The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-06-17
Our 0lio.


have taken so prominent part in public
life to have attracted the attention Of his
tory-and who share with the black beetle
a positive distaste for the rose. The fa
nous Cheyalier dc Guise could not smell
u rose without feeling uncomfortable and
Venieri, one of the Dodges of Venice
suffered under the same disqualification
for the pursuits of gardening Anne, ol
Austria, wife of Louis XIII, could moi
even look at rusc in a painting without
being seized with tantrums. Nevertheless
many people who are willing as rule tc
take examples from the great, have persis
ted in entertaining friendly sentiments to.
wards this flower, and every time the
spring and early summer bring back the
pretty annual, they fall to telling one an-
other all they know about it. In the
East there is still belief that the first rose
was formed by tear Of the Prophet Ma
homet, but nations of more cool and disci-
plined imagiuations have sometimes admit
ted that its origin is lost in obseurity. Roses
were used very early in history among the
most potent ingredients of love philters.
They seem to have been imported by the
Romans from Egypt until the reign Of
Domitian. Antiochus slept upon bed
of rose-leayes. Marc Antony begged that
Cleopatra would cover his tomb with these
flowers, and "mea rosa" was favorite
term Of endearmcnt AMONG Roman lovers,
as who should say "mon chu' (my cab
bage) nowadays in France. Homer has
adorned the shield of Achilles and the
helmet Of Hector with roses. Among the
Greeks it was custom to leave bequests
for the maintenance Of sepulchral rose
gardens over the grave of the testator, and
at Torcallo, near Venice, an inscription may
still be seen which shows that this fashion
was adopted in Italy. In Stocks collec-
tion Of engravings on stone there is u
beautiful design cut in garnet. 1t repre-
sents butterfly settling on u. rose, and it
is supposed to commemorate the death of
a young girl. In Turkey stone rose is
often sculptured above the graves of un-
married women. A charming bas-relief
on the tomb of Nine. De Ia Live, who died
at the age of twenty-one, represents time
moving rose with his scythe. According
to Indian mythology, Pagodasiri, one Of
the wives of Vishnu was found in a rose,
| Zoroaster is said to have made rose-tree
spring out Of the earth and bud and bios
som in the presence of Darius, who had
called upon him to perform amiraele. In
Babylon preparation of shoe-leather was
much esteemed when it had been impreg-
mated with the scent Of roses and Abdul
kari, an eminent Turk, who wanted to live
there, being made aware of this fact, dis
covered an ingenious way to profit by it.
In reply to demand which he had made
for the freedom of the city the Babylo-
mans sent him bowl brimful of water, to
signify that there was no room among
them for an intruder. Abdulkari placed
rose-lcaf on the surface of the water
without spilling drop Of it, and having
thus indicated that he might be received
without making mess, he obtained the
object of his desire.
In one of the books attributed to Solo
mon eternal wisdom is compared to the
plantations Of rose-trees at Jericho. Prin-
cess Nourmahal, the most lovely lady in
the harem Of Great Mogul, had canal
filled with rose-water, and rowed about on
it with her august consort. The heat of
the sun dise1gaged the essential oil from
the water, and their majesties having OBJ
served the fact invented otto ofroses. The
Emperor Heliogabalus filed fsh-pond
with rose-water; it is nowhere said wheth-
er the fishes approved of this proceeding.
When the Soldan Saladin, who had so
much trouble with the hafG-fsted English
King Richard and his turbulent Christian
friends, took Jerusalem in 1888, he would
not enter the Temple, which he profanely
called mosque, till he had its walls wash
ed with rose-water; and Sanut assures us
that 500 camels were no more than suffi-
cient to carry the purifying liquid Also,
after the taking Of Constantinople by Ma
homet H., in 1855, the church of st.
Sophia was solemnly purified with rose
water before it was converted into mosque.
The high-priest ofthc Hebrews wore crown
of roses when he offered up certain sacri-
fees under the Mosaic dispensation and
it was, perhaps, in remembrance Of this
fact that the Synod of Nismes, which was
held in the third century, enjoined every
Jew to wear rose on his breast as q dis
tinguishing mark Of inferiority. In many
countries the Jews still celebrate the festi-
val of Easter Flowers, during which they
ornament their lamps, chandeliers aud beds
with roses. Thus it happened that these
flowers were hateful to the early Christians,
and, are often condemned in the writings Of
the fathers, who professed that they could
not understand that pious people could
think with oquauimity of roses when they
remembered the crown of thorns; after
wards this hostile feeling seems to have
died out When Maria Antoinette pass
ed through Nancy on her way to be mar
ried with Louis XVI, the ladies Of Lor-
rainc prepared her bed strewed with
roses. In the Middle Ages roses were
held so precious. in France that royal
license was necessary 10 0row them |