Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1909-04-07
SOME ANCIENT CUSTOMS.
Religious Celebrations That Are Cor.
geous and Costly.

Religious Celebrations That Are Cor.
geous and Costly.
The beautiful. flower which Is now
In evidence on every hand, the Easter
lily, is the result Of a development
which might almost be called an evolu-
ton. Records Of the existence Of the
plant which is now known as the
Easter lily go back to 1000 B. G. At
that time the emperor Of China was
Chow, about the most cruel ruler the
Celestial empire has ever had. His
prime minister was Ii Chung, a really
good man, who limited to the despot
that his restless people could be paci
fed by inaugurating a series of re-
forms. The cruel ruler became in
censed, and, as he had an unpleasant
habit of ordering off u few heads each
day, Ii Chung concluded that it was
about time for him to thnh of getting
away to place of safety For some
| time he watched his master, aud when
he became convinced that the danger
point had been reached he asked for
private audience. This was granted.
The good though crafty LII Chung ill.,
formed the emperor that he mad had q
vision IN which he was commanded by
the gods to make sacrifice of 100
sturdy young men and $50 beautiful
young women. But-and here was the
unusual portion of the demand Of the
gods-it was required that the sacrifices
be made upon an island far out In the
sea, to which the commander Of the
expedition would be directed by super
natural aid. 1t was further command
ed that period Of elaborate feasting
should precede the sacrifices
The superstitious emperor listened
carefully and was manifestly pleased.
He was relieved to find that he could
so easily extricate himself from his
difficulties. The willy Ii Chung doubt
less noticed that his story was making
an impression and elaborated upon his
original fiction accordingly. At any
rate, Ii Chung, as he had anticipated, |
was appointed to the command Of the |
finest ship In the royal navy and was
charged with the important duty of
seeing that the wishes of the gods
were carried out to the letter.
Chung selected the young men and
women and loaded his vessel with the
choicest dellcacies the kingdom afford
ed. Among them were the lilies, which
were highly esteemed as an article of
food.
OF course Chung's ship never came
back. Instead but two sailors months
afterward returned in craft which
they had themselves built. They relat.
ed that the ship has been lost In a
storm and that all but themselves had
persisted. This was fiction Ii Chung
knew of the existence of the islands TO
which he had alluded and 1t was there
that he had sailed after informing the
young men and women that they were
not to be sacrificed. but were to live
peaceably under his rule In new land
where oppression should be unknown
The islands which Ii Chung thus set
lied now comprise the empire Of ia.
pan.
Owing to the difference in the nature
Of the soil and the fact that the lily
was not cultivated as in China, the
plant soon lost much of its root and {
gained correspondingly above ground. |
IN time 1t lost its value as an article ,
II diet, but 1t gained in beauty and !
vas admlringly spoken Of by travellers
n Japan. Still 1t was not transplanted :
o the western hemisphere until 1873
when an American named Harris in
reduced 1t into Bermuda. which ac-
cunts for its scientific name of Lii.
um harrisii, which It still retains. ]
hough 1t is more generally known as
he trumpet lily, Bermuda lily and o
,aster lily because Of its extensive use r
t the Easter season. (,