The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-08-15
THE INFLUENCE Or -.-.sas
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In popular acc tcptation The soul of
the flower resides in ITS perfume. But
certain loveliest fiower-souls sometimes
exercise singular raoellanccs for indi-
viduals of the lmun family. There
have been those. even, who could not
endure tho fragrance of the rose. 10
my knowledge, one observer fiuds n
the scent oflIlncs an unpleasant remind
cr of the odor of escaping gas, Another
makes no distinction between the
breath of mignonette and the smell of
fresh corn meal. TO me the scent OF
the thistle Is identical with that of
the bum blebee sprawling luxurously
among its purple filaments; and the
first time the delicate, feathery flowers
of the beach plum were brought me,
surely their odor was the same ! had
noted in downy chicks and nesting
birds!
Beside the qualification which flowers
provide for the sense of sight and the
sense of smell, there is another and
quite rare distinct pleasure-thatw which
is conveyed in the contact of flower:
as in subtle spray of lilacs brushing
against your face, the dabbling touches
of the SNOWFALL, the tender coolness of
apple blossoms dashed with rain, the
refined sickness of the lily, which gave
an old-time poet countenance in de-
scribing his lady's hand; so smooth, so
white, SO soft it was, "as it had worn u
lily for glove" Further tactile differ
entiation is to be found in the warm
vital and airy touch of the rose $50 un-
like the quality of the lily petaD in the
viscid sultriness of the poppy and the
petunia, in the tissuey thinness and dry
ness of the larllspur blossom.
If flowers might but speak-as the in
| tent and listening looks of certain flow
ers almost suggest they might-or if
one might but speak to a flower, calling
it by name, and it would recognize the
voice, like pet bird, how such touch
of conscious intelligence would further
endcar the precious vanishers. Yet
| sympathize with the lady who told me
that she left a metropolitan orchard
show somewhat abruptly because too
| closely followed by the elfin eyes and
mlschievous inuendoes of these curious
lovely eXotics. Nor is it difficult to un-
derstand the haunted feeling of re-
proach experienced by my little neigh
| Dor, child who had stolen some rogue
| ish pansies, and who was heard to cry
| out as she threw them away: There!
will you stop calling me 'thief?" Some
| plants are born sorcerers, and require
no Medea to release their potencies.
| Such, to my fancy, is the bloodroot,
with its innocent-faced milk-white BIOS
som and its red-bleeding root. Such is
the Indian pipe (monotropa) ever a
moonlight spirit, with not drop of green
blood in its veins. Also of this necroman-
tic order is the mandrake, and l have
spent many a fascinated quarter of an
hour over woodside knoll where this
| plant appeared in all stages of vernal
| development; first pale green waxen
cones just pushing through the mold;
next, with the appearing of the round
| flower bud, little musing, acolytes, with
| bowed shaven heads and mantles drawn
| tightly over their shoulders: and last,
| the deeply notchcd leaf, now loosened
from the stem about which it had been
| folded, diminutive mandarins, with
their umbrellas half or fully spread to
| the warm sun. | have, however, at
times known the most familiar, homely,
and serviceable plants to exercise spells
of the enchanter. One summer, having
my study in an old house through whose
broken window entered weak, pallid,
yard-long spray of grapevine, it seemed
to me, as | sat by my little table at
work, that this branch strove with all
its feeble powers to reach me and pc
tition for support l even fancied u
slight oscillation moved it when there
was no stir of the air), and that if
would patiently hold out to it my little
finger the vine branch might in few
hours clasp it with grateful tendrils
| Had it done so, who knows whether its
spell might ever have been reversed,
and l released from durance?-Edi
NJ. Thomas, in Atlantic.