River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-06-12
THE GAUDY TULIPS.
Sensational History of n Very Popul
Spring Flower.

Spring Flower.
The tulip was first made known by
botanical description and figure in 1859
by Conrad Gessner, famous Swiss
naturalist, who was born in Zurich.
March 20, 1916, and who was the founder
Of the botanic garden in that place, and
who also drew and painted more than
1900 plants for History of Plants, on
which he was at work.
The plant from which Gessner made
his drawings was at Augsburg, in the
garden of John Henry Harwart, and the
seed from which it was raised is said TO
have come from the Levant. 1t is sup
posed that it was introduced into Eng
land about 1850, for Hakluyt in 1882
writes as follows: Now within these
four years there have been brought into
England from Vienna, in Austria, divers
kinds of flowers called Tullpas"
1t is a native of the Levant, Linneus
says of Cappadocia, and is supposed by
some TO be the lily of the field spoken of
by our Saviour. It's name Tulla was
given on account of it's supposed re-
semblance to a turban, resemblance
which Moore in ''Lalla Rookh" thus
describes:
What triumphs crowns the rich divan today
With turbaned heads OF every hue and race,
Bowling before that vailed and awful face,
Like tulp-beds OF different shape and dyes,
Bending beneath the invisible west winds
signs.
The Turks are said to DO especially
fond of the tulip, and that the red sort
Is used as an emblem by which a lover
makes known his passion for his mis-
tress, for, according to an anonymous
writer on flower lore, "when glowing in
all its native charms, with its petals of
fire and its scorched and blackened
heart, it proclaims, in spite of bolts and
bars, to the ear of listening beauty that
lover signs in her vicinity, and that,
II she will but appear for but moment,
one glance will impart fire to his eyes
and consume his heart"
Early in the spring the Turks cele-
brate what they call the Feast of Tulips,
and in olden times in the Sultan's Sc
raglio the day was observed with great
pomp and splendor. 1t is said that a
stage was erected and seats arranged for
spectators. The former was covered
with rich carpeting and ornamented
with great numbers of large crystal
vases filled with the most beautiful tu'
lips obtainable; fountains of rose water
and perfumed tapers filed the air with
fragrance, and colored lamps gave the
place an appearance of fairy land About
/ these vases of gaudy tulips young Cir
cassian girls performed their national
dances, keeping step with the softest
al nh
sang TO the beauties of the tulip. Dur
ing this feast the Sultan subjects laid
at bis feet their gifts and renewed Their
| pledges of devotion.
While in the language of flowers the
| tulip is used to designate declaration
of love, 1t has also by some, on account
| Of its elegant form, the beauty of its
| colors and its want of fragrance and 9th
sr useful qualities, been considered ar
appropriate symbol of woman who pos
sesses no recommendation but a beauti
full appearance.
Like many other of the familiar flow
ers, to the tulip is given mythologica
origin. Francis Gentil, lay brother
of the order of Carthusians, who lived
/ in the latter part of the fifteenth centu
ry, gave the following quaint rendering
\ of the story, few lines only being
omitted: THE first tulips were brought
| from Dalmatia. where there was former
/ ly young girl of the same name with
/ this Flower, whose Mother was Nymph
/ of the Fountain Timavi, and the Father
was Proteus. who changed his shapes
| every moment, and, as children natural
] I. l. - 10, 70.
ing, Tulipa's Fancy ran upon thou
| sand different things, with which she
was amusing herself one day, when the
| God Vertumnus, after Sauntering W
| and down the World, came at last to IL
/ lyrium, and there perceived this Nymph
/ sitting upon the brink of her Mother
| Fountain. She was handsome, and he
was charmed with her, but when he be
/ gan to offer her his tender addresses
/ Tulipa was so far from listening to him
that she speedily took TO fight. Yer
tumnus, fred by Love. and being sensi
| BILE withal that this Nymph took great
pleasure in diversity of colors, turns
| himself into different shapes and colors
/ every moment; but all was in vain, and
| the God, finding his wishes baked and
his articles Intellectual, joined to his
Request Prayers, which were equally
useless. At last, finding that all hi:
| Godhead could not influence the Nymph
attempted violent measures, on which
| In despair Tulipa cried out to the Gods
of her Country for Succour, and the Gods
complying with her request, transformed
/ her into the flower that to this day goes
| by her name. "-Philadelphia Ledger.
4 ~ Ia