The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1895-08-08
WERS AS EMBLEMS.
a Form OF Heraldry Whoue Mys-
tories Arc Past Finding Out
Love, Historical aud Romantic Regarding
the Various Floral Badgcs Told 81 In
Ancient and Modern Myths,
Traditions and Theories.

the Various Floral Badgcs Told 81 In
Ancient and Modern Myths,
Traditions and Theories.
IA good symbol" it was the opinion OF
Emerson, sis tho best argument, and is
missionary TO persuade thousands. There
is no more welcome gift to men than a now
symbol" This, says the london Standard,
may possibly account for the rise, popular
jiy and persistence Of floral symbols.
Yet IL seems difficult TO explain why
wales should have chosen tho leck for its
cogni2ance, though the Cymric poets havo
q good deal TO say about the broom. The
Scottish thistle Is more TO the point. Yet
the northern botanists arc by no means at
one in assigning that heraldic plant to any
known species, or even In agreeing that It
is q Carduus Mt all. Tho plant with which
Hollywood is declSod on festive days liz usual
ly the cotton thistle, which ~ certainly not
a wild plant in North Br tain. The rose has
Of course, u romantic tale TO explain its
choice rs the emblem of old England
though, like the majority of such tales, this
legend may belong TO the myths Of the
posi- hoe, piopter hoe order. The -four dolls
Of France is still less easy Of explanation.
For, though 1t Is conventionally regarded as
q lily, the heraldic painters have 80 efrociu.
ally disguised II that IL is now n mere
matter Of choice TO say what II is As early
MS the year 1911 Givlllin (who was In those
days considered cunning finder out Of
hidden things) regarded tho device on the
Bourbon flag as "threo toads,n and Il Is
affirmed that IL was in allusion TO these sup.
posed symbols OF their country that the
popular nickname Of "Jcan Crapaudsn was
bestowed on the French people. Still more
recently, owing 10 certain ornaments re.
scmbling bces having been found In the
tomb of Childeric, father OF Clovis, II has
been thought that perhaps these insects,
and not lilies or toads, arc represented on
the white flag.
II would certainly be difficult for any ono
20 explain why Florence adopted the "giglio
blanco,h Prussia the lime, Saxony the mig
uonctte, or ireland tho shamrock, unless.
indeed, we are to accept without question
the legend ofSt. Patrickand his demonstrl
ton through II Of the mystery Of tho Trin
lty. Nor is II much easier for any one who
is critical anent popular myths TO account
for the white lily being the badge OF the
Ghibellines, and the red OF the Guolphs, any
more than II is explicable why the Yorkists
took the white rose and the Lancastrian.
the red, or why the hoartseasc was the cri
blem of the 'violet'crownedn city OF Athens.
Again, why was Apollo supposed TO love
the laurel and the cornell cherry, Pluto the
cypress and the maiden hair-a moisture
loving fern, which we may take for grant.
ed could not be very plentiful in.his chosen
roalm-Luna the dittany, Ceres tho deiro-
dil, Jupiter the oak, Minerva the olive.
Bacchus the vine, and Venus the myrtle
shaded
Why, again, is the Canterbury-bell tho
Sever OF St. Augustinel Why Is the Gro
Tss the emblem OF ST. Valentine unlcss II
Aappens TO appear about his festival timu
he cardaminc OF the Virgin MARY or the
81. John's-wort OF the beloved apostlel Mr.
ommo may, perhaps, hint at these flowers
wing been "totoms," and possibly the
nuwGrG were aCeuai.y iaVUritcr ~ ~. ti..--
whose cognHance they became after thrn
death or were borne ON their Shields n
heraldic emblcms during life. But siill
the endless floral badges OF the highlanJ
clans arc left In the regions OF airy myth
like the betony which was apportioned ~
1T Ffraed as u symbol OF the double share
OF grace with which he was endowed. oi
tho lily OF St. Thomas A Beckett or IN,
convallaria, which, according TO y hagiolog
ical myth, sprang up from the blood OF Tx
| dragon which ST. Leonard slew IN WOO,
D
suburb Of Hastings bearing his name.
IL Is scarce ly loss pulling to give a rea
sonablo explanation of why certain flowers
arc assigned 10, or have bean appropriate,
| by, certain individuals,
The Napolsonc violet Is a case IN point
The modest plant which once made al
| Paris fragrant on tho Bonapartist fete da,
was never an object of concern TO the 81 M
tic Corporal" and only very crtdulous peo
| pie now swallow the romantic legend Of hi,
telling bis adhGronts, when banshed I,
hlba, that no would "como back with The
| yiolets" The story was an invention Of
after times.
| Nor has any one TO our knowledge gon,
| into the origin Of the scarlet canation q,
the chosen flower OF tho Stuarts. Jacob
itism-the Jacobitism OF the Preteudcr an,
! Of the gallant gentlemen who mounted tn,
white cockade and lost their heads for thci
| pains-is now vanished faith Yet Il
this day mysterious hands yearly deposi
| wreaths of carnations on the tombs o
| Cardinal York and other members Of IA,
hapless line Of James II,
Later floral emblems are less difficult (,
| explain. In truth, except for the problem
which individual tastes must always re
main, there Is no great puzzle in the mat
ter. The old Kaiser Wilhelm, Of Germany
who IN spite of his military reputation an,
general drill sergeantry, was wonder
fully suffused with tho TeutOnic senti
mentality which peryaded Germany In h
boyhood, was fond OF tho corn-lower, on,
wherever he went, in bis later days at leas,
the whole country aide blossomed forth Il
blue in his honor. The old Emperor's dc
voton to the memory OF his mothe
amounted TO "cult,n and one OF his earucs
rccolections Of her was that when she AM
her boys were fugitivcs from Berlin on tn
occasion OF one Of Napoleon's invasons, sh
rested for a moment by a cornfeld, an
amused them by pluclfing the blue corr
flowers and making them wreaths and nose
gays,
The present Kaiser is said 10 affect IN
violet, a fancy which may clash with that @
the Bonapartists, should the adherents q
the democratic empiren again come TO III
front Ina France. A flower was, of cours,
necessary to the Boulangists, and, wit
characteristic instinct for effect, the pa
tisans OF the irrational and honest r,
publicn have chosen the carnation. Nevei
theloss, the origin OF the symbol does n,
matter, except from historical point {
view The mysteries of this form
heraldry arc generally beyond finding GU
and not infrequently are better left unel
pored, II the result OF antiquarian scare
Is as depressing as that which afilrms tn,
the word shamrock is derived from Il
Arabic shamrookh, club or shillelah, an
that this weapon Is, ia truth, the true badl
Of tho Hibernian race.
Two Cynlca.
Blobbs- Do YOU think the averap