Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-04-17

W
A PERFECT EASTER LILY. a a
are expended by churches and private
individuals in purchasing lilies at Eas-
ter time, and affairs and apartments are
lprofusely decorated with them.
The lily is frequently spoken of in
the Bible. In the Canticles we find it
| introduced in such beautiful languages
as 1.-The rose of Sharon and the lily Of 3
the valley" and "he feedeth among the
lilies" In his sermon on the mount
Christ said, Behold the lilies of the
field" and continued that Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one
of these
The only true lily found now in Pales-
tine is the scarlet Martagon, but it is
probable that by the term in Scripture
is meant the scarlet anemone, which in
color and abundance answers the res
quirements. But as the Arabs apply
the term lily now to many floWerSSfit
is possible that the word was thus gem
orally used by the authors of the books
of the Bible where it is introduced.
The great profusion of the lily and
similar classes of Towering plants in
the Holy Land is remarkable and forms
the most beautiful and attractive fea-
lure VI tIle lduuSCdpe, OlOOHlHS DIS LQey
do in winter or the early spring. The
plain Of Sharon. the lower slopes OF
Lebanon, the shores of Galilee and the
bare, craggy terraces Of the Judean
hill country are at certain seasons
atlame with white and scarlet and gold
en- lilies, whose glory is the most strik-
ing of all the aspects of the country.
The plain at the foot of the mount OF
Beatitudes is covered at various sea-
:. sons with vast profusion of lilies and
other flowers, all of brilliant colors.
When Christ directed the attention of
his auditors to the lily as an illustra-
ton of his beatitude, there were doubt
less thousands of the flowers to be seen
wherever they turned.
Blooming when all else was dead and
precursors of spring and the super
abundant life of summer. it was but
natural that the lily should become the
resurrection flower, beautiful type OF
that life to come, which forms the es-
sential hope and doctrine of the Chris
tian faith. 1t also became the emblem
of purity, for could anything be more
emblematic of soul freed from all the
defilement of sin than those stainless
blossoms, pure and beautiful enough to
be eXotics on our earthly soil trans-
planted from the gardens of heaven? &
fury states that Mary, the mother Of
Christ, like her Divine Son, also rose
from the dead. 1t relates that the apos-
ties on going to her grave on the third
day after her burial found the grave
open and the place where her body laid
filled with roses and lilies. AS this story
of the assumption of the Virgin gain
ed cradence throughout Christendom
the lily became the Virgin Mary's spe-
cial emblem. The species which mediR-
val art associates with her name is thu
"annunciation lily" of our gardens
Lilium candidum).
In old Italian and Flemish paintings
representing the Virgin a vase of these
flowers is always placed by her side,
with three blossoms GROWING three
green stems. In later pictures of the
annuncation the Italian painters place
| q spray of great white lilies in the
J hands of the angel Gabriel.
; In the early part of the thirteenth
century the preaching of ST.. Bernard
, gave great impulse to the high VEN
, Grafton in which the Virgin had been
! previously held; and it was then that
. the most beautiful lady chapels were
, added to cathedrals and that the lily
: first appeared in ecclesiastical architec-
ture.
:,
, a recognized festival of the Christian
! church was not general until 400 or 500
years after the birth of Christ, it was
observed by many Christians previous
to that time Gregory NazianZen, who
died in 800, calls Easter the royal day
among days" Previous to his time and
: subsequently vigils were held on the
night preceding Easter in anticipation
! of the second coming of Christ, as It
: was supposed by many that he would
= appear at this time. In apostolic times
:. and for some centuries after the second
: and speedy coming of Christ was an
:, ardent matter of belief to- many Chris
: tians, and there are thousands even to-
: day who await that event with as eager
a hope and as firm a faith as the early
= believers in the second advent.
1t seems almost like a rhetorical de-
), scent from everything that is beautiful,
), refined and elevated to assign to eggs
= as to lilies in connection with Easter,
symbolism relative to the future life.
Still there is little doubt that the use Of
Eeggs at this season was originally sym-
bolical of the revivif1cation of nature in
e spring and of the future life. From the
e Christian point of view this feast of
Y eggs at Easter has been usually con-
d sidered emblematic of the resurrection
: and of life surviving physical decay.
: The Jews at, the time of the Passover
i. also attached special significance to the
9 |eating of eggs and among the Persians,
# even now at the time of the solar new
q year in March, present each other with
Ioolored eggs. NEIL MACDONALD.