Show why tumblers were so called how many times a day do we use the word without stopping to think what it means every day at luncheon shil and at dinner we drink out of a tumbler but bat I 1 tor for one never thought why the large glass class that holds our milk or water was so called until once upon a time I 1 happened to have it at all souls college oxford all souls is a curious carious college it has no students or undergraduates as we call them in england it consists of a master and a number of fellows men who have taken their degrees and have distinguished themselves as acho scholars lars there is a quaint old rule in latin that says a man to be a fellow of all souls must be wellborn well dressed and a moderately good doctor in singing 0 there is no question nowadays of sing singing but of good breeding and good scholarship there is and to be elected a fellow of all souls is a great honor one of the most distingue distinguished dist ingui lashed fellows is professor max muller the greaf philologist who though bets he la a german by berthand birt hand was not educated at oxford was elected to all Seal aaa glas a mark of respect for his immense learning the common room or the fellows smaller dining room Is a delightful old place with it its great fire place and its walls all wain wainscoted cited with black oak while ahll through the great window with its heavy stone I 1 bullions mullions mul Tiona lions you on look out on to ancient ivy grown tuil buildings buildings dings round a quiet court which is filled with a space of velvet turf on the day which I 1 speakers speak professor max muller was giving a lunch eon in this delicious room to the charming and talented princess alicei alice the wife of the grand duke of hesse darmstadt and second daughter of queen victoria there were not a dozen guests beside the princess and her husland huso and and a very agreeable luncheon we had bad with pleasant talk on all kinds of interesting subjects but what excited the curiosity cfall the strangers pre present sect was a letof set of the most attractive little round bowls of ancient silver about the size of x large orange they were brought round according to the custom of the place lace filled to the brim witt with the famous famous ale brewed in the college these we were tod tola were atam tumblers and we were speedily shown how bow they came by their name a fitting lesson for the guests of a philologist when one olp these little bowls empty it was placed upon the table mouth downwards instantly so perfect was its ballance it flew back in to its proper position as if asking to be filled again no matter how tt it was treated trundled along the floor balanced carefully on its side aide dropped suddenly upon the soft thick carpet up it rolled again and settled itself with a few gentle sh akings and sway ings into its place like one ot of those india rubbed tumbling baby babl brothers and sisters delight in T this a then was the origin of our word tumbler at first made of silver allver as are these all souls gumbl ra rhen when glass became common the round glasses that stood on a flat base superseded the exquisitely balanced siver silver spheres a and n d stole their name so successfully that you faveto ha veto go to 40 all souls and a few other old louses houses to see the real thing so do words with the wonderful lift 16 that is in ia them change and grow and get new meanings full of interest and teaching and delight to those who bink about teem rose ros Q G Kings hyo in it christmas wide awake |