Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-08-17

To the Benedctines and Cistercians. the
first great agricultursts of Europe, and the
first great gardeners, the true predecessors of
the uenderSons, Vetches, and ID y ,ings of
our own day-we are indebted for many of
the old well loved flowers that will always keep
their places III spite of their gayer but less per-
manent modern rivals. The wallhower that
FscentS the dewy air. about the ruined arches
of its convent; and scarlet anemone, that
flowers about Eastertide, and is called in Pal
estine the ''blood drops of Christi" the bios
somlng almond tree, one of the symbols of the
virgin; and the marygold, that received her
name, are buta few of the old friends brought
long ago from Syria by some pilgrim monk,
and spread from his garden over the whole Of
Europe. Within those quiet walls the broth
erPaclhcus OF his monastery found material
for the studies of leaf, flower, and insect, with
which to decorate the borders of his mssals
and brevaries and the sculptor could there
arrange his wreaths Of white lilies; or his
branches Of herb bcnnct' before transferring
them in stone to the capitals OF the nelghbur-
ing church,
"Norherb nor flowret gi;tened there
But was carved i'll the cloisler arches as fair"
In the cloister garden, too, the monk was
wont to mediate ON the naryels of the plants
that surrounded him, and to find all manner of
mysterious emhlems in their marks and trac-
ings. Many displayed the true figure Of the
cross 1t might be seen in the centre of the
red poppy; and there was a fig at Rome, in
the garden of the Ciatercjan convent of Santa
Potcntias, the fruit of which, when cut
through, showed Il green cross inlaid on the
white pulp, and having at it's angles five seeds,
representing the five wounds.
The banana, in the Canaries, is never cut
with knife, because it also exhibits a repre-
sentation Of the crucifXion, just as the fern
root shows an oak tree. Bat the fame of the
greatest of all such maryels arrived at Rome
in the year 1909. This was the passion flower
of the New World.
Drawings and descriptions of the passion
flower were published for the first time, in
both Spain and Italy, in 1909. 1t would seem,
says Boso that in TINS wonderful and myster-
iOus Glover OF the five wounds, as the Span
iards called it, the Creator of the world has
chosen to represent the principal emblems of
his Sons passion; SO that in due season it
might assist, when its marvels should be ex-
planned to them, in the conversion of the
heather people in whose country it grew.
He goes on to describe the flower as fol-
lows
The upper petals are tawny in Peru; in
New Spain they are white tnged with ii rose
color. The tringe-lke ilaments above are
blood red, ''as though referring to the scourge
with which our Lord was beaten" In the
midst of the flower rises the column to which
he was bound and above are the nails both
OF ''clear green" Above, again, is the
crown OF thorns, surrounded Ivy kind of veil
OF threads-seventyt in number, the tradi-
tional number of the thornS upon our Lords
crown-colored like peacock's feather. In
the centre of the flower and under the col
umn, are five marks or spots of blood color,
''clearly representing the five chief wounds
that Christ received on the cross" The plant
he continues, is rich in leaves, which in shape
rnSSnn,hla the iron of a pike nr lanOn hnad and
feIers 10 t'lat Win w4uch our Lords side was
pierced. AT nighttall the flower closes en-
tirely and in the day it only half unfods itself,
keeping always the form Of bell, so that the
mysteries SO wonderfully enclosed in it cam
not be generally seen.
1t is the one great contribution of the west
ern hemisphere to the symbolical flowers Of
christendom; and its star like blossoms have
thaben worthy place beside tie mystical
roses and tretols of ecclesiastical decoration;
never more appropriately than in the ironwork
OF the beautiful choir screens at Litchfeld and
at Hereiord.-N Y. Ere. Post