The Washington herald., 1908-05-31

June Is the month Of flowers. and the
different florist shops in the city at this
time OF the year present beautiful sight
with blooms OF all colors and descrip-
tions banked about, filling the air with
their sweet scent
Flowers. more than possibly any other
handiwork of Providence. have been the
inspiration of poets. Of painters. of mu-
sicians. Of statesmen. and soldiers. Flow
ers have always occupied the front rank
in functions of Joy and sorrow, public
as well as private. They have always
played a significant part in the higher
culture Of civilized peoples. and in some
instances even had bearing in the for
nation Of countries and nations History
records that a few bundles Of parsley
once threw a whole Greek army into a
panic. because in Greece the tombs OF
the dead were strewn with the herb.
With them Ito be in need OF parsley
was equivalent 20 being beyond hope.
According to the myth. it sprang from
the blood Of Archemorus, or Orpheltes,
the son Of Lycurgus, Of Nemaea. Ar
cnemorus was killed by a serpent while
his foster-mother was showing the SOL
diers OF Adrastus where they might find
a fountain. On the place where he died
there sprang up the parsley, which the
Greeks, in grief for his loss. wove into
chaplets for the victors at the Nemaean
games.
Funeral Grafton at Games.
At these games it was always Gus
tomary 70 deliver a funeral oration in
memory Of Archemorus while the par
ucipators We're dressed II, in mourning.
Hence the association Of parsley with
death among the Greeks. Ever to this
day in Devonshire TO transplant parsley
is accounted q serious offense against
the tutelary spirit Of the herb, and is
certain TO be punished within the year
by some great misfortune In South
Hampshire the country people will never
give parsley away for fear OF trouble.
and in Suffolk # is believed that II It be
sown on any other day than Good Fri
day 1t will not grow double
That the rose should also be associated
with death may appear strange, but the
Greeks used this flower in their funeral
rites and for the decoration OF their
tombs. The Romans used II for similar
purposes. and. II is recorded. often left
legacies for the express purpose Of keep
ing their tombs adorned with the flower.
Whether II was by them that the prac-
tice was introduced into England and
from thence 10 other countries is not
capable Of direct proof. but II Is worthy
OF note that IT Leckley a place where
the Romans were often located IN large
numbers. II was a custom Of compara-
lively recent experience for girls 10 plant
roses upon the graves Of their dead
lovers. BY some II has been thought
that the early association Ut tne -2se
with death led 90 the expression under
the rose" applied 20 anything TO be done
in secret or silence. Others. again. have
ascribed the origin Of the expression 10
the perfect beauty Of the flower, which
as language is unable 10 portray IL, Is
a symbol OF silence
Rose the Flower OF Venus.
Sir Thomas Browne. however. says the
origin was either IN the old custom OF
wearing chaplets Of roses during the
''symposiack meetings" or else because
the rose was the flower Of Venus. which
Cupid consecrated unto Harpocrates, the
god Of silence" According 70 the old
fable. the rose was originally white until
dyed by the blood which flowed from
the foot Of Venus. pierced b. a thorn as
she ran 10 the aid OF her lover, Adonis.
According TO others, again, it was the
blood OF Adonis which dyed the flower.
History records that the Romans used
to place a decoration Of roses IN the cen
ter Of their dining-rooms, as Z hint 10
the guests that all that was said at the
banqueting table was in the nature Of
privileged communications and in old
Germany a similar custom long pre-
vailed In the sixteenth century a rose
was placed over cOnfessiouals. There
was also an obvious meaning in the
adoption by the Jacobites Of this flower
as the emblem OF the pretender. 10 whose
service they were secretly sworn II was
the white rose which was especially af-
fected by the Stuarts. and the pretender's s
birthday, the 10th of June. was for long
known as the White Rose Day" much
as Primrose Day Is now definitely as
ISOLATED with the late Lord Beaconsfeld.
In the East there is even more Of poetic
significance attached 10 the rose than
with us. It is related Of Sadi. the Per
sian poet, that. when a slave, he earned