The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-05-22

There oan be no greater mistake than
to assume that the flowers of tho tropi-
cal forests are chiefly odorless, and that
tropical birds have no song. 1t is only
necessary 10 read Humboldt, Water
ton. and ether great travellers, to have
o this impression removed. If one live
Tor months In those southern forests, as
the writer has done, he will find that
the air u overladen with the perfume
OF flowers, and frequently vocal with
the song of birds.
"A light breeze from the forest"
writes one whs has climbed to the Mex
lean ia ble-land, ~often conveys perfect
cloud Of most delicious odors to the
wanderer.' Odors of orange, lime and
citron, tuberoses, violets, and magnolias,
permeate the air, especially in the gar
dens OF the coast and the temperte
region.
Almost the first greeting extended to
Cortez, when he entered the walled city
OF Campoalla. was accompanied with a
present of flowers, and the Mexican
mobiles always carried nosegays in which
they took great delight.
In the religious ceremonies of the
Mexicans, even in the bloody rites of
the Aztecs, flowers played an important
part. Flowers and fruit were the offer
ings made IN the worship taught by the
culture-hero, Quetzalcoatt.
The Spanish priests, in their anxiety
to secure converts, in the years sue
ceeding the conquest, allowed the Indi-
ans to retain many of their ancient
forms OF worship, least Objectionable of
which was the expression of their ado
ration through the medium of flowers.
1t is related that long after the over
throw of the Aztec war god, the terri
BILE Huitzilopochtli, the Indians would
visit him by stealth and decorate his
PROSTATE form with garlands of flowers
The markets of Mexico are filled
with flowers. They bloom here all the
year round; from the high plains of
Tlascala TO the borders of the sea may
be traced that blossoming of the beau
tiful that pervades all nature, whether
the country be visited in January or in
June, in August, or December. This
love for flowers, this redeeming trait of
the Aztec character, has survived OPP
preston of three hundred years-three
centuries of Spanish taskmasters have
failed to efface it.
The Aztecs had feasts of flowers, as
well as the ancients of Europe and the
East, and for every plant they had a
name, in which it's peculiar quality or
virtue was expressed. The Mexican
artists painted them so accurately that
these pictures served the learned Her
nandez in the formation of his great
work on the fora of Mexico, work
that has stood the criticisms of all
writers to the present day.
SO DESTROYS were the Mexican rulers
to possess all the rare and beautiful
plants in their kingdom, that they
formed gardens and Conservatives, and
made long expeditions in search of
them. A single flower was the cause of
war between Montezuma and Malinally,
lord of the Miztecs, in 1907, if we may
believe the Aztec traditions.
Among the many flowers which en-
bellish the meads and adorn the gar
dens of Mexico, there is one which was
considered sacred by the Aztecs, and is
to-day one OF the most curiously
shaped in the world. 1t is called the
Macphalxochitl, or "hand flower" 1t
is of the shape of birds foot, or the
hand of q monkey, and is. or was re-
Gently, still shown in the botanic gar
den of Mexico as q great curiosity. -
Fred 4. ODER, az Good Cheer.