Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-12-30
GOLDEN MISTLETOEs
THE WONDERFUL TREE IN A BEAU
 TlFUL GROVE.

fdust.
 The sacred books of the Buddhists prove that in the early days of their religion question which deeply agi- tated the minds of the learned was whether or not the trees had souls, says writer ill the Philadelphia Ledger. The controversy ragged strongly, for the belief Was widespread that in injuring or mutilating tree proportionate pain was inflicted on its spirits nature.
 The same idea ereeps out again and again il Greek and Roman mythology, and the folklore of every country and people in Europe is full of it, and at such seasons as Christmas these primi- tive customs are actually practiced The numerous German and English songs and offerings to the apple trees are still heard and seen on every Christ. mas. Ovid in his Metamorphoses' tells the beautiful story of Erisicthon's i'm pious attack on the grove of Ceres and i how the Greek dryads and hamadryads had their lives linked to tree, and as "this withers and dies they themselves fall away and cease to be. Any injury to bough or twig is felt as wound, and q wholesale hewing down puts an end to tllem at once. A cry of anguish es- capes them when the cruel ax comes near. "
 It was this established belief that l produced such lines as
 Loud through the air resounds the woodman' 8 stroke,
 When, iol voice breaks from the grooming uak,
 1 Spare, spare my life. trembling virgin spare Oh, listen to the hamadryad' s praYeri No longer let that fearful resound. Preserve the tree to which my life is bound. 1 See, from the bark my blood i'll torrents flows l faint, sink, perish from your blows. Accepting, then, this prevalent faith ill the actual life and soul of the trees, we must pass OH to the subjects on hand the golden bough or mistletoe-the classic gloomy vale and it's locality, wherein the legend of Balder the Beau tiful and his death by the mistletoe shaft are in touch with the ancient doc- trines of tree worship.
 It IS often stated that Virgil gave this name of the golden bough to the mistle- toe, whereas be only compares it with the mistletoe.
 In the sixth book of the "A1neid'' he tells IS how two doves, guiding Afneas to the gloomy vale, ill whose depth grew the golden bough, alighted upon tree ''whence shone d tliokering gleam of gold. As ill the woods in winter cold, the mistletoe-a plant not native to it's tree--is green with fresh leaves and twines it's yellow berries about the boles. Such seemed upon the shady oak the leafy gold, so rustled in the gentle breeze tke golden leaf " Virgil does not say it is the mistletoe, and yet what else? It's identification is perfect.
 The poet locates the gloomy vale ill the neighborhood of Lake Avernus, but Italian tradition, as recorded by SerYi- us, points to the grove of Nemi, Aricia, Now the story of this Arician grove is embodied i'll Maeaulay's lines:
 The still, glassy lake that sleeps Beneath Aricia's trees Those trees i'll whose dim shadow The ghastly priest doth reign, The priest who slew the slayer And shall himself be slain. h days of antiquity i'll this beautiful grove grew Q wonderful tree, round which q prowling figure, sword in hand, seemed to be constantly expectant of an attack from some enemy Yet he was tho priest of the grove, and, by the or der of his office, he would some day be 1 killed by the claimant who wished to succeed him. To gain his position he had slain his predecessor, and, in course of time, must himself be slain. Such is brief context of strabo's version. The 1 branches of the tree might not be bro- ken, except by a runaway slave. This l bough gave him the right to challenge l the priest, and, if successful, to assume the title of ''king of the wood <" Ira dition tells that this was the bough which Kneas plncked before he jour. neyed to the lower world.
 In the familiar story from Morse mythology of Balder the Beautiful we recall the facts that he first dreamed and had great foreboding of evil, yet he belonged neither to earth nor heaven. His fellow gods. anxious to protect him, took an oath from fire. air, earth and water, stones, trees and plants, sick nesses and poison, birds, creeping things and four footed beasts that they should not injure Balder.
 o6iuS mus luY YulH6IaDlSy tLS SOuS amused themselves by throwing stones and logs at him. Then I4oki, the mis- chief maker discovered that east of Walhalla grew the mistletoe that seemed too young and innocent to swear Pulling it, he placed branch ill blind Hodur's hands, who threw and struck Balder dead Then his body was placed on his great ship Ringhor, the funeral pyre was lit, his faithful wife. Nanna-whose tears had fallen on the fatal branch and been turned into pearly berries-and his warhorse were burned with him as the ship drifted away toward the northern sky edge.
 Now, when we recall that the sacred sacrifcial fires were kindled periodical ly, we can read plainly and clearly the myth of Balder He was the tree spirit. the beautiful sacred oak which could not be injured or wounded by the axes D. l..