The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-01-25

Before going into battle the Roman
eenturions or priests anointed the standard
eagles and also the banners, and their use
in funerals was wantonly extrayagant.
Nero is said to have burnt on the funeral
pile of his wife Poppaea, the whole of one
years produce of the Arabian market.
The Arabians kept their finest perfumes
in sea-shells, and Horace alludes to the
same custom among his countrymen
Pour ont the perfamed ointment from the
capacious Shells
One Of the finest of all perfumes was the
invention Of any early Roman noble called
FrangiPani 1t is powder composed of
equal quantities Of every known spice, to
which is added ground orris-root in weight
equal to the whole, with one per cent Of
musk. Mercutio Frangipani, grandson Of
the discoverer, first dissolved the powder in
rectifed spirits, and thereby obtained the
most lasting perfume in the world,
In England tho use Of scented waters
and ointments grew very slowly, though
the writers Of Elizabeth's time frequently
mention them. In the manufacture Of
lavender water, England, however, has no
rivals, and it readily brings eight times
more money than the French, although
the latter people have always been leaders
and masters in the art of making perfumes
There are at least seven different kinds
OF perfumes. Those derived from animals
as Ambergris of musk those from herbs,
as thyme and verbena those from Ro,oers,
as rose and jasmine those from tcoods, as
sandal and cinnamon those from roots, as
orris and sassafras those from spices, as
cassia or from gums, as camphor.
Southern Europe is now the great har.
vest-feld of the perfumer. On the coast
of the mediterranean the delicate cassia
grows without fear of frost at the foot Of
the Alps the sweetest violets; at Cannes
the rose and the jasmine and the tuberose;
at Nismes thyme, rosemary, and an inferior
lavender. Sicily yields lemon and orange,
Italy orris and bergamot.
White flowers are always most fragrant,
4
then yellow, after which red and blue.
Climate, however, has much to do with
the quantity and quality. Flowers grown
in hot climates yield the most odor. Those
in colder climates are less generous but
infinitely sweeter.
The seat of odor is very far from being
uniform sometimes it is in the leaves, as
in Patchouly sometimes in the stem, as
in cedar, most frequently in the flower, as
in the rose and violet; again it is found in
the bark or root, or seed as in cinnamon,
iris, or the toquin bean or carraway seed
Of all vegetable products the orange tree
is the. most valuable to the prefumer, for il
yields no less than three distinct odors
That from the leaves called petit grain
that from the flowers called eisence of Por.
tagui
India perfumery, the richest and most
expensive Of all, is made in the following
manner; A layer of the scented flower
four inches thick is placed on the ground
and then covered with layer of sesamum
seed two inches thick, wetted, then above
it another four inches Of flowers. The
whole Is covered with sheet and left fol
eighteen hours, then fresh flowers are
supplied and the process is continued until
the seeds are full of the oil of the flower
whether rose or jasmine. In their swoller
state they are placed in mill and subjec
ted to strong pressure, and the fine bland
oil is found to be strongly impregnated
with the aroma of the flowers used.
| Perfumes have also a more interesting
side than the commercial one--they hav,
very decided mental influence. If III,
rose suffers with bad odor, all the body
suffers with it, for ''there is no schism il
the body, and when cone member suffers
all the members suffer with it." Who has
not recognized the exhilarating effect OF
the sea air, or the perfume of bayfield,
or cloyer-patch? And who is not famil
lar with the powerful influence of the odol
of tobacco or opium,
| Piesse, a famous English chemist, say,
that there is an octave Of odors as well al
of music certain odors coinciding just Al
certain sounds do. Almond, heliotrope
vanilla and elcmatis blend together, pro
ducing different degrees of nearly similal
impressions. Citron, lemon, orange rint
and verbena form higher octave Pat
chouly, sandalwood, vitivert and man,
others run in the same way into cacl
other. Rose and rose-geraniun are hal
notes, and relitz grain and neroli blacl
keys followed by an orange flower.
i Chambers, in reviewing this theory
thinks that as music depends upon fxe'
mathematical law, so also the whole pleas
ures of the sense of smell may depend OF
! cognate laws equally well defined thougl
less understood. This theory finds il
jasmine the indirisi5te uait Of fragrance
If 50, then the rose ought to be dethroned
and jasmine, "the Isis Of flowers, witt
yelled face and covered feet" made queer
J in her stead
! The nose can be educated as well as an,
other organ ofthe body. Winemerchants
tea brokers, drug dealers, hop merchants
and perfumists, go through regular nasa
, education, and those who love sweet scent
and cultivatethe taste, become exquisitcl
sensitive totheir influence. There are tw