The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-07-09
THE ROSE AT HOME,
Anecdote and Fable from the
Classical History of the Queen
Of Flowers.

The roses are in bloom. % every
,ide they fill the air with beauty ano
iragrauce, whether pruned into up
right nttle trees, 9 IN the gardens OF
the ricn, and looking uncom 'ortao Ole
IN their forced precision, or spreading
m neglected luxuriRboe around
ann bier dwellings. The suburbs OF
the CITY ere esy with them. A walk
,hraneh West PnlIsdelphis is like =
stroll through the gardens OF Cash-
mere. Happy June to be the mother
.ot such children! No wonder the
Romans considered her q favored
month. and be Ileved that she brought
esoecial luck to the newly married,
rnr they. OF aIl people, loved and
cherished the rose.
We are informed, though il ls
difficult to credit the fact, that Nero
apent 100000 of sesterces. or
about 500, 900, for the roses used in
the decoration of a single feAet, given
by this luxurious tyrant on the shores
Of the Gulf OF Baiac. If this be 80, 1t
| Is now too late to enquire-hrst,
where did he ever get 90 many and
secondly where did he put themS
Nero's passion for roses was shared,
however, by several other emperors
and By many patricians, who ex-
rended vast sums upon their fsvorite
flower. Varus exercised his ingenuity
Dy inventing a novel couch. covered
With raised cushions, which were
filled with rose leaves and inclosed
by q very thin net. Carrlus ordered
roses to be scattered over his palace
doors and Heliogsbsus, of evil fame.
going a step further, had couches,
halls, even his porticos strewn
lavisnly with the beautiful blossoms
In the same spirit of wantoD
profuseness Cleopatra. wishing to add
To th q sum ptuousness of festival had
the floor of her banquetiEg hall
covered with roses to the depth Of
eightet n inches. The flowers we're
kept in place by a fine net, 30 that
her guests were enabled to walk over
them without special trouble, though
wherein lsythe pleasure of doing 80 it
would be difficult to say. The cost OF
this fragrant Competing was talent,
or $500, and 8 more degenerate
fashion of utilizing flowers can hardly
be imagined. We, indeed, who have
different ideas On the subject OF
luxury, fail 10 appreciate the psrtie-
ular delights of repOsing upon heaps
of roses, or, worse still. crushing their
Ioveliness under foot; but not go the
ancients, who apparently devoted the
best OF their powers to the invention
of some new and costly pleasure.
In vain orators like Cicero and
Latinus Pscatus inveighed against
the demoralizing righteousness OF the
Roman people. who, not content with
having flowers in summer, must needs
streW their couches land Grown their
wine cups With roses during the long
winter months. The huge green
houses Of the city, supplied the
countless blossoms which adorned the
houses of the rich, and when the
Egyptians sent roses to Domitian on
his birthday. thinking that in winter
they would be a rarity. the gift was
received with universal ridicule
"And thou, o Nile!' says Martial in
one of his epigrams "must now yield
to the frogs of Rome. Send as thy
harvests and wewill send thee roses.
The rose was an especial favorite
with the classical poets. who one and
all unite to sing It's praises. Horace
loved to crown his head with these
fragrant flowers, and similar Wreaths
Wore worn by all pRtricisns while
feasting in their own hemes or when
taking part in public rejoicings. Il
was believed, indeed, that such
gsrlands dissipeted the fumes of the
wine and alIevisted or charmed
away the headaches incidental to
prolonged festivities. Unlucky was
the man, however, who ventured to
wear these decorations in public
when any grave calamity threatened
the state. Pliny tells US that s. banker
named Lucius Fulvius, who appeared
on bis gallery with his head crowned
with roses during the time of the
second Punic war, was by the order
of the senate, sent to prison until
peace was proclaimed; and rs the
war lasted for sixteen years he had
doubtless ample opportunities for
regretting his indiscrstioD. -PkiIa-
deIphid Times.