STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 127 



a Roman symbol of marriage. This may indinato the simplicity of 

 bridal uostuines in that age. 



For the fair, blooming hawthorn, Chancer sings: 



"It changeth its robes but twice; is never seen 

 In other colors than in white or green." 



Floral myths are not confined to ancient mythology. The For- 

 get-Me-Xot is associated with a (jnaint German legend. Long ago 

 tiiis tiny blue fiower bloomed on the banks of the Danube. Ro- 

 dolph. a youthful bridegroom, sought to i)luck it to twine in his 

 bride's sunny hair. But the jealous waves crept over the bank and 

 stole the flower away. He plunged in to rescue it. The angry stream 

 prevented him from regaining the shore. S(;arcely had he flung the 

 floweret at her feet and said, " Forget me not," when the dark wat- 

 ers closed over him. And so, to this day, maidens as they cull these 

 flowers, call them " Forget-Me-Not." 



Beautiful and significant is the symbolism of flowers, ascribing 

 to them sentiments and language, and personifying their qualities. 

 They represent every virtue, and express almost every kind and de- 

 gree of feeling or emotion. The snowdrop in early spring, white as 

 the snow surrounding it, speaks of hope. The pri/urose, firstling of 

 the year, is a type of youth. The golden buttercup, the children's 

 dower, signifies riches. The lily, blooming in snowy whiteness in 

 .secluded vales, denotes purity. The passion flowers, mysterious em- 

 blem of the Crucifixion, is a syml)ol of faith. The wall-flower, 

 mantling ruins with bloom, represents fidelity. The twining, cling- 

 ing ivy, friendship; and the amaranth, retaining its brilliant colors 

 after death, immortality. The rose, queen of flowers, with its glttri- 

 ous beauty and enduring fragrance, represents love, joy, prosperity ; 

 among the ancients, suspended at their feasts, it was a token of 

 .secrecy. Anacreon styled it the "flower of love." Solomon sang 

 the praises of the '' Rose of Sharon." In the middle ages chaplets oi 

 roses were worn on festive occasions. Its short life and fragrance 

 after death have furnished many beautiful moral and instructive les- 

 sons. Its branches, thickly beset with thorns, denote how closely 

 joys and sorrows are intermingled. Next to the queenly rose, the 

 flower most often mentioned is the " wee, modest, crimson-tipped 

 daisy," denoting innocence. The iris, named from the rainbow on 

 account of its brilliant and varied colors, was the J/cifr dc lis^ the 

 royal emljlem of Franct^ and a favorite device of heraldry and of 

 armorial bearings in the days of chivalry. The national emblem of 

 England is the rose; that of Scotland, the thistle; and that of Ire- 

 land, the shamrock, or white clover, which, true to Irish character- 

 istics, even under most adverse-circumstances, signifies light-hcarted- 

 ness. The verbena, symbol of enchantment, was held sacred by the 

 Oreeks and Druids, and usml in decorating their altars and celebrat- 

 ing their mystic rites. 



