BETROTHAL AND WEDDING RINGS 231
marriage
ceremony performed for a man and woman who were both ardent advocates
of woman suffrage, suggests that such unions might be signalized by the
use of a ring of a characteristic type. In this case the parties to the
marriage contract were careful to emphasize the fact that the union
was one between equals, each of whom made the same pledge of fidelity
and love to the other. Perhaps a ring enamelled with the suffragette
colors might be acceptable to the pioneers of the new era. As in many
old-fashioned marriages the woman was accorded a de facto primacy,
the man who willingly accepts the doctrine of the equality of the sexes
may be rather a gainer than a loser by his adherence to the new faith.
In
England, it is said that a movement has been initiated to abolish the
use of the wedding-ring, possibly in some sense as a war measure, to
constitute a slight check on the use of gold for ornamental purposes.
It is, however, conjectured that its real source is rather to be sought
in the general movement for the complete independence of women, the
wedding-ring being looked upon by some extremists as an
antiquated badge of slavery. It is hardly probable that such a movement
will meet with any considerable measure of success, for the idea that
the ring is a symbol of faith has become too deeply rooted in the
popular mind to warrant the rejection of the time-honored usage.
Perhaps
the objection of the extreme advocates of " woman's rights " might be
satisfied by the introduction of an interchange of rings both at
engagements and marriages. This exchange of rings is an acknowledgment
of the mutuality of the relation, and it has been practiced, and still
is practiced in many countries on the European continent. Moreover, the
introduction
