| Show 4 oe t oo t to o t 4 LEGEND OF THE EASTER LILY 66 6 has haa been more hone hon honored No ored In song or story torr than the Imperial JU Wy Its purity aced aad its III stately tel bearing have caused It to tobe tobe be chosen as t the symbol ot of divinity and lb the beige at t Although In this country w we under T T T I th the I lily I has been It honored n and d dhe he held a sacred cred flower whether b by th the banks bank ot of I II I the stored Nile NUe or Ganges where U a Utile athe tile the lola It received honors honora little short Ibort of C those accorded to deity or In heathen where whre It WI was consecrated to Juno the spotless poll yet rt imperious queen quen ot of Olympus or lter la In coun countries trill tries wh where Ute the flower was dedicated to the Virgin Mary rT No great ret artist when he tainted the holy Mother ever er forgot to place rear Mar her tb the flower that 11 was tie symbol of her heavenly henl rank It Is II also In art rt the symbol ot of saints mr mar martyre till tyre and nd angels Tile The Easter III lily I is a native of the taiL Sail Those now cultivated In and nd popularly known a the Bermuda lily were wre originally imported there ther tram from Japan for Cor commercial purposes The Th lily played an important fart In Chinese yeas re ao age It hap that the tha flowery was ruled b by tb the Emperor Chow a monarch universally feared and hated No on one could depend on hi his favor and nd at t last lut his bal beet friend the prime minister LI LIChun Chun Chung began beran to tremble for hi his lit Knowing well the bloodthirsty nature ot of the emperor Lt Ll Chung a clever scheme to escape from III his power One d day when llen lIe he fancied that the emperor w was In a favorable mood he be broached the plan It w was that ot of the strongest young men and nd of the most moat beautiful maidens should hould be sent with him on board borel ship to an n I land island In Inthe the It sea which he said Id had been II revealed to him In a dream drem b by the gods 1041 There Ther for tor the welfare of at China and It Its conill condl tion could not net have hav been much worse OrM these theM people were to be sacrificed to the deities for the benefit of their native country The ship In which II Id Chung Chun and his hundred young youn men and nd maidens ailed lied was the vt very finest that China afforded The larder w was filled with dainties aced every provision w was made that tbt the Ie limA timA should be kept tn In first cl class son On dIU on until the time for tur the sacrifice The tint lint musicians In the king Idar kingdom dom were wre loaned for tor the voyage ora tv to chum tb the era ears of at the passengers A with sweet M sounds lOuDd When they ther were wara tat has from China hew ever eer II Id Chung took tM the passenger into bl his confidence 11 lie had not Intended to tokUl kilt kUl them at t all 11 Instead th they were going to the most moat beautiful Island In till the world when wh they would settle and where they would live hap Ily ever ver an aft after er r tar far from the power ot of the wicked Chow This Island was wa Japan and aDd he lice they th did sett nut But tit they had brought With them great ret ot of lily 1111 bulbs as food tood Nobody hid been able abl to eat t much on and quantities ot of the there bulbs were wre lilt lift They w were planted and lu in the balmy climate ot of the flowery klUr kingdom om they ther attained 1 a beauty unknown In China Chin Years later some IOme Europeans discover lag the beauty ot of this flower Imported It Into Inlo their own countries and called It the But Amr Ic Ian named 1111 Harris w woe practically the fist to the flower and mk make It popular In two continents It I is now call called ed the Lallum harrisS l OX |
