Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-15
WEARING OF THE LEX.
Vegetable Worshipers Among the
Egyptians.


From the London Globe.
The leek occurs among the hierOglyphics
of Egypt, and Is sometimes represented
on the head of the god Osiris. This latte,
fact is significant in relation to the wear
ing of the leek in their caps by the
Welsh. A possible connection is sug-
gested. May not this curious custom OF
sporting the leek on ST. David's day
March I. have had it's origin far away in
the dim distance Of early Egyptian his
tory? The leek was among the many OBJ
jectS worshiped by that strange and in
teresting people dwelling by the waters
of the Nile. His leek-gOd smiles or
him. says Carlyle. in allusion to one OF
those vegetable worshipers.
L.eek worship does not appear to have
passed on into the religious systems OF
Greece and Rome, as did so many other
fragments Of the strange theology of the
Egyptians. Yet the leek had it's part In
the funeral rites of the Greek Adonis
LeekS and onions in pots, along with 9TH
er vegetables, were exhibited as part OF
the ceremony. They were also put in the
sacred chests of the mysteries of Ceres
as well as Of the Egyptian Isis. Again
the Druids are said to have used the leek
as a symbol in the worship of their Ce-
res. known as Ceudven. If they did so
whence did they borrow the custom
From what more ancient phase of human
thought did it come down to them? Pos
Greeks So little. however. is known OF
those mysterious priests and mistletoe
| worshipers of ancient Britain that this is
| only a surmise. and will probably re-
main so.
A more immediate origin of the custom
traces back the wearing of the leek tc
| the time of that ancient British chief
Cadwallader. Southey alludes to the in
cident in his inscription for the Vale OF
Ewias." which is to commemorate 1.-The
yNr1o - Ma, nd f1n
thority of the author of the CLAWS Cal
endaria,' st. David caused the Britons
under Cadwa1lader to wear leeks in their
caps when about to engage the SaXons
The leek helped them to victory, and sc
became the emblem of Wales. And on a
more recent occasion, If we may trus,
Shakespeare for our history, the same
honest vegetable aided an English king
against his enemies. King Henry is
reminded by the Welshman Fluellen of the
part played by the leek in the battle OF
Crecy. IF your majesties is remembered
Of it," he says, 1.-The Welshmen did goot
service in the garden where leeks die
grow. wearing leeks in their Monmouth
caps And the king himself took nc
scorn to wear the leek. as he says tt
Fluellen. II wear it for a memorable
honor" And it is related in the ole
| chronicles that William III and his cour
tiers. on st. David's day, 1899, wore leek:
according to custom.
Inc Egyptians not only WOrSnlpeO tns
| leek. but ate it; their gardeners must hav,
set their leeks for the pot we'll as t.
pray to. And Pliny. that diligent col
lector of fact and fable. tells of an in
scription on the great pyramid recording
that the value of the leeks, onions ant
garlic consumed by the builders amounted
to nearly half a million sterling. AND
among the good things sighed after by the
| Israelites in the wilderness were the
"leeks and onions and garlic" of the lane
they had left. The Emperor Nero, again
set the fashion of leek eating among the
Romans. He used to partake of them OF
several days in each month for the sake
of clearing his voice. He found, or imag
ined. in the leek some virtue not recog
nized by the faculty today And SO tn,
emperor was surnamed in derision Por
rophagus, the leek eater. Thus thu
! Egyptians combined leek worship will
leek eating. and so also the Welsh es
TEEN their national emblem and badge o
their saint welcome addition to their ia
BILE. Cock-a-leekie, again, in which thu
leek plays an important part, is one o
Scotland's national dishes, and one which
Burns might have hailed as Great chief
| tain of the race of SOupS."