Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-08-04
EMBLEMS.
some Conspicuous Examples Of the Symbol
ism of Flowers.

some Conspicuous Examples of the Symbol
ism of Flowers.
England's great statesman, the Earl
of Beaconstield, died on the 10th Of
April, 1881. Among his other char
acteristics he was known to be passion
ately fond OF flowers; and of all flowers
his favorite was the pretty little prim-
rose, which grows so plentifully on
every English field and lane.
So it became the habit of those Eng
lish people who cherish his memory,
to adopt the primrose as a memento
of him. On every 10th of April thou
sands of English are to be seen, in city
streets and in the country districts,
wearing the primrose in honor of the
departed statesman.
In speaking of this custom recently,
Sir Stafford Northcote, Beaconsfield
colleague and friend, said of the prim.
rose that lit grows everywhere in the
country, Towering in the most disad-
vantageous and most discouraging
situations; and comes in the very be.
ginning of spring, spreading itself ovel
our fields rs o type of fresh hope, fresh
determination and fresh interest Il
men.
In all ages. and among almost every
people, flowers have been adopted rs
symbols, types and emblems of human
combination, affection and loyalty
The young reader need scarcely bC
reminded of the red and white roses
which were the badges of the Lancas
trian and York rivals to the English
| throne. fD
But this symbolism of flower
dates back to periods far older thar
the time of the wars of the Roses
The ancient nations had each its EN-
blematic flower. The special flower o
the Hindoos, for instance, has Away
been the marigold, The Chinese dis
play as their national flower the gor
geous chrysanthemum.
The Assyrians have for ages proud,
worn the water-lily. Egyptians deligh
most of all in the heliotrope; thougl
the papyrus leaf, used by the ancien
Egyptians in place of paper, may ais
be regarded in q high sense as the sym
bolic plant of the Nile.
The Greeks and Romans were in tn
habit of distributing the flowers in thei
luxurious gardens among the gods an
demi-gods; just as in yet remoter time
the sweet basil and the moon-howc
were sacred to Asatic deities.
In the Roman custom, to Juno wa
devoted the lily, to Venus the myrtl
and the rose, to Minerva the olive an
the violet; Diana had the dittany, Ccre
the poppy, Mars the ash, Bacchus tn
grapeleaf, Hercules the poplar, an
Jupiter, naturally, the monarch c
trees, the oak.
So, we may infer that among tn
Romans, the lily and the oak were tn
emblems of power; the myrtle and th
rose, of love; the olive and the violc'
of learning; the ash, OF war; and tn
grape-leaf, of festivity.
Even the days of the week, as W
use them now, are named from deitie
who had each his special flower; tn
Sun Sunday, the sunfower; the Moo
(Monday), the daisy; Tuesday 9TH
god Tul's day., the violet; Wcdnosda
(the god Woden's day., the blu
monkshood; Thursday (the god Thor
day., the burdock; Friday (the goo
dess Frea's day., the orchis; and Sa
urday (Saturn's day., the horse-tail.
We find also that in our own tint
the sacred days in the calendar of I'll
English Church have all their flow'
or plant emblems; the principal I
which are, the holly for Christmas, Il
palm of Palm Sunday, and the anna
anth for All Saints Day.
Monarchs and nations have ofte
had their symbolic flowers. The thist
, is the emblem of Scotland and Il
shamrock of Ireland. The fleur-de-l
!. is the badge of the royal house
France, and the amaranth of that
Sweden. The rose blooms forever {
the royal coat-of-arms of England.
Surely nature bears no product mo-
5 gracefully adapted to such symbols
/ than the flowers, in the infinity of the
f forms, colors and poetic signifcanc
- Youths Companion. nd