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Show WEKS AS 'EjLBiiEJLS. A rorm or Hornldry Whono Myn-torlon Myn-torlon Aro Pitat lJ'ImUrjtf Out tjir, tllilnrlil nn.l ltoiiinnlle',Itrear'llnit llio t nrli.ua I It.rnl IIiiiIrpa TtiM of In Aiirlrnt untl AI.Hlrru Mytlla. Traittllt.iin nut! Ihvorloa. ' "AgeollaJlnbol,,, It Mas tho optnton of Hnerson, "In tho best nrKumont, nnd It n mlaslenury to (icrsimilo Ihouautitla, Then) la no mora uolcomo gift lo men than a now symbol." Tlila, siys tho I)nilon Htontlanl, may possibly account tor tho rise, popular-It popular-It and perslttcnio of llornl aymuols. Vol It aeoma din'cult to oxplnln why Wale itliouM limochnnen tho leek for Us eoanbniicc, though tho t'imrid poets Into a good denl to aay nbout the broom. The Rootllitli thlatlo Is moro to tho point. Yet llio hoi thorn botanists nro by no rnciinn nt ono In naaliiiihtft that heraldic plant to any hiiown aiectcs, or even In nsrecliu: that ft la n t'nrduua nt nil Tlio plant with tvhkl Holy rood Ittlccliotl on feslli o days Is usnnl ly Iho cotton thistlo, Mblch Is certnlnly not n Mild plant lu North llr tnln The roo ln of course a romantlo talo to explain Ui iholco ns llio emblem ot old I'.ngliind thoiiRli, lllio tho majority of such tales, tlilt iCRontl may belong to tho myths of the I piwf fine, iiii;frrlio order. Tho Hour doln I of Francois still less cny of oxplanallon 1 For, though It it rout entlonnlly regarded ni iillly, tho heraldic imlntors batosoefrcUu ally illsitiilsed It Unit tt Is now n mpip ninltor of cholco to say what It Is As o irlj ns tho ) oar 1011 Ulvlllln fwho was In llioac tluys considered a cunning Under out of liiddeii things) rcgardidtho tlevlco on tho Ilnurbon Hag ns "tlireo toads," nnd it It nlllrmcd that It was In allusion to tlieaa sup posed si nibots of their country that llio impular nieltiiamo of "Joan Crapauds" was lcsloviid on tho French people Btlll moro recently, owing lo certain ornaments ro BCniblini; beca having been found lu tha tomb of Childcric, father of Clovlt, It hat been thought that perhaps theso Insects, nnd not lilies or loads, aro represented on tho whlto flag. It would certainly bo dlfllcult for any one lo explain wliyFlorcneo adopted lho"glello bianco," Prussia tho lime, Baxony Iho mlg uonetlo,or Ireland tha shamrock, unlets, indeed, wo nro to accept without (mention tho legend ofHt. 1'atricknnd bis demonatni Hon through It of tho niintoryof tlio Trin liy. Nor Is It much easier for nny oua Mho Is critical ancnt popular mi tha to account for tho whlto Illy being tho hidgoof tho UtilbotUtics, nud tho red of the (luclplis.nny more than it Is explicable why the Yorklnl took tlio whlto roso and tho Lancastrian . tho red, or why Iho hcartaousowns tho en blem of tho " lolct-crownod" cllj of Athena Again, why wis Apollo supposed to love tho laurel and tho cornel ihcrrr, l'luto thn cypress and tho maiden hnlr-n uiulsiuro-lotlng uiulsiuro-lotlng fern, which wo may tako fur grunt cd could not ho vorj plentiful inJils chnson realm Luna Iho dittant, Ceres tl,o tin (Toll (To-ll il, Jupiter tho ouk, Minerva the olivi, Uaechus tho vino, and Yuius tho myrtle shade! Why, again, is tho Canlorbury ball tho Sewer of tit. Augusllao) Why Is tho cro-Vj cro-Vj tho emblem of tit. Valonluo unit as ll inpiwus to nppcur about h.s festlt al time, Oiociirdunilnoof tho Virgin Mnrv, or tho St. John's wort ot Iho helot ed npostlol Mr amino may, perhapt, hint nt tlieso flowers vintr been "totems," and uosslblv tb n. wnro weioiu.iua..y jnvuiaen . n k whoso cognlanco tlicy beoamo after thin death or wcro bomo on their e I Is u liornhllo emblems during life Hut run Iho endless floral badges ot tho higblnm cluus nro loft lu tho regions of airy mjih Ilk" tho betony which was npimrtlonpil lu tU IVi-nul us u s) inbol of tho doublo shari of grace with width bo was cndowoit, or Iho lliy of til. Thomas ATlcckett, or tho eonvitllarla, which, according In n ImuioUi Irvil ,nilli. anMint. .in fr..,. .liil.1.uul nln . v. ...,, ..., .., n ,' ..v... iiiuuivuvitLa ilmgon which BU Leonard slew inn wood rtaudlng on tho slto now occupied by tho suburb of Uastings bearing bis immo It It scarcoly loss puzzling to glto a roa eoiiablo explanation of why certain Iluners nro assigned to, or hnva boon appropriated by, cortatu imlU Idunls, Tho Napolsonlo violet Is n case In point. Thn inodist plant whlili oi.co mndo all l'aris fragrant on tha lloiiaparllst fcto da M-as not or nn object of concern to tho "Lit Ho Corporal," and only very cicdulous ioo-plo ioo-plo now swallow tho romantic legend of his telling Ills adherents, when bauithod to lllba, that ha would "como btclc i.ltli tho tlolets" Tho story tvas an Intention ot after tlmos. Nor has nny ono to our knowlcdgo gono Into lha origin of tho scarlet carnation aa thochoson flow or ot tho Btunrts. Jacob Itlsm llio Jucoblllsm ot llio Pretender und . ot tho gallant gentlemen Mho mounted tlio ulilto lockudo and loat tlioir heails for their pallia Is now a vanished fultli Yet to this day injstcrlous lianda j early doKlt wreaths of curnuttons on tho tombs of Cardinal York nud other members of tho hapless lino of James II, Later tloral emblems are less diflleult to explain In truth, oxcept for Hio problem wfih.li Individual tastes must always ro- i main, thoro Is no great puzzlo In tho mat-tar. mat-tar. The old Kulscr Wllhelm, of (lormanv, who in splto of his mllltiuy reputation and generul drill scrgcanlry, was wuudor tully suffused with tho Teutonic fcinil mentality which pcrvadid Uormany In bli ! boiliood, was fond of tho corn flower, and wheruterbu went, hi hit later dujmu le.nl, the wholo country sldo blossomotl foitliln i I1I1411 In his honor. Tho old Emperor's do 1 votion to tha memory of his mothei ninounlcd to a "cult," und onoot bis earliest lecollcillonaof her was that when slio and her IrayaMorofuKititcs from Uorlln 011 iho 1 uooualuii of ono of Naiiolcon's iuv aslons, slio rostctl for a moment by a corn tlild, nnd amused them by plucking iho blue torn- ' How ors and making them wreaths and nosegays nose-gays Tlio proscnt Kaiser Is said to afreet tha ' violet, a fancy w tilt.li may clash with that ol Iho lluuapirtlsts, should tho udlicrenUo) ' tho "democratic empire" again conic, to the front In Franco. A flower Mas, of course, moosmiry to tbo llouluugltts, and, with ctiamitorlatle Instinct for cffict, tho par lUdiiB of tho "national and honest re public" liavo chosen tho carnation. Nov or thetots, the origin of tliu s.v mbol does not mutter, oxiept from n historical point of Vlow Tho mysteries of lids form of heraldry aro gent rally beyond finding out, nnd nut infrequently nro bettor leftuuex pkued, If tho rosultof antiquarian tonreh m ua depressing as that which afllrms that tho word shamrock Is derived from tha Arabia shamrookh, a club or shillelah, and 1 that this weapon Is, In truth, tha truo badge ol tho Hibernian race. . . |
