Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-11
The HQSkin Letter '' . : asssz
WANTED-A NATIONAL FLOWER

The dove, it vas pointed out, Is a de-
sirable symbol for any country, sug-
costing as it does peace and mildness.
Moreover, the columbine grows wild
over the greater part of the coun-
try, and blooms in adverse circum-
stances. 1t grows in a variety OF
colors, among them red, white and
blue.
Back in 1896, when interest in this
matter was widespread, a columbine
society worked ~untiringly to have its
favorite flower adopted by the nation.
The governor of North Carolina called
a national flower convention to which
representatives from every state came.
| They drew up resolutions setting forth
the qualifications for a national flower.
| After that they concluded that the
columbine was the only flower among
those proposed that measured up to
the standard.
What a National Flower Should Be
The columbine is practically forgot
ten as a candidate for the honor now,
but the standards are still interest
ing. 1t was decided that the national
flower should be a native of this
| country; it should be a flower not al
ready claimed by some other country;
it should bloom on at least II ma
| LlOudl HVAiudy anu C4Ih ANpCA ANoNAS
to floral decoration; il should not be a
weed or harmful to health; it should
be suitable for decorative design
that is it should be capable of recog-
/ milton independent of color if used in
a conventional way-and 1t should
/ possess, if possible, some patriotic as
ISOLATION.
The Mayflower has since had quite
a. following, particularly in the east.
This was the first flower that greeted
the Pilgrims after their hard winter in
Plymouth. Unfortunately, however, it
is a blossom of our eastern coast, and
is scarcely known to other sections of
the country. 1t cannot be trans
planted successfully nor cultivated, and
It blooms for only a short time, IN
ApriI. 1t would be national. there
fore. only by historic association.
Goldenrod, which has many sup
porters, also arouses opposition. Ii
was suggested because of the a%ssocia-
ton with gold, America being the
traditional land of gold. But golden
rod has a bad reputation as a hay
fever agent, and it would probably
make a great many people miserable II
it were to be widely used as the ma
tional flower.
The pansy seems a strange flower
to be proposed for our national en-
blem. Yet in 1892 two bills were in
troduced to that effect. One of these
bills is a curiosity. 1t suggests tha'
the flag of the United States be made
more symbolic, and this is to bt
achieved by revising the blue fiele
with it's rows of stars. The bill pro.
posed that this blue field shall hole
the outline of a white pansy with {
true pansy center which shall repre-
sent the capital, or central govern
ment; that the white stars. represent
ing the states, shall be set inside tn
white outline of the pansy IN a man
ner TO produce the general effect a
a distance of a white pansy IN a blu'
sky Needless to say. the pans!
flag never got any encouragement
from congress.
The rose has many supporters be
cause il is popular and decorative ant
worthy of the interest which a ma
tional flower would inspire. Untor
~tunately, it is already the flower o
England. The sunflower, cornfloweI
and tobacco flower have been put VI
Mt different times. and killed off by
few we'll placed shots from cold rea
son. The daisy is now being Opposed
on the grounds thSsTit is a nulsanc'
to farmers. 1t was also pointed gu
long ago that the daisy is an I'm
ported plant, a member of the chrys
anthemum family, and the c~hrysanthe
/ mum is Japan's property.
So it goes. Deciding upon a ma
tional flower by legislation seems i'm
possible. The old spontaneous way o
. acquiring one is undoubtedly the mos
! natural, and perhaps it is not to-
!, late for America to follow the rule
even now. The country only await
) a gallant leader who will select som
flower and make it an object of sentl
ment for all the people.