The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1876-06-17
a Chalter q Reselsl.

a Chapter On Roses.
In one az IL books attributed to 6olc
mon eternal wisdom is compared to IL
plantations 81 rose trees ct Jeficho
Princess Nourmahal, the most Lowell,
lady in the harem of the Great Mogul
had . canal filled with rose water an,
Fowed about on it with her august con
sort. The heat of the sun disengsget
the essential oil from the water, ant
their majesties having observed the fac'
invented altar of roses. The emperor
Helfogabalus filled q fish pond with ross
water; it is nowhere said whether thu
fishes approved of this proceeding
When the Soldan Saladin, who had x
much trouble with hard.6sted English
King Richard and his turbulent Chris
tian friends, took Jerusalem in 1883, he
would not enter the temple which he
profane,y called mosque, till he had
had its walls washed with rose water,
and Sanut assures us that 500 camels
we're no more than sufficient to carry the
purifying liquid. Also, after the taking
Of Constantinople by Mohammed II. in
1855, the Church of St. Sophia was sol
emily purified with rose water before it
was converted into q mosque.
The high priest of the Hebrews wore a
crown of roses when he offered mp GER
tain sacrifices under the mosaic dispen-
sation; and it was perhaps in remem.
brance of this fact that the Synod of
Nismes, which was held in the third
century, enjoined every Jew to wear a
rose on his breast as a Distinguishing
mark of inferiority. In many countries
the Jews still celebrate the festival of
Easter Flowers, during which they orna-
ment their lamps, chandeliers, and beds,
with roses Thus 1t happened that these
flours were hateful to the early Chris
tians, and are often condemned in the
writings of the fathers, who protested
that they could not understand that
pious people could think with equanim-
ity of roses when they remembered the
crown of thorns; afterwards this hostile
feeling seems to have died out.
When Marie Antoinette passed 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 pre-.
cious in France that a 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 give the wine pleasing smell;
and during the festival of Adrian,
which takes place during the equinox,
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 the 18th or 18th century. The
benediction was pronounced with partic-
ular solemnity on the fourth Sunday
in Lent, and the golden rose thus conse-
Grated was given as mark of the Sover-
eign Pontiff's favor to some prince or
princess. Alexander Ill, who had been
received with great honor during a
journey which he made in France, sent
the golden rose to Louis the Young as a
sort of graceful compliment. subse-
quently the giving of the golden rose be-
came an authoritative act by which the
Pope officially recognized the rights of
Christian sovereigns. Thus Urban v.
gave the golden rose to Joan, Queen of
Sicily, in 1868, thereby preferring her
over the King of Cyprus. Henry VIII.
of England received golden rose both
from Julius IL. and from Leo x. To.
ward the close of the last century the
golden rose appears to have been given
almost Unfortunately to any travelling
prince who would pay sum equivalent
to about s40O in fees for it.-PaA Mall
Gazette.