The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1896-03-05
Our National Flower.

choice of floral emblem for the United
States he matter of indifference We
al eool Int s,,t.af1a ,.ti,,.l a..y,.,
'''
coulu not Ial To nave the must '''
portant uses for which no other form ot
symbol is so appropriate. lug uo
d.. ,,,., ,,,, ,,.,.,.1,.. s.. 49, .,...,.
'he cheIisheu eilioisiiis oi .ai
which does not satisfy The following
requirements:
,rl.o ,a.,,+ a,a4,4a a55.. 55...#=tt.....
connecting 1t e1esete Ntsit
deepest national significance. II should
be native to the soil. afaa 1ne commonly
.,, .a..,f,.,.z - a.. 5=....tr. .+1I..
easy "i cultivation IL any -atasa. '"'
blossom should have that regularity
and simple beauty If outline. aHJeI I-
-, ,.o..s,,,. il, .z63tt.e.Y j. T.. t4 .-.f
cohNeh'lohdn4 ia aeS5i asH*s
should be SO individual - afHeHtH.
as not to be mistaken Tor another
,rbo oreat i,,,f,,,t=,e... - fH#. I.....- .t
% al ''s''1
when II IS remembered tint #He - IH'
chief uses Of nat1onaI HiHAef E. FL"
serve rs a motive IN designs iHf #".u-.
medals seals or other objects having
national significance
II We are Ia have national H'"ti
which VIII be 10 as what lhe ta-s ,- J'
/ England, the thistle - scot and. tht
/ lily 10 France. aud tie envy saniH emum
/ To Japan, then assnfeal44 Il must 7i
/ least POSSESS those qualifications Ia va
/ tue OF winch these eH5lems ate ~ emit
I nentiy well-httea laf 1heH purpose.
/ Every one oi them meets must perfectly
/ the conditions @e haFe naned Mess
! our ilo"et shall tgnai them IN TINS
respect, IL cannot bear That mpaIlsoh
which our choice vii certainly challenge
Tested by such efiteftas ha" teW OF
/ those flowers which nav been adN'cat
ed for our adoption do We lind to pos
scsS, to any considerable extent, these
/ most important qaallileatlohsf
/ only one lower Sc lar As the winter
/ knows, iuiiiils all 81 the above require
/ menta-t the eolumblnes II has the hlBh-
/ est claim to he called Columbia own
! Hover.
/ The appropriateness OF IT'S name does
/ not depend upon a TRIVIAL play OF words.
/ In his native language the name OF
/ full OF poetic suggestion when we re
call how he, like Noah = messenger OF
/ old, brought back the tldlngs Of new
/ found world. Where IN ooyhood Co
| iumbus heard
/ The tall pine forests oil the ApPehlne
MuTmut theif hoafY legehds oi the sea
there grew aeahdantly that oeauutuI
/ Hover which, 10 the fancy oil those VINO
loved IT. recalled the groups OF doves so
/ tendcriy portrayed by the olaer PdlnteI
and therefore they named 1t Columblne.
wen mlshl TINS no"ef REMIND U.S. not
only OF the man whose latin opened our
shores To Christianity but also OF that
/ nobiest OF our ideals OF ohrlsllah Ma
tionhood, learned from the frnce Oh
Feace VINO SAID, lie ye harmless as
doves.
/ Yet in that wisdom likewise enJolned,
/ must we hold and defend our posses
sions, as an eagle It's nest. Recognizing
TINS truth as We do, IN theI symbolism
OF our coat oil arms, IL Is sih9nlafiy aP,
/ proprlate thal TINS same mower shouiu
nave also an aquliine slghiilcance'
W hateVef may nave peeh the origin
OF the name a4uhe9td, by Whlch our
| plant is known IN the botanical world,
the fact remains that Tor many genera
/ tons 1t has been associated IN the
minds OF those VINO USED IL win the
Latin a9nlta, an eagle, because the IN
curved spurs OF the hover, whlch TO
others resemoied the graceful necks on
doves, to the early botanists suggested
the talons OF an eagle. surely there
can be no inter symbol oil our country s
attitude toward other nations imam one
IN whlch the type OF lnoHehslVehess APP
pears combined win the type Oh rear
less power
stu another symbol than winch none
is dearer to our country, Is the nVe
rayed star, "hleh can De seen oy LOOKING
into the heart OF the columolne. tlnanl-
~ II one OF the petals be separated from
the blossom OF the short-spurred varle-
| ty, 1t VIII be seen to nave slngularly
close resemblance to the fhryglan
liberty cap; whlle IL we nave instead one
OF the long-spurred KINDS, the petals
strlklngly represent the horn OF plenty
turning to the columolne lear with
us Tern IKE deilcaey OF polse ana out
line, we iind 1t composed or many lear
lets OF varied forms joined IN one organ
ic whole plar,ous unum-and II we
count the segments OF It's terminal
leailet, the chief among them an, we
find most often that there are thirteen,
that number SO significant IN our
| history