The Washington bee., 1893-05-27
FLOW ER LEGENDS.
ROMANTIC AND TRAGIC HISTORY
IN NATURES BEAUTY.

History shows that flowers have play
ed an important part ever since the
creation, when the fruit Of the apple
blossom caused the primeval trans
gression, and the expulsion of our first
parents from Paradise The rose OF
| England, the thistle of Scotland, the
>hamrock of ireland and the lilies OF
france, have each romantic and tragic
! history, for each has been baptized
in the blood of martyrs to cause, os
t; sentiment.
Among the most interesting of the
flower legends is that of the passion
lower" that beautiful, mystic plant.
IN whose personality is typified tho
most tragic event of this worlds his
tory. 1t is said that the passion fowo:
was originally pure white, but at the
time of Christ's crucifxion q drop O:
his blood fell upon the lovely blossom
growing at the foot of the cross. enc
instantly it assumed the purple hue
| that it has since borne.
The pretty flower known as the
'sbleeding heart is said to have sprune
from the drops of blood that fell from
the dagger of Brutus as he drew ii
from the side of Caesar.
The daisy is said to have sprung
from the tears of our first parents on
their expulsion from Paradise. Per-
haps for this reason the daisy is a flower
of world wide growth, and is intended
to remind us of the first great trans
gression.
The " heather was originally a COM
mon plant without bud or blossom ::
but the legend is that one day an an,
gel descended the starry ladder and
wandered DER hill and dale, through
lowly valleys in which perennial flow
ers bloomed, and on bleak mountains,
whereon never leaf or flower was
seen. Turning to the gorgeous roses
that blossomed in his pathway, he
said:
"Can you not lend some of your
beauty to yonder shaggy mountain
side p
But the queens of the garden wero
offended at being asked to display thei1
charms in such unattractive and soil
tary places, and curtly answered:
Nay, it is not meet that we should
waste our sweetness on the desert air
ask some of the lowly born"
The lily, the orchid, and the rhodo
dendron each gave the same answer
Then spake the lowly heather, which
had been overlooked:
Master, [ will 60 and cover yon
bleak mountains side [ have nc
bright Or perfumed blossoms with
which to beautify it, but with my green
leaves I will cover it's barren waste"
Scarce had the modest heather fin
ished speaking when from each branch
there burst flower, and soon the
mountain side blossomed like unto
garden in full bloom. Upon the lowly
head of the heather the benedictior
rested for love which suffereth long
and is kind was the motive power
prompting the action. EA
The valley lily that earlier notilier
OF springs advent, has a touch of ro-
nance in it's history wherein fairies play
a part. It is stated that on one occa-
sion these sprites Of the forest and
stream gave dance upon the green
sward. Each took with her tiny CUP
in which to gather dew for the fairy
queens breakfast. Now, one of the in
exorable laws of the fairies is that the
sun must never find them abroad. On
this occasion their revelry ran so very
high that the sun sparkled upon the
dewdrops and dried them all up before
ever their dancing ceased. Then each
fairy ran in dismay to the blade OF
grass on which she had hung her tiny
white cup-but 10 they were hard and
fast to the green stalks and could not
be removed. Then the fairies fell to
crying, for each feared the anger of the
queen, who would have to 60 without
her breakfast. Soon the fairy god
mother came upon the scene, and see-
ing the distress of her godchildren she
touched the blades of grass. which
changed into broad green leaves, thus
concealing the cups from the queens
vision and saving her tiny subjects from
the queenly ire. Hence we have lilies
Of valley
The golden rod also has ro-
nance connected with its early being.
1t is related that beautiful German
girl, while wandering over the e Fader-
land" in search of her lover, was
lost, Day and night she cried for her
dear ones who were far away. Then,
falling upon the ground exhausted, the
leaves covered her over, and then came
the snow and buried her out of sight.
all but q tress of golden hair. This lag
upon the snow, over which a fairy one
day passed, and seeing the beautiful
lock of shining hair she wound i:
around her wand, and sticking it into
the ground, said, "golden rod"
The 'snap dragon is said to owe
its origin to the blood of the dragon de.
stroyed by st. George, the Christian
Perseus, and the patron and protector
of the British nation.
Pages more might be written con-
cerning the legends of flowers. for their
is as much mystery concealed in their
hearts as in any of Gods creations.
Who can tell why the morning glory
always opens in the morning, and the
primrose and four clock open in the
Why the century plant