The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-09-20
ANTI QulTY 81 i II RosE:
3.ThcE F1ovvcrS Goes Bncl beyond the
93.al Most Ancient Ikeco RIG. ~

Most Ancient Records.
The royal rose has y pedigree to
shame any other queen. It Isl 50 long.
so full of enchanting turns and twists
and so delightfully."- numbered With
| myth. fable and history. She is il q
way q paradox. since. although by ap-
pearance and perfume the most trop-
ical of blossoms, she is yet by nativity
q flower Of north temperate ATTITUDES.
Her habitat Is bounded north ana
south, roughly speaking, b. the TWEEN
tieth and the SEVENTEEN parallels. She
grows wild all over Europe, IN Africa
as low as Ably sinia. i'll Asia to and
through Incia and in North America to
the edge of Mexico.
Most wild roses are single, set Pliny
mentions doable ones, among them the
hundred leaf. and Herodotus says.
Ma cedonia has gardens of Midas, with
roses of sixty petals breathing our
delightful perfume" Whoever has
read Roman history must recnll tho
roses of Paestum. which doomed
twice q year. Notwithstanding this
Rome's favorite rose was the Hundred
Leaf. It followed the eagles and the
legions wherever they wcot and grows
today over three parts Of the Roman
w II.
occupation.
Etymologically rose" is from, tie
Celtic rhodd or rhudd, red also the
root of rudy" The Greek name.
rhodon has the same meaning. So
have most rose names in amy language.
Bota nically the flower gives name to
the great natural order rosa ceae. -Arti-
ticially it is claSseI under polygoniae,
the many nnEled. The wild forms
have always hcshy, urn or pitcher
shaped calyXeS. twenty or more sta
mems. five petals and five sepals. The
SepalS show q bit of natures most
cunning work. Two of them are beard
ed at both edges, two without boards
and the fifth bearded at one edge and
straight along the other. Thus they
inclose the bud with Il bearded over
lap along every seam. good to repel
moisture and to put to rcUt every In
trusive creeping thing.
Rose cultures beginning goes back
beyond records. The flower IS men
toned in the earliest Coptlc manu-
scripts. Indias traditions take the
rose to the times of the gods on earth
Egypt had roses, wild and tame. before
the Roman occupation made 1t in
way Rome'S commercial rose saFt.e1l.
Yet, curiouSly enough, there IS 10 rel
erence to the flower in painting, sculI)-
ture or hieroglyphics. Japan in Our
time parallels Egypt. Roses flourish
there, but do not serve as Il motif for
artists. There is this further i.Eeaes.;
neither Egypt nor Japnn has Il rose
song or 4 love song proper, SO 1t may
well be that madam the rose is nyc:.ss- ,
ed for the slight.
The Jews, returning from the Baby !
lonish captivity. took with tleli a |
of roses. Sc1ni:aIlis. with |.
tue world ct her feet, found her chief |
JOY in Il bower of roses. A1ola nulel |
turned back from Damascus atter |
viewing it cncircled with rose GG rJens. |
1T is too delightful. \ man ca! have !
out one PARADISE said the prophet.
Damascus lies in the heart Of Syria.
whose name some geogr:iphcrs derive
rom seri, meaning 4 wild rose. ard
Wild roses are abundant there. Tie
lamasl roses OF our gardens go back
o Damascus. They were brought
ron, it at the time of the cr;Is;Itles,
although exactly when or by whom
lobody can certainly say.-Mhrtha Nc
Williams in Success.