Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-08-11
Roses.

The Persians, compared with their
neighbors. Turks and Egyptians, are a
lively people, but we could call them quiet,
and even sad, because their gayety is so
different from ours. and their manners are
more grave and dignifcd. But they are
fond Of amusements, and one of their
yearly festivals is the i" Feast of the Roses"
which takes place during the rosy season,
which is June, July, and indeed the great
er part of the summer l will try to tell
you something about it.
The climate being very warm. the peo-
pie live much out Of doors, and during
this feast tents are pitched; every one
wears his or her prettiest dresses, and as
all eastern people are fond of bright col
ors. the scene is a very gay one.
During this festival everything betokens
mirth aud enjoyment. The cymbals and
lutte are heard from morning till night,
full tales, and the dancing girls dance for
hours at time. Then. when the night
comes. and the moonlight covers every
thing like a silver cloud, the people stretch
themselves on their soft carpets and listen
to the songs of the nightingales and soft
serenades on the women's lutes.
III SOlIlC Psti 10 VI L III my " AOlC llCito Vi
roses are cultivated, from which the Turks
make the famous altar of roses" which
is so fragrant that a vessel or anything
touched with drop of it seems never to
lose the smell; and the Hindoos scatter
rose-leaves in the water they drink to give
it pleasant appearance.
There are more than two hundred kinds of
roses, and they are of all sizes, from the
finv s.Pinavupo ca ca1lo1 booouSo II
is no larger than a five-cent piece-which,
in the South. is called picayune-to the
immense cabbage-rose; of all shades of
color. bright yellow. pink, red, and almost
black. The Rose of Damascus, or damask
rose, is the one first brought to this coun-
try, and is Il very deep red, with a strong
Perfume, Then there are the Egyptian
searOses, tea-roses, rock-roses, which grow
in dry rocky places. where no other flower
can live; and the Alpine rose, growing by
the eternal snowdrifts of the Alps.
Roses are hardy plants, and will live a
long time, if properly cared for, There
is Il rose-trce in Germany which is known
to be eight hundred years old, and it is still
blOsSOmino
We all know and love the pretty moss
rose, with its messy, green veil, that gives
it such Il shy, modest air; and the tea-rose,
which, in the south and west, grows on
large trees. The writer had, in her garden
in Arkansas, one which grew to be over
seven feet high, and would bear rs many
as five hundred blossoms at once
But there Is one rose more curious then
all the others-the Rose of Jericho 1t
has another name which botanists call it,
that is, -4udStdticd, a Greek word, meaning
resurrection; and the AarbS call it the
symbol Of Immortality. because it comes
to life again long after it has seemed to be
dead. 1t lives in the hot sands of the
Desert of Sahara, and when the dry season
comes in it withers. folds its leaves, and
draws up its roots. like little feet, into a
light ball, and the winds of the desert car
" it until it reaches Il moist soil, and then,
we are told. it drops. and its leaves become
green, and its blossoms open, delicate
pink.
There is 4 flower in Mexico, known as
the Resurrection Flower, which is very
much the same. 1t may be carried about
in your pocket for a year or more, and vet
when put into 4 saucer of water. in few
hours will blossom out rs bright and fresh
rs if it had Just come out of the garden.
When the Romans conquered Britain,
more than eighteen hundred years ago,
they introduced many curious customs
into that country-among others. that of
carving the figure of II rose on the cell
inGs of their banqueting-h or suspend
ing a natural rose over the dining table,
with the Latin motto, " SUI rosa," written
about it, TO indicate that whatever was
said there among friends, or under the
rose"-for that was the meaning of the
words-should not be repeated, the white
rose being the symbol of silence
The rose is the national emblem of Eng
land, rs the thistle is Scotland, and the |
shamI ock, or clover, of Ireland. Every |
one who has studied history knows Of the
Wars of the Roses in England, when the :
two rival families Of York and Lancaster !
fought for the English crown, the house |
of York having for its badge the white
rose, and the house of Lancaster the red.
Many of my young readers have heard
of the language of flowers, in which peo-
pie can hold conversation with each other;
for instance: A white rose is the emblem
of silence; withered rose of any color
means, Let us forget and yellow
rose. " Despair and so on A rose hand
ed to Il person means one thing when
handed upright, another when its position
is reversed With its thonrs it has GER
ain meaning; without them still another.
Among these eastern people-the Persians.
Turks and IIindoos-this language of
lowers is so perfectly understood that. by
means of Il bunch of their f,vorte roses,
ong conversation may be carried on with
'ut word being spoken. This suits these
people. who do not like to talk very much ,
ut who are. nevertheless, Il very roman e
ic, dreamy, and poetic racc.-Lily De
}o-la Wood. IN 81. Nicholas for July.