The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-10-13
MYSTIC FLOWERS.
The SUGGESTIONS REGARDING
VARIOUS KINDS OF PLANTS.
Reverence for the Passion -Flower-Ths
Lotus of the Nile and of India-The
Mandrake Legend In Germany
and France.
New York Post.

New York Post
"What is that forl' asked a visitor OF a
| florist as lady bowed and crossed herself
before gaudily colored plant. "'Sh!7 sal
| the proprietor, she's one of my best custom
ers. l suppose she's a religious devotea OF
| some sort, for there are half doz,n plants
that she bows and crosses herself at. That
\ one is the passion flower, and u good many
| show their respect for it in a variety OF
ways. They are merely doing as they have
been taught
You would be surprised" said the florist,
ito know how many people believe in these
| superstitions concerning flowers. Butter
| cups are always in demand, not only to fin !
| out whether you love butter or not, but the
| young ladies claim that they can tai
| whether their SWANS are faithful or othtr-
wise by making them look at the fiowl,,
| Then even you would not have the TEN ri, =
to doubt the good fortune tha;
comes to the finder OF the four-leav"
| clover. This reverence for flowers is foun
| in all countries. Among the Hndoo stl
| riS ht-colored flowers are considered s1iJ'
| allie offerings to the gods, either from ii
torlcal associations or because they tlfN
| sone fancied resemblance to some revsra
| object. Thus, the trimurti, that correspond.
| in our trinity, has two plants delicate
| especially to it.; one is the cratnva, aud TIC
| other the bael tree. Both have trfoliatl
| leaves, like the shamrock that Is also con
| ei;ierei to represent the trinity. One of ih5
first legends that you hear in India is that
| Of krishua; a variety of bael is sacred t..
him AMI to vishnu also. Equally Interest
| ing is the erythrina indca. that all truly
| religious Hindoos eieve bloomed ia
| the garden of Indra in Heaven.
krishna is supposed to have stolsn it from
| there; hence it is under curse, and j,
| avoided and considered tho meauest OF al!
| flowers. In Hindoo mythology tho iigA
| flowers of love stand out prominently.
hamadeve is their Cupid, and he is sup
posed to have tipped each one of his arrow
| with these flowers, most of which can b.
| seen in the private collections in aud about
| New York. They are the champa, til
mango, the bulla, tho clearing. nut flower.
| and the white nagkesur. Still another PLAT
connected with the god of love there is tao
sore w-pine.
"llere Is leaf of the lotus" continued the
| botanist; "and perhaps no plant has figured
more prominently, at least in the east, than
this. There are, however, two kinas-the
lotus of the Nile and that Of India. The
| former is the one that figures in all the de-
lneations Of ancient Egyptian life. Ths
flower is exceedingly beautiful, the petals
being pure white and very numerous
Tho Indian lotus is equally sacred i'll
China and Ceylon, and is the one that is so
often represented as the floating shel Of
Vishnu 1t is used in decoration in innum-
erable ways, tho temples and affairs Of
Thibet especially being embellished with it.
Sir w. Jones says that when he had soma
specimens of the plant lying on his table
awaiting examination a native of Nepaul
happened to enter. and. observing tho
flower, Immediately pro-trated himself
Even the japanese revere the plants to
some extent, and in China the holy mother,
or shing-moo, is generally shown with one
of these flowers in her grasp.
"Here," said tho speaker, taking up bulb
that might have passed. rs an onion, dis the
daffodil or narcissus. Every body knows
how the youthful Narcis~us, who became
enamored with his face in the water, killed
himself. and his blood CHANGED into
this beautiful flower. Roses came
from the blood of Adonis, and to
the tears of Venus, shed over his boly, vs.
owe the anemone Or windhowsr. Among
the early Greeks are found numberles'
supsrstitions regarding flowers and plant
The old Greek doctors were in the habit of
prescribing tho bark and leaves of Il o vitex
agnus castus, or a decoction mads from
them, as certain to secure charity aud
good morals. Our common apple is looked
upon with certain amount of veneration
by some nations, and legends concerning it
are very common
"The superstitions regarding plants ar,
to-day very many. Take the mandrake az
an example, the most remarkable of
them ALL The ideas concerning the man
drake differ in different countrie,; thus
in Germany and Franco it is believed
that the mandrake grows only whero
nj iypin a an pr,
worry common about places OF execution AMI
spots where murders are committed. In
many old works can be found lettors from
persons who have used the mandrake and
received n change of luck. Today in Eu-
rope pieces of mandrake are carried about
by the superstitious to prevent them from
dreaming, and to insure them good luck as
long ~ worn.
II very often,' said tho florist shave poo
Pile come here in good faith and ask what
plants bring tho best luck. Coored people
have q number of plants that are considered
sovereign proventives IF witchcraft This
is only another form Of superstition held by
a ma jority of the early settlers of this coun
try. The ST. Johns wort (nypericum) if
collected on the night Of st. John Baptist's
day, was considered sovereign remsly.
1t was hung over doors, just as many pao-
pie hang horsosho,s, for good luck. To
gather fern seed on milsummsl's eve was
Thought good luck.
"1he numbers of flowers 10y which fort.
unes are told legion. You rememher
in Faust Marguerite picks the petals from
a flower one by one, softly say ing, He loves
lie, he loves me not, exactly as you see
young ladies doing to-day with the daisy
and Others. This custom, and that of crack
ing flowers, can he traced Mt least to the
time of ThcocritNi. AS said before, this
passion fows, il still revcred by nnny; ,hc
beliaver secs in the curious flower the or
scuurge, hammer, nails, AMI other Access
sof los of the cruciiXiou. In some If tho oil
cuts the flowers are drawn to suit the I'M
aginations of the deyotees AMI tho various
implements ara shown with remarkable
fathfulness"
Home Tenderness.
Mrs. II. S. Lake
No matter how busy ii man may ho he