Show = < SOURCE OF FAMILIAR CUSTOMS Why an Old Shoe Is Throvni After a Bride Etc lIt l-It Is most surprising what a number of little things we do without knowing tho reason Why for Instance do widows wear caps Perhaps you may = say because be-cause they make them look pretty and Interesting But the real reason Is that when the Romans were In England they shaved their heads as a sign of mourning mourn-ing Of course a woman couldnt let herself be seen with a bald head so sho made herself a pretty cap And now though the necessity of wearing It has passed away the cap remains says a London Magazine What Is the meaning of the crosses or Xs on a barrel of beer They signify degrees of quality nowadays But orig inally they were put on by thoso ancient monies as a Kort of trade mark They were crosses In those days and meant a sort of oath on tho cross sworn by tho manufacturer that his barrel contained good liquor r Why are bells tolled for the dead or This has become so familiar a practice that tv funeral without it would appear un Chrlstlan Yet tho reason Is quite bar bnroujj Bells were tolled long ago when I people were being burled In order 10 frighten away the evil spirits who lived In the air i Why do fair ladles break a bottle of I wine on tho ship they arc christening 1 Merely another survival of barbaric custom I cus-tom Jn J tin daysof sacrifice to the ioda It was customary to pet some poor victim vic-tim when a boat was being launched and to cut his throat over the prow so that his blood baptised It I Why are dignitaries deafened by a salute sa-lute when they visit a foreign port It seems a curious sort of welcome this ii firing off of guns but it appears the i custom arose In a very reasonable way i Originally a town or a I warship fired oft their guns on the approach of Important and friendly strangers to show that thoy had such faith In the visitors peaceful Intentions they didnt think It necessary to leoell > their guns loaded Why do we sometimes throw n shoe after I aft-er a bride Tim reason Is not very complimentary com-plimentary From of old it has been thn i habit of mothers to chastise their children chil-dren with a shoe Hence tho custom arose 1 of thw father of the bride making a present pres-ent to the bridegroom of a shoe as a sign that It was to be his right to Iteou her In order J I 1 11 |