The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-04-12

her approach, but all untitled nature
smiles and adOrnS itself in manifold
hues treasured from Iris last kiss. The
landscape is changed under the Ice
of new aspiration and man is enticed
to go forth and become acquainted
anew with our sisters, the flowers"
as lear old Francis of Assist called
them.
Out with the flowers. as we know
and enjoy them, we think of them by
individual names, for our minds seem
to demand d specializing title for each
thing we encounter, whether it be pic
ture Of song, story or natural object.
When we consider the names Of flow
ers in their historical development, we
are brought face to face with the fact
that Easter really changed the nomen-
clature of our floral world.
Before Christianity swept over
Europe, the plants were named for
the pagan deities. We have to-day a
Renaissance of this emitting in We
nus Fly-trap and Jupiter's Beard.
With the ascendancy of our faith, the
vegetable kingdom had 10 be rechris-
tened, just as the human converts
were.
The Saviour Himself had few PLANTS
named for Him, perhaps from a feel
ing of reverence. We have, however.
Christ's Thorn, which is supposed to
have supplied the material for the
Crown. His mother was much hon
ored. All blossoms with Virgin
prefixed, as Virgins Bower, were
named for her, and hose, too, that
have Maiden" as Maiden's Hair, and
any form of Mary as Marigold.
Each flower that reaches u today
with Lady in it's title was originally
"0ur Lady, as Our Lady's Slipper
and Our Lady's Tresses." In those
early days of Christianity many of the
saints were paid respect in floral terms,
AS we have swerved to secularism, we
have ~supplanted their claims and have
retained only a few, as Saint Johns
Wort. Saint Peters Wreath, Saint
Andrews Cross, Saint Joseph's Lily.
and Veronica.
Our ancestors were as eager for eX.
plantations IS we to-day, and not hav-
ing our advance in science, they inter.
preted peculiaritieS of the flowers to
suit their own ideas. From the inter.
probation of plants on the economic
side grew he great Doctrine of Sigma.
lures that ruled the medical world
down to the seventeenth century. This
doctrine of signatures explained that
The mercy Of God-maketh tt grasse
to grove upon the mountains and the
herbes for the use of man, and hath
not only stamped upon them a distinct
form, but also given them particular
signatures, whereby a man may reaG
even in legible characters the use OF
them" According to this theory
plants bearing red fruit were good fol-
the blood; the barberry, because IF its
yellow bark, was & cure for jaundice,
the trembling grass deferred attacks
of ague; the oxalis, having cordate
leaves, was a preventive of heart dis.
ease; Our Lady's Thistle, with it's nu.
merous prickles, mendCd a stitch in the
side; the .Solomon's Seal, by certain
marks in it's root, indicated that il
would seal up all wounds, and this
root, writes Gerarde, the English sur.
geon Of the sixteenth century, "taketh
away in one night, or two at the most
any bruise, black or blue 81 OTIS, gotten
by falls or W. mems wilIfulness in
stumbling upon their husbands fists"
Our English literature abOunds in al.
lusions to this doctrine of signatures
as when Milton in
Then purged with euphrasy ,-no rue
His visual orbs, for he had much to see."
makes Gabriel clear Adams vision
with the little euphrasic. Or eyebright
which because of a dark, pupil-like
spot en- its ~corolla, was considered 6
cure for weak eyes.
While evolving the doctrine O. sigma
lures on the one hand, our forefather:
developed on the ether q spiritual lore