Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1913-03-21
3C9EEIT

bunch of violets worn by a Frenchman, or seen
in his home, was a secret message that he was
loyal to the eXiled chieftain's cause.
Ion was the name bestowed upon the violet by
the imaginative Greek who loved to people the
petals of every blossom and the ripples of every
ril with fair creations OF their fancy. According
to mythology the name was derived from la. the
daughter of Midas and the betrothed of Atys. The
story runs that Diana, desiring to conceal the
maid from Apollo, transformed her into a violet.
Another myth about the birth of the flower says
that Jupiter caused the first violets to spring
from the earth as food for the prosecuted Ia
while she was hiding in the form of a white
heifer from the fury of Juno.
The verse makers have a special fondness for
the tiny flower, and love to translate the message
it is trying to tell to the rest of creation.
1t is a singular fact that some flowers suggest
pensiveness and even melancholy, while in form,
color and bearing others speak only Of ~gladness.
While the personality of the flower may be some
what responsible for it's effect on the human
moods, more, perhaps, is due to the strain of
poets moods. Most of the Easter flowers seem
to be message bearers of joy and hope, lifting
their faces to the blue skies in happy worship
rather than in sadness. 1t seems to be natural
for poets to give names and human attributes
to plants, but the beauty loving Greeks went
farther along the path of fancy. They invented
human originals for their favorite flowers. and
made beautiful legends to account for the trans
formation. The lovely narcissus, according to
their lore, was once a handsome young god who
became so lost in admiration of his own shadow
that he cruelty sighted the affections of the fair
Echo. AS a punishment for this crime he was
changed into a narcissus, the flower of self love.
Shakespeare alludes to another romantic
legend in his winter Tale" The narcissus was
said to have been the flower that the daughter
of Ceres was gathering when she was carried
off by Pluto of internal region fame. The night
goddesses also chose it for their ancient coronet,
and it was a highly important factor in the GUS
toms of Greek life. The Chinese, too. have a
great fancy for this flower. They use it in many
of their sacred ceremonies, and every family in
the Mikados realm takes great pride in having a
plant in full bloom at the New Year.
Love and jealousy played leading parts in the
story of the birth of the hyacinth, another Orien-
tai favorite. There was a youth. Hyacinthus by
name, who was much beloved by Apollo and
Zephyr. He preferred the warm. steady affection
of the sun to the ftful love of the wind. This
made the passionate Zephyr wildly Jealous and
caused the plotting of a terrible revenge. While
Apollo and Hyacinthus were playing quoits, which
was a ~favorite game with the gods. Zephvr saw
his awaited opportunity. He made his rival the
slayer of Hyacinthus by blowing the gods quot
toward the head of the youth. But while the
dying boy was held in the arms of Apollo he was
transformed into the fair, fragrant hyacinth The
flower has always meant game or pIay because
of this tale.