The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1871-08-23
understood the artistic temperament in all
its moods. "When you begin to tire of your
work." says Leslie, "leave off You will
certainly injure yourself"
The Olive Tree.

u6r OF pldnGS-tu6 OtguCeCe -OOln iolh VIC
ash, the lilac, the privet, and other we'll
known trees and shrubs. 1t is character
istic production of the land of Palestine,
and was so considered by the inspired writer's
Reference might be multiplied: =" The Lord
thy God bringeth thee into good land,
a land of OH Olive; :" "To give thee
great and goodly cities, vineyards
and Olive trees which thou plantedst not"
Deut. vii. IL; vii. 8. Syria, in fact, is the
native land of the olive, which is still abun
dant in all parts of Palestine, while other
trees which formerly adorned the hills and
valleys of that country are now almost I'M
known.
The olive is an evergreen tree, of low
stature, seldom exceeding thirty feet in
height; the wood is hard, compact, and of a
yellowish color; the leaves resemble those of
the ash, being darkish green on the upper,
and white on the under side. The SOLVE
yards" of Palestine are almost as familiar
as its vineyards" to the mind of the Bible
reader; and it is certain that the Jews be-
slowed great pains upon the culture of
tree which became one of the chief sources
of wealth and comfort to them, as it proba-
bly, had been to the former inhabitants OF
the land. Solomon's olive plantations were
principally situated in the low plains Il
Chron xvii. 49, but it is evident, from the
name, "Mount of OlSUes," that those trees
also grew upon the hills, as is the case at the
present time. From 0livet the Israelites
obtained the olive branches used in the COR
struction of booths at the Feast of Taberna-
cles. This appears from the mode in which
those who returned from Babylon observed
the festival, Neh. viii. Is. The wood was
used by Solomon in the construction of the
temple,-for the "door- posts of the edifce,
the ''doors" of the "oracle, and the 1.-TWO
cherubims." This is stated in 1 Kings vi !;
and in the preceding chapter we read that
Solomon gave to his Tyrian ally, Hiram, in
exchange for fir and cedar trees, "twenty
thousand measures of pure OiT' every year
This would appear to have been equivalent
to 100000 gallons, and when considered in
connection with the vast quantities of oil re,
quired by the Israelites for their own use,
will give some idea of the astonishing fer
tility of the olive. yards of Palestine in the
days of its prosperity.
The olive,tree is frequently alluded to in
the poetic portions of Scripture. The great
Hebrew leader, in his last and sweetest song.
reminded Israel of One who had given to
the ungrateful tribes coil out of the finty
rocks" (Deut xxi. 10 y and Job remem-
bered that, in the days of his prosperity,
"the rock poured" him "out rivers of oil, .
xxx. 6. These references are explained by
the fact that the olive delights in rocky,
Ainty soil; and it is even said that if, from
the depth of the soil, it is unable to extend
its roots into the underlying rock. the tree
languishes, and its berries are small aud de-
void of sap.
The olive is often used to symbolic the
godly man. q" says the PSalmist, 'am
ike a green olive tree in the house Of God, y
Pisa. lii. s. Jeremiah xxi 16) says of Ju
dab, "The Lord called thy name, green
olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit The
"greenness" here alluded to implies vigor
rather than brightness of color; since the
beauty of the olive lies not in its foliage,
but in the spreading of its branches. Ho-
sea xiv. g. prophesies of Israel "His
branches shall spread, and his beauty shall
be as the olive tree" The longevity of the
olive may perhaps be also alluded to in the
above quoted SMILES.
The olive-tree blossoms in May or June
It's flowers are small and white, and easily
blown from the tree. To this Job alludes
when describing wicked man, He shall
cast forth his flower as the olive, chap. XIV.
80. So numerous are the blossoms, that
when they are thus cast of, it is as though
snow were falling from the branches. Not
one flower in hundred comes to maturity.
The fruit of the olive was, of course, the
great source of its value to the former in
habitants of Palestine; nor is it less impor-
tant now. DR.. Thomson says: "The berry,
picked, forms the general relish to the farm
er s dry bread. He goes forth to his work
in the field at early dawn, or sets out on a
Journey, with no other provision than olives
wrapped up in quantity of his paper like
loaves, and with this he is contented. Then,
almost every kind of dish is cooked in oil,
aud without it the good wife is utterly con-
founded; and when the oil fails, the lamp in
the dwelling of the poor expires More,
over, the entire supply of soap in this coun-
try is from the produce of the olive" See
Deut. xviii. 40; Josh. xiv 10; Hab. iii.
II, The fruit is of a yellowish green, turn
ing black as it ripens. 1t attains maturity
in August or September At the Feast of
Tabernacles, which was about the middle of
October 18th of Tisri, the first fruits of
the oil-were offered, with the produce of the
vintage and of the harvest, Neh. 81. The
fruit was gathered by shaking the tree lisa.
xvii G., or beating the branches Deut. xiv.
20;) and cleaning lisa. vii. g. was always
left for the poor, the Mosaic law forbidding
the owner to "go over the boughs again, :,
Deut. xiv. 20. The oil appears co have
been extracted by treading, as in the case
of the grape, Micah vi Is.
The various uses of olive oil form the sub
jeets of many passages of Scripture. We
can enumerate but few of them. Olive
oil was used
As an article of food.-Exek. xvi. Is.
For amounting the head and body.-Psa
xiii 5; xcii. 10.
For burning in lamps.-Exod. xvii 90
As medicament.-I8a l. 6 (margin.l
In embalming.-Mark xiv. 8; Luke xiii
So (0
In acrifces.-Exod. xxx. 40.
In other sacred rites.-Gen. xviii. IS.
As an article of ommerce.-Ezek. xvii.
IT.
1 HAVE heard it told through one who was
present at the shipwreck of the Kent, as
circumstance, that every mother