Mower County transcript., 1908-12-16

at Christmas, since both plants are
exceedingly rare here. But In England
the use of theivy at least is universal,
and the references to It III Christmas
song and story alone would fill q small 4
volume. ~:
Besides its claim to appropriate-
ness for the Christmas season which
it holds in common with other ever
green's, it has two especially strong
recommendations of its own. On ac-
count OF its habit Of clinging strongly
to its supporting tree or wall, it is
q popular symbol Of friendship and
fidelity, and as such, an excellent deco !
ration for the season Of good will and
universal Brotherhood. And 1t was,
In Roman days. sacred to Bacchus.
who, when = baby, was hidden by his
aunt, Ino, among Its leaves, to save
him from Juno's destructive wrath.
Prynne says: ". <zl
At Christnas men do always Ivy ret,
And in each corner Of the house It set;
But Why do they then use that Bacchus
weed? yss Id ..,{Zts. s.
Because they ,ne.n then Bacchus-liks. =
: feed. sr#9&. Il:
This satirical explanation was but
too true in the earlier days. when
Christmas lasted for weeks, and was
given over to revelry almost wholly
heather In character. z., ! %ss 3s.4
To-day, In America, the Christmas
decorations almost exclusively are Of
holly, which, for all its popularity, IL
less consecrated by legend than any
other holiday grseaery. TO be sure
we make sparing use of the mistle-
toe, which, from. the ancient SDruidical
meaning of purity given to its wax,
white berries, and from its use by
them in the marriage rite, has come
to give charter for kissing as ''broad
as the wind. And we have added the
bitter-sweet, which has no traditional
signifcation whatever, is not an
evergreen, and is to be tolerated
merely for its beauty's sake, and for
the slight suggestion it gives Of the.
holly berry. ..>t T !. Z
% Our American holly is. said % be
less beautiful than the European
plant. having leaves of a duller green.
But, making all allowances for pos.
sible disadvantages, 1t still is a re-
markably beautiful WVe. And as a
symbol Of the immortality whichsit Is
the seasons special mission to teach,
it surely has no rival. The leaves re-
main On the branches for three years.
losing their hold only when they are
pushed OF 1t last BY the growing buds
Of spring. ...i =.}zs 81
Throughout England, SO little is its
supremacy disputed, that it is popular
! " known as Christmas, - just. as the
hawthorn is4 called The May. .s:.ss
It's name has been matter Of. con-
siderable interest. Thebphrastus and
other Greek authors named the plant
Agria; that is, wild, or Of the fields.
The Romans formed from this the
word Agrtfol1um and called it also
Aquifolium, from actum, sharp, and
folium, q leaf. Bauhin and Loureiro
first named it lex, from the resemb-
lance Of its leaves to those OF the
Quercus Hex, species Of oak which
was the true Hex Of Virgil. Linnaeus
adopted the name Hex for the genus,
and preserved the name Aquifoli lium
for the most anciently known species.
Our popular name, holly, probably
IS q corruption Of the word holy, as
Turner In his herbal calls 1t holy, and
holy tree. The thorny foliage and
the berries like drops Of bright blood,
could scarcely fail to remind q Chris
tian Of the crown OF thorns, and this,
together with the universal use Of the
plant in the churches at Christmas
easily would account for the name.
! Ia Germany it is known as Christ
dorm. The Danish name is Christ torn
and the Swedish Christie The
same name, Christi thorn, is found ii
some parts tof ngland But as no
legend connects the holly with the
crown Of thorns, this name, universal
among thesG Germanic peoples, must Be
merely the result of Its appearance
B and sof It's ristmas popularity, as
before suggested.