MOURNING. In most nations from the earliest ages it has been the custom of bereaved persons to testify their grief for the loss of friends or relatives by some external change of dress and deportment. The eastern nations and the Greeks cut off their hair, the Romans al lowed the beard and hair togrow, in mourning. Different colors have been adopted as badges of grief ; the ancient Egyptians wore yellow; the Ethiopians, gray; the Roman and Spartan women, white, which is still the color of grief in China, Japan and Siam; in Turkey, blue and violet; and in the other European countries, black is used for this purpose. Some have at tempted to trace the associations by which the colors acquired their character to natural causes; but it must be allowed, with little suc cess. The Jews, in sign of grief at the loss of their relatives, rent their garments, tore out their hair and wore coarse garments of a dark color; they went barefoot, neglected their per sons and performed other acts of penance. The
term of mourning with them was from 7 to 30 days. Among the Greeks and Romans it was the custom to lay aside all ornaments of dress, to abstain from the bath and all indulgences. The kings of France mourned in violet. Among the ancients, as among the moderns, public mournings were common on the death of the sovereign or of a distinguished public benefac tor. The of mourning differs in differ ent countries, but in all is generally regulated by the nearness of relationship between the sur vivors and the deceased. In Scotch law a widow has a claim to mournings for her husband where his estate or rank requires mourning in point of decency. Mournings for such of the deceased's children as are to be present at the funeral also form a privileged debt. In the United States the customary period of mourning for widows is one year.
A butterfly. See CA MBERWELL BEAUTY.