The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-05-28
FLOWER MEMORIAL CUSTOMS
Strewing the Graves of the Dead with
Blossoms Originated with Pagans,
And Has Spread Over the Earth Until IL Now
Prevails in All Christian Lands. but None
Has Anything Like Our Memorial Day.

With the returning springtide and the
roses returns the day long dedicated to the
Nations dead-the sad memorial snniver-
ssry marking q laurel-twined epoch IN the
Nations history. when pansies for
thoughts. rosemary for remembrance.
myrtle for love. aud smaranths. bright
emblems of immortality, are mingled with
sad yew and mourning cypress above the
hearts of the heroes who sleep, each n o
"windowless palace OF rest.n
Nearly three decades have passed since
the first order for this tiowe. memorial for
the dead went forth. Year by year the
sad. sweet custom has grown in favor. and
year by year the fiag-marked mounds have
increased until q soldier Of the Union
mustered out" slumbers on every hillside
and sleeps in every valley. In all this
broad land there is no City of Silence"
that has not at least one wsr-worn veteran
who has turned in az his last tattoo. For
them and for the thousands of unknown
heroes
Who rest where they wearied
And lie whore they fell,
Natures dear children. sun-nurtured and
rain-kissed, fragrant with sweet perfumes
and dew gemmed, are laid upon the altar
of remep brance, q oonsecrated memorial
tribute of earth's brightest and purest gifts
to the Nations brayest and best.
This memorial custom, crown to tho
grandeur OF q national holiday In this
country. is almost as old as the human
race. 1t Is pagan custom Christianlzed.
Among the ancients of the earth flowers
were pagan gods and goddesses personified.
The souls of these deities came TO earth re-
lncarnated as roses and lilies. as grass and
forest trees, bees. and birds. and blossoms,
and ministered to the senses and passions
much as when in the carnal state. The
modest violet was, to the Greeks. the in-
carnatlon OF L. the daughter of Midas, who
was changed 10 the little blue flower TO
hide her from Apollo. The daisy. which
ting little goddess. and to escape from an
importunate lover was turned 20 the 10y.
ers' fortune teller" The Cypress.
Dark tree! still sad when others grief is fed,
The only constant mourner DER the dead,
was, according TO Ovid. the youth Cypsris.
dentally killed q favorite stag one day
while hunting, and in a passion of grief
pray ed the gods that his mourning might
be made perpetual. In answer 10 his prayer
he vas changed into q cy press tree. and IN
remembrance of him the ancients made
much of the cypress at their funerals One
of its characteristics Is that when once cut
TO earth it will never flourish nor grow
also symbolical TO them, for they believed
that We
Soon as the hand of death has closed our eyes,
In tombs forgotten lie: no suns restore.
We sleep, forever sleep TO wake no more.
In accordance with this idea the sncients
planted the cypress near their tombs. The
Turks placed il st the head and foot OF
their graves. and there were other nations
who planted 1t upon the grave itself, be.
lieving that the body nourished it
The yew tree has always been In all ma
tions An emblem Of sorrow. It's bare trunk
and dark foliage, with it's fruit-hke drops
OF blood. lmpresses the bebolder with its
melancholy aspect OF once. 1t is strange
tree. It's Juice il poisonous and the tree
exhausts the soil which supports it and
destroys oil other plants which spring up
beneath it. The Greeks found in it tho
persOnificatI0n of the unhappy Smilax WHO
loved young Crocus When she found her
love rejected. she desired TO withdraw
from the society of the gods and was
transformed into yew tree, which since
that time has symbolized sorrow. The
yew. like the cypress. was much esteemed
by the ancienta as a typical tree TO shade
the tombs of the dead, and used 1t profuse-
~ IN their cemeteries, where branches could
be easily procured on the days set apart by
custom for the decoration of the graves
CUSTOMS OF EARLY CHRISTIANS.
The early Christians denounced unquali.
fedly the use of flowers &C either festivsls
or funerals. on account of the pagan sym.
bolism of the blossoms used. TertullIsn
wrote book denouncing crowns and gar
lanes of flowers. Clement of Alexandria
thought 1t improper that Christians should
GROWN themselves with roses, but after
wards they adopted the custom, and the
Christian poet Prudence invited his breth-
rem Ito crown with violets and with
verdure. and TO surround with perfume
hna NH tah nN ha II
Powerful would one day restore to life"
These early Christians carried in theiI
hands ivy, sprigs of laurel. rosemary
or other evergreens as emblems OF the
these into the grave before the coffin was
lowered. to signify that they who die in
Christ do not cease to live, for. though. as
to the body. they die TO the world, yet. as
to their souls they live and revive to God"
They cast upon the grave bay leaves.
which symbolized immortality. Thus, IN
accepting the symbolic meaning of the
plants mentioned, they christlaniZed q
and yew. which, typifed TO most pagan
minds the souls eternal sleep. and. adopt
ing those plants which. in pagan my thol-
ogy. breathed of a higher life. they adopted
the historical and mythical origin Of the
symbol. Tho ivy, sacred to Osiris sym.
bollZes co0stancy, but TO the Egyptians 10
fypified the resurrection or higher life.
The Greeks and Romans consecrated the
laurel TO glory. YET IL tyDlne0 10 them tho
light-of-love Apollo. who. when he could
not win the virtuous Daphne. changed her
TO laurel tree. Rosemary had no heather
ancestry, but 1t was much esteemed by the
ancients of all nations. It was used az
feasts and funerals the christening cup
was stirred with IL. and it was worn az
marriage ceremonies. 1t was believed that
rosemary had a preventive virtue against
residential distempers, and that Is proba-
bly, why it was always in demand az
funerals. The Romans and Greeks burned
it In the chamber of death along with frank
incense 1t was also planted on the grave,
and used in the memorial services held
Of stated periods. In flower language,
which had its origin in the twilight of his
tory, rosemary stands, for remembrance"
and Shakespeare accepts this when he makes
his sweet manisc Ophelia say:
There's rosemary; that's for remembrance;
pray you, love. remember.
The Romans Of ancient days were born
voluptuaries. and flowers one of their
greatest passions. Living. they lavished
startling sums upon the gratifying of this
passion and In death they asked TO be sur
rounded by flowers, The dead were placed
upon coucnss of flowers and were crowned
with roses; the passage OF the funeral pro-
cession was laid thick with flowers, flow-
ers lined the tomb, and if earth covered the
dead from sight the rough-msGe mound
was hidden from view under carpets Of
flowers. Curious wills yet in existence
show the love that people had for iiowers.
A French lady bequeathed TO the Academy
of Toulouse a large income exclusively for
the celebration OF floral games. The will