We make abominable
jokes upon the Umbrella; we borrow it without compunction from any
confiding friend, though with the full intention of never returning
it--in fact, it has often been a matter of surprise to us that any
one ever does buy an Umbrella, for where can the old Umbrellas go to?
Although that question has often been asked concerning the fate of
pins, the fact as regards the former, looking at their size, is more
curious--and yet, for all that, we treat it with shameful neglect, as
if ashamed of a crime we have committed and anxious to conceal the
evidences of our guilt.
Let us then strive to afford such reparation as in our power lies,
by giving a slight description of THE UMBRELLA AND ITS HISTORY,
making up for any deficiencies of our pen by the assistance of the
artist's pencil.
CHAPTER II.
THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE UMBRELLA.
The Umbrella is derived from a stately family, that of the Parasol,
the legitimate use of the Umbrella, though sufficiently obvious,
being almost ignored in those countries whence it derives its being,
since it was as a protection against the scorching heat of the sun
that it was first used. The Parasol, then, or Umbrella--since for all
practical purposes the two are really identical--dates from the
earliest ages, some commentators on the Bible fancying they can
discover it in places where a shade protecting from the sun is
mentioned.
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