst established, the peoplj thought that the sound of the bell frightened away evil spirits who hov ered near the dead. Why do men, and women, too, wea bows on the left side of their hats The reason is simple enough. Whei the head covering built upon the orde' of hats of to-day was first introduce It was ornamented with a ribbon whlcl went around the crown and hung dowJ In two ends on the left side, reachlnj below the shoulder. These ends wer< a sort of anchor, or safety line, ant were put there expressly to be selzej when a sudden gust of wind threaten! ed to blow the hat away. The rlbboxd were put on the left side because K as ;1 general thing, the left hand was mor apt to be free than the right. Eventv ally these ribbons were knotted In i fetching bow with flowing ends, am then they were cut off quite close t< - the bat, so that they form a ver: small and stiff bow knot. It is always the custom to throw ok shoes after a bride" and this quee custom came into vogue when parent), were in the habit of using their slip pen to keep their girls obedient ant good. Now the slipper Is not reallj Intended for the bride, but for th* bridegroom, who is supposed to usit for the same purpose the motile and father of olden times did. Failures are, with heroic minds, th< stepping stones of success.-*