Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1899-02-06
POPULAR PERFUMES
HAVE EVER BEEN IN GREAT DEMAND
AMONG AL NATIONS

Balm Was Much Prixed by the Natives
of JndeA and Raising Fragrant
Flowers by the Ton-origin of Lavender
Some Perfumes. Stronger Than Others.
The Bedouins perfume their hand
kerchiefs with an odoriferous earth
called ares, which comes from Alden.
south OF Arabia. and Is in much re-
quisition by the desert Arabs, SAYS
London Society. These nomad people
Use clyet To anoint their bodies sub
stance of the consistency OF honey,
taken from the anal glands of the
civet cat, strong and offensive in it
self. but agreeable when a very small
proportion is mixed with other in
gradients. kitto says that Arabs do
not salute; they simply smell each
other II il common for parent TO
say, -Ah, child, thy smell is like SEN
i'asa Foo, a flower sacred TO ChriSna. :
However agreeable this may he to the
nostriis OF the Redouin. the mixture of
the odors of dirty skins and the strong
ciyet perfume Is combination any
thing but pleasant to the European
nose.
Some perfumes have a stronger scent
than others; some give out their frag-
rance AT special times Certain flowers
need the warmth of the sun: some the
soft rain. and others the cool night air
before they venture 10 throw out their
redolence into the atmosphere Bar
tholm says: The odor of rosemary in
dicateS the coast OF Spain more than
ten leagues out TO sea" And another
writer declares that the whole air OF
south Asia is filled With the smoke and
odor OF perfume" In Capua there was
one long street called The Seplasia"
which consisted entirely of perfume
and unguent shops. And in Bombay
the greater proportion of wares eN-
hibited in the bazaars are perfumes,
of endless varieties.
Balm was much priced by the natives
of Judea and Arabia. from whence il
was procured Pliny says that Yes
pasian and Titus had shrubs of it
growing in Rome, which We're careful
ly tended, the branches being carried
by the Romans in their triumphal pro-
cessions. To gather the balsam was a
slow and tedious task. Alexander the
Great thought it fair midsummer
days work tn fill a ..concha" with
balm-that it. less than thousandth
part of a pint. Cinnamon is an aro-
matte bark of odorous fragrance. 1t
is a native of Ceylon and India. kitto|
tells us that it is precious and ap-
propriate to religious use. 1t is much
valued. and was the first spice sought
after or procured in all oriental voy-
ages, ancient or modern The Egypt
ians and Romans held il in high
esteem. Herodotus assures us that a
species OF cinnamon was taken from
the nests of birds, and also found
sticking like lime to the boards of
goats. This substance was gathered
compounded and used as ointments
and SalyeS.
The south of France is the flower
garden of Europe. Flower farming is
extensive in the Var Valley. and covers
about II5,Ooo English acres. These
gardens produce over 5000 tons of
flowers annually. Lavender is our
English production, and is cultivated
about Hertford. Surrey, and several
other districts. Its name, "layandula,"
from .'lavare." to wash, indicates its
use, which was perfuming the baths
of wealthy people. Its flowers are
considered excellent for disorders of
the head and nerves There are dis
on high sea levels. Sweet as are the
influences of perfume as "A panacea for
wounds-a tonic for tagging health-a
refreShment of the heat and dust-a
luxury for the toilet-and a delicious,
permeating qualification for the senses
we would stop short of the custom OF
the Carmani who mingle their com
panions' blood with fragrant sherbet
and uuaff it as a pledge of friendship,
sealing the compact with much mutual
amounting of spikenards and affairs.
This. to say the least is exaggerating
the province of perfumes.