Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-13

Alter several attempts TO remove II nah
proved unsuccessful. the vine was aiio"
ed to remain on the morning OF CnriS' .
trial she went TO the window. ana was
about TO put aside the leaves TO look out
when her attention was attracted W q
large and peculiar blossom that nan
thrust Itself into the room. she piucHeu -
from the stem and was idly tearing IL "
pleces. her mind occupied with the events
OF the day. when, TO her horror
recognized the nails, the cross. the crown
the hammer. the drops OF blood, ana
looking a little closer, she made out, one
after another the letters, &c. a. V. r.,
Cave Beware" Instantly she recalieu
her dream Of the preceding night, ana
sent to PLATE the warning message re
corded by the Evangelist. or course, theie
ia a sequel TO the story. PLATE was altei
wards recalled i'm disgrace on account VI
his cruelty to the Samaritans. ana was
exiled TO Gaul or, some say, SwitZerldiiu'
He was accompanied by his wife, VINO, as
the story goes, became CHRISTIAN anu
after removing to their new naoitat.on
she sent back to Palestine for cutuhs
of the passion wipe and planted IL hed'
her abode The sight of the plant was TO
plate a constant reminder Of his mus
tice. and he wandered away from nome,
took ND his abode I'm a hut or cave oil
Mons. Pilatus and finally drowned him
self I'm the lake on the mountain, and the
guide books say that every Good Friday
his ghost comes out OF the water, wan
ders about the shores Of the lake, ascendS
10 the summit of the mountain, goes
through the motions of washing its hands
and disappears.
OTHER VERSIONS.
The hower-lore of different countries
contains scores of legends about this
peculiar blossom. One, a French story
makes the first appearance OF the pas
sion-vine after the ascension, when II
sprang from the ground, touched by the
feet of the angels. Another, of Sicilian
origin, declares that it first grew on CAL
vary after the crucihxion. On the
Easter anniversaries 1T blossomed in such
splendor that thousands went from the
city to view it, and it continued to bloom
until the SaraceAs conquered the city
when it disappeared; and, according to
the legend, will not reappear until Jeru-
salem IS I'm the hands of a Christian ma
ton Then il will blossom with splendor
unknown before, and superior TO that OF
any other flower, and after the temple
has been rebuilt the passion-vines VIII
cover the whole mountain on which II
stands, and their flowers will be its prin-
cipal ornament. Even the Moslems nave
their tradition about the passion-fower
an Arab legend declaring 1t to be pro-
duct of Paradise. and the vine that or
naments the throne Of Allah. lt was
transplanted TO earth by one of the
angels who fell. After the SHINING in
habitants had been expelled from the re-
gion, where good Moslems will sip for
ever and ever celestial sherbet, manu-
featured by the hands of houris, one Of
the fallen angels, resolved TO give carr
something Of heavenly appearance, stole
back into Paradise, and, without being
observed by any one, dug up a root, which
he brought away and planted in the most
beautiful vale in Arabia, whence 1t
spread over all the earth
CROSS AND CROWN LEGENDS.
Innumerable legends cluster about the
crown of thorns and the cross, and an
Illustration of the facility with which
these stories are localized Is seen In
the fact that in every country that mas
such stories the crown Is said TO be
made of the thorny plant best known
to the people In Italy 1t Is the bar
berry vine; in Spain. the hawthorne; In
Germany. the holly; i'm England, the
blackberry. and i'm Palestine, the rose
vine. or climbing rose, the particular
plant which furnished the material be-
ing alleged TO grow on the terrace be-
fore Herod's palace. OF what wood
was the cross made Is question which
furnished the early Christian theolo-
CLANS much food for speculation, and
several serious treatises were written
by the fathers TO prove that it was or
one or another kind An obscure monk,
named Tertullus. selected the CEDAR for
what, TO him, was the perfectly obvious
CT. .F.- Il rtrn-
of cedar a thousand years before, ard
so. of course. the cross must have been
also of the same kind Of wood In the
case of several trees and plants men
toned in this connection, their peculiari-
ties have evidently suggested the
legends, and sometimes gross ignorance
is displayed by the story-makers. There
is for instance, a Greek legend which
declares the cross to have been or hem
lock. and I'm consequence of this use,
the plant became poisonous Legend
makers cannot be expected TO show
much regard for history or probability,
but as this legend is of Greek origin,
It is strange that the narrators over
looked the fact that over 400 years be-
fore the Christian era hemlock poison
was a common mode of execution in
Athens. and the greatest Greek philo-
sopher died by this means. The tremu-
lous leaves of one variety of the aspen
have undoubtedly suggested in Italy,
France. and Spain, as well as in Pales-
tine. the story that the cross was made
of its wood, and that its leaves have
trembled ever since. One OF the most
peculiar oscillations of legend, how
ever. is I'm the Mexican story which Sc
lects the pilar-cactus as the crossword.
Before the crucihxion, ii was beautiful
tree. but after that event, so runs the
tale. it dropped, first its leaves. then its
branches. finally becoming naked,
worthless trunk growing only In desc
late parts Of the earth.
RESURRECTION FLOWERS.
A great variety of plants and flowers
are. in different countries. associated
with the last scenes of the life of Christ.
A small. red flower, that grows plenti
fully in Palestine and Asia Minor, is
popularity said to have sprung from the
drops Of his blood on the march to CAL
vary. AS a rule, In folklore, red flowers
spring from blood. and white from tears,
so it is not surprising TO learn that the
lily, the Easter plant originally rose
from the earth before the sepulchre when
the tears OF the women who had come
10 embalm the body fell upon the ground.
The exhibit of certain flowers. like the
well-known "4-o'clocks." of opening at
stated hours, has given rise 70 more than
one legend, a German story designating
by name the plants which. by their bloom
ing. marked the hours OF the cruel
fxion. The night-bloomng jasmine is
said in Brittany TO have been the most
numerous plant in the Garden of Geth-
semane, sending forth its sweetest fra
GRANGE on the night Of the arrest. In
Sicily a quaint legend has grown up con-
corning a small flower common on the
island. 1t is said TO be of Oriental orr
gin. and has the popularity of changing
color. during the day having a pink
L.. ,ninht iii. r,i.ha.