Morning journal and courier., 1892-01-09
THE FLEETING SHOW.


Some of Its Facts and Fanc1es.
= Written for the JOURNAL AND CouRIER.l
AN EMBLEM WITH A HISTORY.
A decorative fancy which obtains every
where to remarkable, almost wsarisome
degree, is that of the royal insignia of
France, the fleur-de-is. This flower of
the lily, "flower de luce," as Shakespeare
called it, and as it is commonly called still
by English speaking tongues, is, by the
way, not a lily at all, but belongs to the
iris family, being the iris sambucina COM
mon in old-fashioned gardens, half loved,
half despised because it is common and
old-fashioned, and cousin to the wild blue
flag, lover of wet places in New England
meadows.
The beautiful shape of the half-opened
flower seems to have suggested conven-
tionalized form as admirably suited to
decorative purposes, and it has for CEN
turies been an heraldic device, symbolic of
nobility or sovereignty. Those who claim
that the figure called the feur-de-lis was
never flower at all, but is intended to
represent the head of javelin, may have
GOOD reasons for making the statement,
but it is hard, in this case, to account for
name 80 utterly inappropriate.
III early times the banner of France was
COY fsred with feur-de-lis, but Charles vi
reduced the number to three, the mystical
church number. Louis VII adopted the
emblem as q part of his own coat of arms,
and it is said, gave it the name by which
it is now known. At different times it
seems to have assumed different shapes,
two strongly marked types being those of
the reipns of Louis TX, "St. Louis" and of
Louis XIV, the first being slender and
graceful, the second broad and heavy. A
variation of this device is the feur-de-lis
fory, often used as a system of ornament
for wall hangings and mosaic pavements,
the figure being elaborated and adorned
with buds, foliage and scroll work. A
good example of the modern use of this
design is found on the cover of the new
edition of the journal of Maurice de
Guerin," which has a fsur-de-lis fory as
| binding stamp upon an upper corner while
| the lower corner has triangle OF minute
| and close-set feur-de-lis.
| . Not only was this device found upon
| the "lilied shield" and banner of France,
| but it has quartered upon the royal arms
| of England in assertion of the claim of
| the English royal family to the throne of
| France.
! Cropped are the fower.de-luces in your arms,
L
| ~. ...da chok.s,,ao-. ,,,+s into tho
1aontb tho ~ tha nassenoar Who br;ses to the
Too1;ah 1ords sad tiG;nos ont Of France
esof 1nas ~ s1onobtar and diacom fitnre ,'
t,a | i;1;es bnHevsr ksot their nIace mn.
~ than 700 f;na1iv exnnnoa hv Georoe the
Fourth.
With the picturesque and graceful
| fashions in dress adopted in the year Just
| passed, which drew upon the splendors
of past centuries for costume effects, came
in also various decorative designs. To the
| tfEn,niran stvles belonps the bow-knot
| InpiT Jt 1,.
and to the coats OF tne Loulses oeionef
| the heur-de-lis. We ind them In silver
| and oo1d enamelled and ieweled
as scarf pins, hat pins, hair pins,
! clasps. brooches, and watch covers
| It furnishes a design for wall paper
furniture coverings, procades anu laces
| ail-heads, umbrella and parasol handles
| b;ndipo atanns amhroideries and an
pliques, all haunt the iris; it is found upor
| china and glass, 1t is stamped upon slls
| 81 oo4ton Too5s and auan tha covars n
| nraver hooks have been set with little sill
| yer emblems of worldly honor and prowess
Or in this case 1t is simply to remind tn
d oearIl hsnlesa Ti cue 1st wstcbed % over hv a he
ne6cent creators
| TO" oooO."oA'S ~ -
long peu,S, pot Ano ;n aSi ~ ;ts ohant.rsW %n %
history. heraldry, art and ornament, i
would prove to possess an interest littl
, suspected by those VINO LOOK upon IL mere
) as fasnlonaoie passing fancy Oh IN
o"y'
> .h.. Naw v.or
One universal prayer:
TO os hide dark Hate Hate beneath The wings Of Love;
r To slay all hatred, strife,
10 Oil lift the fallen. lead the blind
As only Love can Lead
To live for all mankind.
. Teach ns New Year. to be
4 Free men among the free,
Our only master Duty; with mo- no God ss .,s,
fese Teach ons- usVWth % all its might, VI Vic
Q Its darkness and its light,