Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-01-12
rEN u1sTLE LEToE. S ef. .OupfVt TREE IN A BEAU
 M rruL GROVE.

o pas aav,.stIon which deeply agl- 0otae qd qi,,ds of the learned was .i. DC p uot tbe trees had souls, says 'u'a @ !. D tbo Philadelphia Lodger. to d;. 7 sroversy " ragged strongly, for the
 gas widespread that in ln1nring
 isS S'as,no a tree proportionate pain
 Ds.ad on its spirits nature.
 anO. o ,dea creeps out again and
 SluU nVoek mud Roman mythology, } U soiklore of every country and 16A h Europe is full of 1t, and at eV ,sors as Christmas these primi-
 st1S .soms are actually praoticed
 snnarous German and English
 n and offerings to the apple trees
 ,e qI haard and seen on every Christ ~ ~, o.Id ,,Ii Tn his '' 'Metamorphoses" tells %S ...aaful story of Erisiothon's i'm 9S Daa ss,aok on the grove of Ceres and
 .ps Greek dryads and hamadryads
 ,soi, lives linked to tree, and as
 ]. witbers and dies they themselves
 .,sav and cease to be. Any injury
 snob "J, or twig is felt as wound, and c .soSIssale hewing down puts m end
 ssm at once. A cry of anguish es- n sa,. ', tbem when the cruel ax comes
 sla ~
 aiaoed such lines as;
 ,,btoueh tho air reeounds the woodman's HIIAo' loI yosce breaks from the grooming | .,. sTs susre my life, trembling virgin sparel
 pslel to She hamadryad's B prayeri
 taaay iet that fearful ax resound.
 o,ye tha tree to which my life Is bound ;rom inc bark my blood in torrents 6ows. lS. hat sink, perish from your blows.
 lmepting, then, this prevalent faith -~ tba actual life and soul of tho trees,
 amust pass on to the subjects on hand
 -ho golden bough or mistletoe-the
 lsslo gloomy vale and its locality,
 rbarein tho legend of Balder the Beau
 ttol aud lis doAth by the mist1etoe
 haft are In touch with tho ancient dee-
 hines of tree worship.
 t is often stated that Virgil gave this nsme of the golden bough to the mistle- m whereas he only compares 1t with ihe mistletoe,
 In the sixth book of tho .'.Kneid" he # alls us how two doves, guiding Eneas o the gloomy vale. in whose depth grow the golden bough. alighted upon tree whence shone Q fliokering gleam of rOd. As in the woods in winter cold. Ihe mistletoe-a plant not native to It's hee--is green with fresh leaves and wines it's yellow berries about the bolea Suoh seemed upon the shady oak tho leafy gold. so rustled In the gentle breeze the golden leaf. " Virgil does not say It Is the mistietoe, and yet what slsei Its Identification is perfect. q The poet locates the gloomy vale in he neighborhood of Lake Avernus, but 2 Italian tradition. As recorded by Servi ps, points to the grove of Nemi, Aricia. Now the story of this Arioian grove ia embodied in Maoaulay's lines;
 Tine still. glassy lake that sleeps Beneath Ariola's trees
 Those trees in whose dim shadow The ghastiy priest doth retgn. Tho priest who slew the slayer And shall himself be slsin-
 In days of antiquity in this beautiful grove grew Q wonderful tree, round which a prowling figure, sword In hand, seemed to be constantly expeotant 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 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 Do slain. Such is brief context of Strabo's version. The branches of she tree might not Do hro- ken, except by runaway slave. This bough gave him tue right to challenge the priest. and, if successful. to assume the title of .sking of the wood " Ira dition tells that this was the bough which .Hneas plucked before he jour- neyed to tho lower world
 In tho familiar story from Morse of Balder the Beautiful we 'eoall tho 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 ali oath from fire. air. earth and water. stones, trees and plants, sick aesses and poison, birds, creeping things and four footed beasts that they should hot injure Balder.
 Being thus invulnerable. the gods Amused themselves by throwing stones and logs at him. Then Loki, the mis- Chief maker, discovered that east of Walhalla grew the mistletoe "that seemed too young and innocent to swear. !" Pulling 1t, he placed branch 'n blind Hodur's hands, who threw and struck Balder dead. Then his body was piaoed on his great ship Ringhor, the ..uneral !. pyre was lit. his faithful wife, ! tears hnd fallen on the 1asal branch and been turned into Ieariy berries-and his warhorse wero turned with him as the ship drifted away toward the northern sky edge.
 NOW, when we recall that tho sacred .' I..siiioial fires were kindled periodical v. we can read plainly and clearly the as .a n or Balder. He WAS the tree spirit. Ao beautiful sacred oak which could ses = pe injured or wounded by the axes :. weapons of mortals. But tho oak AAAst D6 ont dOxx.y, %r, Aho cao~od fro