The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-04-24
BILL ARP GROWS POLITICAL,

would say ho was in love-"
----s-za-.- -S-.-Sx.----
BILL ARP GROWS POLITICAL.
Hc Writes About the Flowers
of Spring and the Birds that
sing.
Atlanta Constitution,
1t is not quite time to INDULGE in
spring poetry. l trod it some Years
ago anu strained my mind and shall
not try it again. Ono poem is enough
10 make man famous and l have
never seen mine improved upon:
The bull frog bellors in tho ditchcs
mos shuf1led off his winter britchos.
The hawk for infant chickens
WatChcth
ana lore you know 1t ono he cotchcth,
Iho Lizard Is sunnin' himself on a
rail,
Tho lamb is shaking his now born tail,
AlhS cotton has unfurlcd his banner
anu sconts tho air with sweet guam
The darky is plowing his Stubborn
And 9 Jerks k tho limo with "G.o, you
Adown tho crock and round tho ponds
Are gentlemen and vagabonds.
And all our little dirty sinners
Arc digging bait and catching min.
nors.
That Is classic and expressive. 1t
rhymes we'll and measures well and ia
considered the champion spring poem.
But Will venture to make a few re-
marks about flowers, for as Solomon
saith, "The winter is past; the rain il
over and gone. The flowers appear on
tho earth, the time for the singino Of
birds Is come and the voice of the turtle
dove Is heard in the land" 1t is an
Old story that when God made man
and gave him hearing and seeing and
taste and smelling, lie created birds
TO sing Tor him and please his cars and
grass TO grow and herbs and trees TO
bear him fruit, but Adam wasn't ycry
happy and said these are all very good.
but they cannot love me nor talk TO mo
nor comfort me when l am sick and
sad. am here alone and not even
your angels visit me. And 30 God tool,
pity on him and created woman and
then he was happy.
But woman didn't care to be DIGGING
and hoeing and planting and looilnS
after the sheep and the COWS. and so
the Lord created flowers especially for
her enjoyment. lie also taught her to
sing and make music Oh the harp, and
hence came the old tradition that wo-
man and music and flowers were Gods
Dcst gifts TO man. You see that nelth
er MOWERS nor music is mentioned in
the Mosaic account Of the creation and
tradition says that they were not made
until woman was. 1t is singular that
III some OF the ancient languages the
same word that means woman moans
flowers too.
Among The ancient Greeks, Romans.
Ierslans and Egyptians there was great
reverence for and even idolatry of
flowers. Tho lotus or sacred ljlv was
wosshipcd as a god in Egypt. In Japan
the chrysanthemum is equally sacred
ana nearly all OF their female children
arc named for some flower. In all
countries every temple eervice, every
1csIlVal OF banquet or sacred day-
every Dlrtn or marriage or death or
funeral ceremony calls for profusion
or flowers. When soldiers went out
TO light and when they returned they
were crowned with wreaths and oar.
lands; strangers were given flowers
when they came to see you. Every
Hover had its meaning and its scnti.
mcnt, as Tor lnstaHce Il red rose meant
VI love you;" white rose "I will
marry YOU" The Chinese make the
most lavish use Of flowers and have a
Chinese alphabet of flowers. No
modern nation has such love and taste
Tor them nor such beautiful gardens
and Japan comes next. China IS called
the Flowery Kingdom.
Almost all of the civilized nations
have national flower. Egypt, Turkey
and India have the lotus. Japan the
chrysanthemum. Spain the pomegra-
nate. France the iris or heur dc lis of
Louis VII. Napoleon tried to abolish
it and put the honey bee instead, but
the people rebelled and it is still the
iris. Scotland has the thistle, Ireland
the shamrock, Wales the leek, Mexico
the cactus, Germany the corn flower,
England the rose, and the United
States none at all, In 1880 we tried
to make it the golden rod, but failed.
The North voted for the trailing arbu-
tus and the rose and some green house