Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-02-20
AN ANCIENT CUSTOM.

that look beyond the grave.
An ANCIENT CUSTOM.
The association Of particular
plants and trees with the person of
| the dead and the abode OF death is
so far back in the history Of man as
TO seem one Of the first instructive
ideas Of the human race. There
are illusions TO it in the most an
cient writings and records. One of
the Oldest trees thus mentioned was
tree Of life which grew at the side
Of the road that wa. passed over by
the souls of the departed, and the
fruit of that tree was the symbol Of
eternal life. 1t is probably a
remnant of this old belief that
sometimes appears in folk lore
tales where the fruit is called the
''apple OF life"
Why back upon the Oldest As
syrian inscriptions is probably the
earliest representation known Of this
tree Of life, and although it is very
common among the inscriptions,
generally guarded by celestial genii,
and sometimes also worshipped by
royal figures, yet no one has been
able TO ascertain its exact meaning,
except that Babylon in its earliest
that is. anti-semitic days-was its
special place Of honor, the old name
Of Babylon, Tin-tir-ki, signifying
'.the place Of the tree Of life.''
In Greek legend not merely trees
but plants and flowers are connected
with the departed. In the Elysian
fields-uhat is, in that part OF the
domain of Pluto where the souls Of
the good dwell-whole plains were
said 20 be covered with asphodel.,
the very flowers which the Greeks
and Romans were accustomed to
place on the graves Of the departed
as symbols of the future life.
Sometimes in the early Christian
DAYS the previous usages Of the in
habitants appear in local customs,
as in France, where those who pre-
pared the dead for burial were &C.
customed to scatter in the bottom OF
collins beneath the corpse seeds Of
various plants, probably those which
they were expected to live upon in
the new life beyond the grave.
The ancient Egyptians were in
the habit of burying bulbs of flow
cr. and wheat with their dead, in
the belief that the body was coming
to life again and could sow these for
use in that new life. Some of these
kernels Of wheat, after being kept
for thousands Of years in the num-
my case, have been planted by the
finders and have produced wheat
very much like that which is still
grown in Egypt.
The belief In future existence
probably led to the custom Of plant
ing trees on or near tombs, especially
the cyprCss, which was regarded as
type Of both life and death. The
tree growing over the grave was
also considered an emblem of the
soul, become immortal.
The bay, according TO Sir Thomas
Browne, was originally adopted rs n
symbol Of the resurrection, because
when to all outward appearance it
is dead and withered il will unex-
pectedly revive from the root and
its dry leaves assume their former
vividity.
Evergreen trees, whose growth is
like a pyramid or spire, whose top
points heavenward, are emblemstic
Of eternity; Of these the anSor vita
and cypress are the most favored.
The weeping birch, the willow
and Australian casuarina, with foil
a.ge bending to the earth, find their
natural places in churchyards as
emblems of human sorrow.
THE YEw TREE.
The yev tree has been consider
ed the emblem Of mourning from
an early day. The GuOks adopted
il rs such from the Egyptians, the |
Romans from the Greeks, and the |
Britains, after Cesar's invasion,
from the Britons. Through such
associations, for so long a period, the
yew acquired q meaning Of sacred
symbolism which everywhere made
it an ornament Of consecrated
ehurchyards. Hence 1t is very sell