Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-11-04
THE CLASSIC MYRTLE.
Some Of the Uses to which 1t Was Put Il
Ancient Times.

gome Of the Uses to which 1t Was Put In
Ancient Times.
ALI Oriental nations have an intense
admiration for this Towering shrub,
and it rivals the violet and rose in their
esteem. There is tradition that Adam,
when expelled from Paradise, selected
of all the flowers the sweet-scented
myrtle to remind him of past lows in
that abode of bliss Milton tells US
that it formed a canopy over the couch
of our first parents The Greeks wor-
SHIPPED Venus under the name of Myr-
tilla, this flower being the emblem of
love; and it Is said that when Venus
arose from the foam of the sea, the
''houris" crowned her with chaplet of
myrtle. It is also related that the iudg-
ment of the famous shepherd on Mount
Ida was not little influenced in favor
of the beautiful goddess by the exquis-
tie perfume emanating from the myrtle
wreath that she wore at the time when
Paris awarded her the coveted apple.
The word itself, in Greek, means per-
fume, and the Grecian ladies to this
day are said to show preference for
the essential oil of myrtle over all other
scents. They obtain an extract from
its leaves with which they perfume
their baths, and claim that by its use
they obtain wilderness of skin rivaling
that produced by the celebrated milk
baths of Cleopatra The Roman ladies,
on the first of April. were accustomed
to battle beneath the shade of the myr-
tie trees that lined the shore, and after
decorating themselves with its glossy
leaves, proceeded to the shrine of the
goddess to offer sacrifice. The Romans
also associated this plant with festivity,
and stepped it in their wine, believ-
ing that 1t not only improved it's
flavor but heightened its convivial
effects. The berries were distilled,
and the extract was taken very
much as orange " ater is nowadays, to
dispel melancholy, or what was known
In later times as ''fit of the blues {"
The magistrates and high dignitaries
in Athens wore chaplets of myrtle as
insignia of authority. and even warriors
often enlivened their laurel wreaths
with sprigs of myrtle in honor of Venus
and Mars. With the Jews the myrtle
has ever been held in the highest esti-
nation, and with them was emblematic-
al Of peace. We have constant allu-
sions In the Bible to the myrtle as
bearing this Specification; as, for ex-
ample, Zechariah in his vision sees the
angel who foretold the restoration of
Israel standing in the midst of myrtles,
and Isaiah. In foretelling the blessings
of peace attendant on the coming of the
Messiah, says: Instead of the thorn
shall come up the fir tree. and instead
of the briar shall come up the myrtle. {"
The Jews to this day use the myrtle in
their religious ceremonies, and there
Is one very handsome species which is
cultivated by the florists almost exclu-
sively for the Jewish festivities and
festivals It Is called 'broad-leaved
Jews myrtle" But it is in the sunny
south that the full perfume of the
myrtle groves can be best appreciated
The ardent sun extracts the perfume
and scents the very air we breathe. The
hedges In many parts Of Italy are
formed of myrtle. Visitors to the Cape
of Good Hope come back with ecstatic
tales Of the perfume of the myrtles,
com bining with the scent of orange and
lemon groves.
The myrtle tree grows to a consider
able height in some places, markedly in
the Canary Isles. The myrtle has high
ly astringent properties, and is much
used as a pomade for improving the
hair and to prevent it's falling out. It is
related, in illustration of this astringent
quality of the myrtle, in the "Diction-
naire Portatif d'Historie Naturelle, +"
that curious youth, while waiting in
the boudoir of lady in Paris, to kill
time began investigating the contents
| of some of the little pots and vases
scattered about, and came across this
| famous preparation for the growth of
the hair, which he Immediately began
to apply to his upper lip. While en-
gagged in this interesting occupation he
was disturbed by the entrance of the
lady. and, to hide his embarrassment,
attempted to apologize, but vainly; the
lips were tightly closed by the pomade's
astringent property. The lady at a
glance took in the situation, and after
an uncomfortable burst of laughter re-
ieved the youth from his awkward di-
lemma by an application of a more
lubricating character.
The myrtle is charmingly alluded to
by Claude Melnotte in his description
to Pauline Of the palace by the lake Of
Como. in the following words: "Nay,
dearest. nay; If thou wouldst have me
| paint the home to which, could love full
| fill its prayers, this hand would lead
you, Gsten!-A deep vale shut out by
Alpine hills from the rude world; near
a clear lake, margin'd by fruits of gold
and whispering myrtle; CHASING softest
skies as cloudless, save with rare and
roseate shadows, as 1 would have thy
| fate. "-Once Week.