The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1884-06-14
ES-INTERESTING HISTORICAL
FACTS ABOUT THEM.

fAS . ABDUL f1Em.
A moderate liking for roses as good
things in their place has been justly con-
sidertd one OF the results of home edu
cation which are least open co objection.
1t is, however, by no means general
among persons who have taken SO promi-
nent part in public life as to have at
tracted the attention Of history, and who
share with the black beetle positive
distaste for tie rose. The famous Che
Waller de Guise could not smell a rose
without feeling uncomfortable; and We
nieri, one of the Doges OF Venice, suf-
fered under the same disqualification for
the pursuits of gardening. Anne of
Austria, wife OF i ,uis MIL, could not
even look a. a rose in ii painting without
being seized with tantrums. Neverthe-
less many people who are willing, as a
rule, to take examples from the great
have persisted in entertaining friendly
sentiments toward this flower, and every
time that the $. ring and early summer
bring back the pretty vegetable they fall
to telling one another all they know
about it. In the East there is still be-
lief that the first lose was formed by 4
tear of the prophet Mohammed, but ma,
tions of more cool and disciplined imaei
nation have sometimes admitted that its
origin is lost in obscurity. Roses were
used verv early in history among the
most potent ingredients Of love philters.
They seem to have been imported by
the Romans from Egg pit until the reign
of Domitian. Antiochus slept upon a
beo of rose leaves. Mark Antony beg
ged that Cleopatra would cover his tomb
with these flowers, and inca losa' was
favorite term of endearment among
Roman lovers, as who should say "mon
chou (my cabbage) how days in
France. Homer has adorn, d the shield
of Achilles aud the helmet of He ctor
with roses. Among the Greeks it was u
custom to leave b,qnests for the main
tenance of srpulchral rose gardens over
the grave of the trstatnr, and at Torcoil,
near Venice, an inscription may still be
seen which shows that this fashion was
adopted in Italy. In French collection
of eugravings on stone there is "a beauti-
full design cut in garnet. 1t represents il
butterfly settling on a rose, and it is sup
posed To commemorate the death OF a
young girl. In Turkey, stone rose is
often scu!ptured above the graves of I'M
married women. y charming bas relief
on the tomb of Madame De la Live, who
died at the age of twenty, represents
Time moving Il rose with his scythe
According to Indian mythology, PaSo
dasili. one of the wives of Ni>hnu, was
found i'll a lose Zuroaster is said to have
made rose tree spring out Of the earth
and bud and blossom in the presence of
Darius, who had called upon him to per.
form Il miracle.
In Babylon preparation of shoe lea
ther was much esteemed when it had
been impresnated with the scent of roses,
and Abdnlkari, an eminent Turk, VIII"
wanted to 1--we there, being made aware
of the fact. discovered an ingenious way
to profit 10y it. In reply to i demand
which he had made for the freedom of
the city the Baby lonians sent him a bowl
brimful of water to signify that there
was no room AMONG them i"r an in
truder. .tbdulkari placed a rose leaf on
the surface of the water Without splitting
a drop of it, aud. having trIs Indicated
that he might he received without max
ing "a mess, he obtained the oh jrct vt his
desire
| In one of the books attributed to Solo
mon eternal wisdom is compared to the
| plantations of rose trees in Jericho. Prin-
cess Nourmahal, the most lovely lady in
the harem of Great Mogul had IA canal
filled with rose water aud rowed about
on it with her august cnnsort. The heat
of the sun disengaged the essential oil
from the water. and their ma jesties hav-
| ing observed the fact, invented otto of
roses. The Emperor llelingabalus filled
Il fish pond with rose water; it is
of this proceeding.
| When the Sedan Saladin and his tur
bulent Christian friends took Jerusalem
in 1lSS. H., would not enter the Temple,
which he roianelv called ii mosque, till
he had had its walls washed with rose
water, and Sanut assures us that 800
camels were no more than sufficient to
carry the purifying liquid. Also after
the taking of Constantinople by Moham-
med H., 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 certain
sacrifices 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 Il rose on his breast as
| a distinguishing mark of irferiurity. In
many countries the Jews still celebrate
the festival of Easter flowers, during
which they ornament their lamps, chan
deliers and beds with roses. Thus it hap
pened that these flowers were hateful to
the early Christians, and are often con-
demned in the writings of the Fathers,
protested that they could not understand
that pious people could think with equa-
nimi,y of roses when they remembered
| the crown of thorns. Afterward the
hostile feeling seems to have died out -
Brooklyn E@gte.
QlAQpQQA who are interested Ia
FARMERS crowns S::!: