The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-05-26
SAlMY SWEETS.
Various Notes About the Perfumes OF Al
Nations and Times.

Nations and Tirhes.
Vessels bear scents from all parts OF
the world; ~patchouii, which became
popular when India shawls were ex
ported, is sent from India and China,
ylang-ylang from the Philippine
islands, lemon and bergamot from
Cicily, the fr~angipani flower from the
East and West indies, thyme and mint
from Mines, roses from Cannes, vio-
lets from Nice and lavender from En-
gland.
It is when one visits the rose gar
dens of the east, the great flower farms
in the south of France and the laven-
der fields of MitchaT in Surrey that
the modern use of perfumes is realized;
vet how small this is in comparison
with the ancients, Who can point to
any application of sweet scents equal
to the progress of Cleopatra in her
baage with FURNISHED poop and purple
sails so sweet hat 'all the winds were
love-siclS with them" while spices
were kept burning on the banks, as
Plutarch tells us.
Who can vie with Charlemagne, who
had the walls of his palace sprinkled
with scented waters? What modern
belle would initiate the Empress jose
phine and sweeten her complexion
daily with boiling milk poured over a
basin of fresh violets? And what mod
ern general would, like Pompey, drink
nothing but scented wines, even when
in camp, or, like Scylla. keep fragrant
spices burning in all his apartments
even in the room where he wrote his
dreaded prescription lists?
Scented gloves were often used as
the means of conveying poison when
getting rid of an enemy was an art
that required delicate invention and
skill instead of coarse machinery.
Catherine de Mcdici poisoned Jeanne
d'Albert, the mother of Henry ~,
with poisoned gloves sent as Il gift.
Another vehicle for poison was per-
fumed snuff, which was introduced
into society by the courtiers of Louis
NV. One instance was hat of the
duchess Of burgundy, who was pre-
scented with a box Of her favorite
Spanish snuff by the Due de Noailles.
After using it Il few days she died of
the poison contained in it There were
many kinds of scented snuff: n popular
II was ''Niolct Strasburg," n com
pound of rappee and bitter-almond,
scented with ambergris and altar of
rose. Queen Charlotte made this popu.
lar, but always adulterated it with
green tea
An Athcnian host was not conte1t
to perfume his dining hall but scented
his drinking vessels with myrrh and
had his slaves sprinkle essences upon
the guests. One entertainer made him
self famous by letting four scented
pigeons fly into the banquet chamber.
dropping different odors from their
wings.
The Greek cosmetic perfumes were
contained in oinments and oils and
reached such Il height that every part
of the body hal its peculiar uHgant;
the hair and eyebrows required sweet
majoram; the neck and knees, wild
thyme: the arms, balsam-mint; the
checks and breast, palm-oil; and the
feet and legs Egyptian ointment.
Like the medieval BARRIERS shop,
the coffee houses OF Queen Anne's
time and the modern European cafe,
the performers shops of Athens were
centers for gossip on art. intrigue, love
and politics. According to legend the
art of perfumery spread in Greece
through Helen of Troy, who owed
much of her beauty to her knowledge
of sweet essences, and SO important
was perfume to the Greek that imag-
~ination fancied the Elysian fields as
Il river of sweet scents hat
flowed around the golden city where
800 fountains of perfume were always
playing, and the atmosphere was re-
by the vapor that rose from
the river to fall again in odorous dew.
Chicago News.