The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-04-24
Sacred Flowers.

The lily ,leservedly stands first
among sacred flowers, for from the
birth of history until the present day
she has never wanted worshipcrs! Tho
word is Of Syrian origin, and means
evening 1t was the pcrsoniication
of the moonlight, and no flower could
SO beautifully express this idea as tho
pale, white, golden-heartcd watcr-lily.
1t has always been subject Of dispute
what particular kind OF lily is alluded
to in the Sermon on the Mount. Ii tas
it is generally supposedl Christ deliv-
cred the memorable discourse in the
spring of the year, then, Mt that season.
thee mountains Of Galilee and tho
shores of the Levant are all glorious
with the scarlet, turban-like flowers Of
the Martagon lily. a white species.
striped with purple, is also common in
Judea. and this, as combining the idea
Of majesty and purity. has received the
suiirages Of many. 1t could not have
been, however, the small species known
to us Is the Lily Of the Valley, because
this fairy-like flower, with its little
illumination lamps, grows only in cold
or temperate climates.
There is IN old legend which says
that Eve brought the rose out of Eden
with her. 1t has always been favorite
flower with the Jews, and solomon
likens Christ to the lose Of Sharon.
In later times the Rose OF Jericho has
nsurped the place Of affection so long
held by that of Sharon. This rose il q
native Of Arabia P,trta, and opens
only in fine weather. 1t also possesses.
in remarkable degree. reviving
power, and can recover it, life when to
all appearances dead: hence the Jews
| use it as the symbol Of resurrection. 4
Mexican plant possessing the same
wonderful tenaeity of life is constantly
for sale on the streets of New York. SO
that many must have become familiar
with this phenomenon. The white rose
has always been sacred to the Virgin
Mary, and, mingled with the cross. it
was the device Of Luther and also Of
the Rosicrucians tsnb rosa crar,. The
red rose is the emblem of love and also
Of silence, because Cupid gave it to
Harpocrates, tho god of silence, in or
der to brihe him not to reveal any of
the indiscretions Of his mother: hence
it was often placed over the doors Of
guest rooms to signify that perfect
freedom of conversation might he IN
dulged under the rose, for nothing SO
said was to hc repeated, And. as STRAIT
agem delights in silence as we'll as love.
the Romans placed ii on their shields
Over Greek, Roman, and Chinese
graves it is frequent emblem, and tho
Turks will not suffer red ono To lie ON
the ground since the day il was colorcd
by the blood Of Mohammci. Tho
Arabians have a legend OF garden of
roses planted by King Shaddad. and
now buried in tho desert. which is anal
ogous in many respects to the Garden
of Eden. Throughcut Southern and
Central Europe ii il used in love spells
and diyinations. One common Ger
man superstition is to name rose leaves
and then throw them into basin of
clean water. The leaf which sinks last
is to be the husband or wife Of tho in
quirer. Another superstition is To
throw rose leaves on To hot Goals: tho
burning fragrance is thought To attract
good fortune. White roses blooming
at an unexpected time arc believed i'm
England to denote death in the family
Of the owner. and rea ones marriage.
As the lily is tho emblem of France. SO
tho rose is of England. where il as
snmes more of historical than sacred
ehara.tar