Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-26
FLOWERS OF MAY DAY
The Much-Loved Hawthorn Can be
Seen in Bloom at Edgewood.
WILD BEAUTIES OF THE CLIMATE.
How the Day Was Observed in Early Times
in Merrie England.
CROWNS FOR PRETTY LITTLE QUEENS
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH

WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH
May Day is, or was, essentially an English
holiday, as it dates from the time Of the
Druids, who, the old English chroniclers
say, went a-maying with the same golden
pruning hooks in han d, with which,
in December, they cut down the sacred
mistletoe from the ancient oaks.
With us, the season is not far enough ad-
vanced to allow of May Day being cele-
brated as it was in "Merrie England" +"
where, as Thomas Miller says, "If May
produced not another blossom beyond those
which she hangs out upon our thousands OF
miles of hawthorn hedges, we should still
hail her as queen of the year. Our ances-
tors used to rise early TO welcome in this
sweet season, and with joyous shouts and
merry music bring home the May, as they
call the hawthorn blossoms. They deco
rated the tall May poles with garlands of
flowers and selected some lovely girl, whom
they crowned Queen of May; and they
danced and made merry on the village
green to welcome in the month of flowers.
Even kings and queens left their castles
and rode forth into the country to gather
the sweet May blossoms"
To City-Dried People.
And he adds: "There is familiar home
smell in the aroma of MAY buds, better
liked by country people than any other
fragrance. Who that has been young-there
are hearts ever old-and has spent part of
his life in the country, can ever forget the
fragrance of May or the smell of the sweet
briar? Then to be city-dried for years, and
return to the same spot, abounding with the
same odor-how the pulse is quickened with
sense of revived youth"
In old English books we read Of maidens
rising early and going into the fields to
wash their faces in May dew, which was
found only on the hawthorn blossoms, and
was said to make them most beautiful.
The fair maid who. the first OF May.
Goes to the fields at break Of day,
And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree.
Will ever after handsome be.
OLD Pepys. in his diary, speaks of his
wife having "gone down to Woolwich to get
the fresh air and to gather May dew, which
is the only thing to wash the face with"
In the Hearts of the Cities.
The celebration of May Day was not con-
fined to the country; for in towns, and even
in London, May poles were brought in from
Kent and Epping Forest and raised in the
heart of the city, and green branches waved
from the windows. Herrick alludes to this
where he says:
Come. my Corinna. come. and coming mark
How each field turns street. each street a
NJ parK, naS, ON, .r;,nnoo ,v,.b +,.s.L.so,o
nsyo,ion ei giyes Hs each house boueh. Nv"
Can such delights be in the street
And open fields and we not see't'
Come, well abroad and let's 3Dey
Inc prociama'ion ,l naue lor May
many alluslons are maze 10 may pay oy
OLD nghsn poets espec,aiiY oy Chaucer,
VINO TOOK sucn e1quislte deilgnt IN the early
mowers tnat tne sun never Iouno aim IN Deo
on May Day put ne was up ana out ~ IN the
meadow 70 see tne aaisy, Win It's mowers
whlte ana red' against tne sun spreao. 90
great was ms oelignt In may, Lne Time Oh
love and Jointly. tnat ne oeWalls the case
OF any one VINO ID insensi0ie |" sh 'nis
pleasure:
Hard IS MS heart that lovetn not
Wban vs "neu Iav All an thssa brancbss hasr
The small birds singing clear.
Herrick. in his euloey on country life
.neaks of dancing around the Mav-nois.
Tbon hast tbv ewes and holv days.
On which the young men and maids meet
To exercise their dancing feet;
Tripping the comeiy country round,
WIN uanouls Anu uai'ies oro"heu.
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