The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-09-13
The Rose.

Is there any portion of mankind that has
| not inhaled the sweet perfume of this love-
ly flower From Borneo to the ruins of
! the PartheDon from Kamscbatka to Ben
gal from the neighborhood of Hudson's
| Bay to the mountains of Mexico: from
Cairo to the Cape of Good Hope, it graces
the palace and the chamber, lavishes itself
full leaved on the professions of Corpus
Christi, and serves as a pretty plaything
to the child, who cracks the swollen petals
on his innocent forehead.
Ofit the Hebrews made their crowns,
and in their solemnities the high priest
wreathed it around his head.
When the Queen of Sheba visited Solo
mon, it is said, she tried every means to
assure herself not only of his superior wis
dom, but also of the quickness of his per-
ception. She placed before him one dnv
two roses, one artificial, but SO we'll made
that she defied the king to distinguish the
false one from the real. He sent for a bee.
which naturally alighted on the true one.
and thus, without approaching either, was
ah!e TO give his decision.
Among the Hebrews, the bride groom as
wen as tue bride wore a crown OF roses of
myrtle, or of olive.
Mythology assigns to the rose the most
Industrious origin. At the moment when
Paiias came out of the brain of Jupiter. the
earth produced the rose, that delight might
follow in the wake of wisdom. White Mt
what it owed its many purpled bues We
are told by some that the exquisite Adonis
was mortally wounded by q boar, and tina
his flowing blood fell on the roses, and
colored them for ever. According to 9TH
ers, Venus ran to protect him, and the
thorns and briers tore her lovely skin, and
the purple drops fell on a wild rose, dyed
IT, and consecrated it for ever in her honor,
Such circumstance was scarcely neces-
sary to make 80 perfect a flower sacred to
the goddess of -beauty-Some~ authors saw
that in the midst of an Olympiau fete the |
goddess Hebe spilled the embalmed vermil- |
ion nectar, and that the white roses spread |
ehelr petals to receive the perfume and the |
color.
Mythology also relates that Love pre- |
sented to Harpocrates, the god of silence,
the flower that no one had ever seen, and
that consequently had never revealed
Hence came the custom of sus-
pending rose from the ceiling of the
room where families assembled, in order
that discretion, of which it was the symbol,
might become the guarantee of the sacred
security of all their conversations. Sub
rosa Iunder the rose) was proverb that
slgniHed We can speak freely, without
suspicion.
Venus and Cupid were represented
with roses; SO, also, Flora: the
goddess of flowers, and Comus, who pre-
'ided at festivities.
@L5AoOJ Obo OuuSSSU Vi JDe traces, carried
he rosebud in her hand, the attribute of
7outh and beauty.
The Graces, the Muses., and Bacchus also
eceived their homage in crowns of roses
heir affairs were hung with garlands, and
hose good old servants the Penates were
ometimes decorated in like manner. OF {
~ the flowers, the rose was dedicated to
he greatest number of divinities, although
early all of them had some plant especial a
Y sacred. s
The opening hour of day sowed roses in i,
1urora's path, who at sight of her father
he sun wept tears of joy over her favorite
overs. So the poets of antiquity ex- !
lain the drops of dew that tremble and
clntillate on the roses in the morning
ght. The rose designates the dawn and. q
athed with dew, it is the emblem of filiai
iety'
Peace is represented holdnga rod of
lorns with roses and olive branches, and b
10 muee Erato, when presiding over s
rio poetry, was always crowned with Il
yrtle and the rose. 7
The appearance of Christianity gave to =
10 rose another origin, and we cite the ct
gepd. Once holy virgin of Bethlehem. tr
lsely accused and calumniated, was con. ar
mined to perish by FIRE. She prayed To b
II lord beR0Anhin0 him IN nov,,r e. A.. ~