St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1891-11-14

Scene Of the Uses to W hlch It Wa Put
Ancient Times.

0ene Of the Uses to Which Il Wa Put l
Ancient Times.
All Oriental nations have an intena
admirat;on for this Towering shrul
and it rivals the violet and rose in thei
esteem. There is q tradition that Adam
when expelled from Paradise. selecte
Of all the flowers the sweet-scente
myrtle to remind him of past joys i
that abode of bliss Milton tells y
that it formed q canopy over the couc
OF our first parents The Greeks VOL
SHIPPED Venus under the name of N.Y.
tilla. this flower being the emblem o
love; and it is said that when venu
arose from the foam Of the sea, tn
''houris" crowned her with chaplet o
myrtle. It is also related that the judg
ment Of the famous shepherd on Noun
Ida was not little influenced in favo
OF the beautiful goddess by the exquis
ite perfume emanating from the myrtl,
wreath that she wore at the time whel
Paris awarded her the coveted apple
The word itself, in Greek. means per
fums. and the Grecian ladies to thil
day are said TO show . preference fol
the essential oil of myrtle over all othel
scents They obtain an extract from
its leaves with which they perfume
their baths. and claim that By its us<
they obtain whiteness of skin rivaline
that produced by the celebrated mill
baths of Cleopatra The Roman ladies,
on the first of April were accustomed
to bathe 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 festfvity,
and stepped it in their wine. believ-
ing that it not only improved its
flavor but heightened its convivial
effects. The berries were distilled.
and the extract was taken very
much rs orange water Is nowadays. TO
dispel melancholy, or what was known
in later times Is . ''fit Of the blueA -"
The magistrates and high dignitaries
in Athens wore chaplets of myrtle -
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 semblematic.
al of peace. We have constant allu-
s;ons in the Bible to the myrtle as
bearing this signification; q. 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 forctelling tho 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 mp the myrtle"
The Jews to this day use the myrtle in
their religious ceremonies, and there
is one very handsome species which il
cultivated by the florists almost exclu-
sively for the Jewish festivities and
festivals It is called ''broad-leaved
Jews myrtle" But il 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 myrtleA
,om bining with the scent Of orange and
cmon groves.
The myrtle tree grows to . consider.
lble height in some places. markedly in
The Canary Isles The myrtle has high
y astringent properties, and is much
nsed Is q pomade for improving the
hair and to prevent its falling out. Il Is
related, in illustration of this sstrinRent
quality Of the myrtle. in the "Diction-
,aire Portatif dHistorie Naturelle," +"
hat a curious youth. while waiting in
he boudoir of q lady in Paris. to kill
lime began investigating the contents
It some Of the little pots and vases
about, and came across this
amous preparation for the growth Of
he hair. which he immedistely began
o apply TO his upper lip While en-
aged in this interesting occupation be |
vas disturbed BY the entrance Of the
ady, and, to hide his embarrassment
attempted to apologize. but vaiuly: the |
ips were tightly closed BY the pomade's
stringent property. The l8dy q .
lance took in the situatioi. and after
n uncomfortable burst of laughter re-
levcd the youth from his awkward di- |
emma BY an application Of . more |
character.
The myrtle IS charmingly alluded to |
y Claude Melnotte in his description |
0 Pauline of the palace by the lake Of |
'omo. in the following words: NAY,
earest, nay; il thou wouldst have me
aint the home to which, could love full
ii its prayers, this hand would lead
on. listen!-A deep vale shut out By
Ilpine hills from the rude world; near
clear lake. margin'd By fruits Of gold
nd whispering myrtle; glassing softest
kies as cloudlcss, save with rare and
oseate shadows, ~ I would have thy
Ate "-Once . Week.
CHINESE BURIAL CUSTOMS.
he Youag Laid Away with Dut Soaat