Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-05-31
THE SACRED LILY.
CHINESE HAVE MADE 1T THE
SYMBOL OF GOOD WILL.

Teachings Of Christianity y-How Good Deeds
Brought Their Reward and Conferred Pros.
psrity Upon Deserving Family.
The Chinese New Year is the time
Of universal peace and goodwill
among all who owe allegiance to the
Flowery Kingdom, whether they are
living in their native land or are scat
tered among foreign peoples. The
Sacred Lily of China is conspicuous
feature of all celebrations OF this holi-
day season, of all festivities and of all
religious ceremonies. 1t is a monopo.
ly of the Cum Wing Fong family, in
the country of Chong Chow and the
State OF Foo-chien. Many years ago
Cum Ying Fong was only a mans
name, but it is now the name OF a
great and wealthy corporation or COM
pany. The Sacred Lily grows in only
one place, where it has been growing
for the last 500 years. Before that
time this flower was never seen. 1t
has no seed, but grows from the at
mosphere.
Now the place where these lilies
grow is large piece of very stony
ground, which spreads out below the
mouth of canyon in the mountains.
When the heavy rains come the mud
dy water from the mountains spreads
over this piece of ground. When the
water subsidies thin layer of coil is
left, and after little, nobody knows
how or why, the lily bulbs appear in
this soil. Here they are allowed to
grow for time, and then they are
gathered and sold. Those that are to
be used at once are placed in a vessel
or vase of water, usually upheld in the
dish by little pile of pebbles. Then,
without any nourishment from the
ground, but fed entirely by the water
and the atmosphere, first the long,
green, slender stalks of the plant ap.
pear, and in q short time buds follow,
then there is a mass of beautiful
white and gold lilies, with a very
sweet and penetrating odor, which,
from single bunch of these lilies,
will fill a large apartment with fra
GRANGE. Frequently these lilies grow
to two feet or more, bud and blossom.
all within couple of weeks. The
flowers endure couple of weeks lon
ger and then gradually fade away.
But the bulbs may also be kept a
long time and shipped to great dis.
tance by very simple process. If it
is not desired to obtain the flower at
once, the bulbs, about the size and
something of the shape OF an ordinary
Bermuda onion, are surrounded with
= layer of plastic mud. something like
adobe. a sort of clay. which is pressed
firmly about the bulbs and covers
them completely. This casting of
wax-like clay is permitted to dry in
the sun, and becomes very hard. The
bulb is thus inclosed in an air-tight
coating and lies dormant for long
time. This covering of clay is very
hard, and the lilies, 80 protected, are
shipped to all parts Of China, to
America, and to other countries by
the hundreds of thousands. When it
is desired to grow the flower the cover
ing is broken, little Sits or gashes are
made in the bulb with sharp knife,
so that the shoots or sprouts may the
more easily come into the air. The
bulb is placed in water and it soon
sends forth its long, thread.like roots
downward aud the thin, fiat. delicate
lily leaves upward into the atmos-
phere. These broad leaves feed vora.
ciously upon the air and the roots
rapidly absorb the water. So the
quick growth and bloom Of the plant
are the result.
When the plant is once blossomed
its beauty is gone forever. The stalks
may be cut away and the bulb may be
placed in the ground, where it will
grow after fashion, but it will not
flower as before. Neither will it throw
off shoots, or new bulbs, from which
the lilies may be grown. The mission
of the flower has been fulfilled, and it
dies forever. Not until the rains of
another season send a new supply of
the tiny bulbs, which grow nobody
knows how, in only one spot inr all the
world will the splendid flower again
smile upon those who love it. The
Chinese have made it the sacred flower
of their country, because of this mys.
terious origin and because of its great
beauty and wonderful fragrance. 1t
is symbol of all life in the mystery
OF its birth, coming, as it does, from
some source which the mind Of man
cannot fathom, and disappearing for
ever when it has lived its little, though
beautiful, life. For this reason they
regard this flower with reverence and
love that others do not appreciate
unless they understand the circum-
stances.
Every year, about September, there
is big rainstorm and then the water
from the mountain runs down into the
stony ground of the Cum Ying Fong
farm. Here this flower originated in
a mysterious way, being a present from
1.-THE God to good man. Five hun.