The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-06-15
A CHAPTER ON ROSES.

In one OF the DOCKS aIlflOuleu W OOlO-
mon eternal wisdom is compared to the
Plantations of rose trees at Jericho. Prln-
cess Nourmahal, the most lovely lady in
in the harem of Great Mogul, had a ca
nal filled with rose water, and rowed
about on it with her august consort. The
heat of the sun disengaged the essential
oil from the water, and their Majesties
having observed the fact invented altar
of roses. The Emperor Heliogabalus
filled fish pond with rose water; it is
nowhere said whether the fishes appro-
we'd of this proceeding. When the Sol
dan Saladin, who had so much trouble
with King Richard and his turbulent
Christian friends, took Jerusalem III loS
he would not enter the Temple, which
he profanely called a mosque, till he had
its walls washed with rose water, and
Sanut assures us that five hundred cam
els were no more than sufficient to carry
the purifying liquid. Also, after the ta'
king of Constantinople by Mohammed
II in 1455, the church Of st. Sophia
was solemnly purified with rose water
before it was converted into mosque.
The high priest of the Hebrews wore
a crown of roses when he offered up GER
tain sacrifices under the Mosaic dispen-
sation; and it was perhaps in remem-
brance of this fact that the Synod OF MIS-
mes, which was held in the third centu-
ry, enioined every Jew to wear a rose on
his breast as distinguishing mark of
inferiority. In many countries the Jews
still celebrate the festival of Easter Flow
ers, during which time they ornament
their lamps, chandeliers and beds with
roses. Thus it happened that these
flowers were hateful to the early Chris
tians, and are often condemned in the
writings of the Fathers, who protessed
that they could not understand that pi.
GUS people could think with equanimity
of roses when they remembered the
crown of thorns; afterwards this hostile
feeling seems to have died ont
When Maria Antoinette went through
Nancy on her way to be married with
Louis XVI, the ladies Of Lorraine pre-
pared her bed strewed with roses. In
the middle ages roses were held so prec-
ious in France that royal license was
necessary to grow them. Charlemagne
recommended the cultivation of the rose
in his "Capitulation" The Persians of
Sairaz stop their wine bottles with roses,
which gives the wine pleasant smell;
and during the festival Of Adrian, that
takes place during the eqninox, Persian
ladies' throw roses at each other when
they pay visits. At Rome it was the
practice of the church to bless the rose
on a special day set apart, which was
called Rose Sunday. The custom OF
blessing the golden rose seems to have
begun in the eleventh or twelfth century.
The benediCtion was pronounced with
particular solemnity on the fourth Sun
day in Lent, and the golden rose thus
conseCrated was given as mark OF the
the Sovereign POntid's favor to some
prince or princess, Alexander III, who
had been received with great honor dur
ing a Journey which he made in France,
sent the golden rose to Louis the Young
as sort of graceful compliment. Sub
seuuently the giving of the golden rose
became an authoritative act by which
Tie Pope officially recognized the rights
of Christian sovereigns Thus Urban V
gave the golden rose to Joan, Queen OF
Sicily, in 1865, thereby preferring her to
the King Of Cyprus. Henry VIII OF
England, received golden rose both
from julius ii and from Leo y, Toward
the close of the last century the golden
rose appears to have been given almost
indiscriminately to any travelling prince
would pay sum equivalent to about
two hundred pounds in fees for it.-Poll
Mall Gazette.