New-York tribune., 1901-02-24
IMPERIAL PURPLE.
ITS SIGNIFICANCE SINCE THE DAYS OF
THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
From The London Globe.

From The London Globe.
Recent sad events and especially the ex-
pressed preference of the King for purple or
violet a. the color for royal mourning. nave
served TO remind of the ancient symbolism
of the imperial hue. The color ~ not Only
symbolicaI and charged with ancient aSSocIl-
tiOnS, but forms welcome variety 10 nc
customary suits Of solemn black which on
such occasion of national mourning ana
sorrow help TO deepen the general glooJr.
The use Of purple greatly relieved tn gen
eral sombreness of the decorations on saturday
last. Paddngton draped in part in purple
and white, ana many of the houses on the line
of route used the royal .,oIpr. Baroness Bur
dett-Coutts's house, draped IN purple 18th
white fringe and leiShboring hotel. with its
balconies richly Shroutat in purple with - lden
taSSelS. were specially noteworthy examples
OF quietly good and beautiful effects. In one or
two places where cloth ran short purple Ia'nt
was used %ith striking Suc-rss- ~ NlrtSer
the of mingled purple ant black ESuCinSS
for lampposts and electric light standards. a.
v eli for houses very general. The same
color symbolism was shown in tnc very large use
which was made ot the purple c1ttl,ya orchids
in the innumerahle wrrtths which sere sent
by all sorts and conditions ot people. The great
tribute sent by the To- 'raIl"Ht ana people "t
South Australia Formed Z these orchids
with violets and 'aUre! Ieaves. slieid Of
violetS. nine feet high came from nc mn flal
Ieomaury Parma EiIirts fofmcd The taSe Of
the beautiful tribute sent ny Lori and Lady
Dudley British Columbia s-nt a cushion Of
violsts with the imperial crown ana monogram
picked out in lilies ot the valley. Put II would
- endless task 30 "rum1~ate tn irstatCeS
the grief and affection - the s.. n1ers-
The symholical associations of purple are of
ancient origin. Violet and not black IT, tn
usual color 4 mourning in Turkey at the prs
eut day. hut our Western use of the color in con
nection with roy atty Dis derived from The customs
of ancient Rome In the = - Nh the CITY uu
the seven HIiis ast- tEe capital 20 tht world tht
imperial robes Were "i purIls-or TtIiau dye
aS lt was sometimes called Much of fhc Iurpi.
rplOrinS matter ans i-rtit used Nts m1I- at Tyre
from kind OF Sh-d-i-l species Of Mur-N
which was There ai uuia1t. n is sand that heaps
OF The broken shells. near fEr GniipN places iu
th. rocks which So rNrL a-> th- lr.rtar- IS herein
they Wvr" pounded. may Sect b." seen on tEr
Tver since the days ~ tr. Roman Emperors
ths color has retained as regal ami imperial
sieriugauD- The phrase 'fu h. born ia the r'lr-
ul- H. familiar tH ever .Ht. tGf %. 70 prob
ably NOT feH OF those s,ha us. n who are not
y.rr or rh- singular iIuI litau,- that once, at
tarhel t' the condition s' described Nowadays
the uhrts" has httl" - "A usurativ" meaning.
and is often used loosely cUpu-h tut iu ifS Dri.i
nal application .t meant ma. a. To tc born in
th- purple" that is. o. b- born after The parents
So rctsSon 20 tho throne. meant among thu En-
I,r1rs of the Eastern Roman Empire the right
Of succession. for the claim 10 tn. throne OF a
younger SON. If born. was preferred To thar of
cider born before his fathers succession.
This custom however. which is i'm strange CON
fict with modern notions. has never prevailed
in the West.
Although the use Of purple OF violet as th,
color OF ROYAL mourning has not been confined
To any one European King Emperor. the
Kings Of France of long ago We're inclined 10
look upon II as their own peculiar prrrOgatiTc
This led once 10 u rather absurd scene when
our own King James II was living in exile AT
the court Of his royal brother Of France. James.
like his predecessors and his successors till so1
claimed the title of King of France" and
occasion Of public mourning both King
Louis XIV and the exiled James appeared at