The San Francisco call., 1896-02-02

We are glad to see you. Sir
February, and hope you will bring to us
little more of sunshine than did your
brother January.
We are glad to see you, Sir February,
because YOU do bring to US two of the
wears best days-birthdays-St. Valen-
tines and that OF our own dearly beloved
Washington.
All! there is another birthday, too-of
one whom we all love-which comes IN
this second month of the year-Charles
Dickens, who was born in the land OF the
primrose, and who wrote OF children, II
love these little people; and it is not
a slight thing, when they, who are SO fresh
from God, love us. :.
So February is a precious month, isn't
it? And we are all glad that it will last
one day more this year than 1t has for
long time.
Now for the primrose and the amethyst;
the sentiment of the flower is ''early
youth, and of its mate in the mineral
world, ''peace."
By the dewy CLEAN, by the very breath,
OF the primrose tufts In the grass beneath
Upon thy heart there is laid spell
Holy and precious-O guard it We'll
The February-born will find
Sincerity and peace of mind,
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they the amethyst will wear.
The primrose is one of the first flowers of
the wear its name being taken from the
Italian and meaning 1.-The first spring
flower"
The home of the primrose is England
and there it blooms sweetest and best. No
flower. is so dear to the heart OF the Eng
lishman as the primrose.
The day which has been dedicated to
Lord Beaconsfield, April 19, has come to
be known as Primrose day." and his
followers have clubs or societies, which
they call Primrose leagues" having for
their emblem a cluster of primroses, be-
cause il was the favorite flower OF this
statesman, Just as the great Napoleon best
loved the modest violet, and just as the
lowly cornfower was so precious to Kaiser
William.
So on April 10 millions and millions of
this ''field duckling'' are used for decora-
tive purposes, houses, market stalls,
horses, carriages and children being decked
with as many blossoms as possible, and
yet if you should ride out into the country
not one flower could be missed from sunny
fields or fragrant hedgerows, such prolific
bloomers are they during the spring
months.
In some parts of England much super
stition hoyers around the primrose, ii
being considered an omen of Ill luck for a
person to enter farmhouse with less than
generous handful of the blossoms, as a
fewer number is supposed to have a very
serious effect on the number and we'll
being of the tiny members of the poultry
flock
The amethyst is a lovely stone, worthy
of our devoting little time to its study,
which will be OF. most interest to the ones
whose birthday stone it is.
We find that it is really a variety OF
quartz or rock crystal of a fine violet blue
or purple color. But you say you have
seen amethysts of other shades than these.
Yes, know, but they are not so colored
by nature, but are produced by submitting
the blue amethyst to the action of fire.
Wherever manganese is found there the
young student of geology may be quite
sure OF having his efforts rewarded if he be
looking for amethyst quartz, nature nav.
ing used oxide of manganese to produce
the fine color of the stone.
The gem is found In all parts of the
world, but the very finest ones come from
Carthagena, Spain.
In our own country Maine possesses
probably, the greatest store of amethysts
But, boys and girls, when vacation comes