SUMMER MEETING, 1894. 229 



"There is no plant or flower in the whole vegetable king-dom that 

 commands or that receives so much attention from florists as the 

 rose. Immortalized from the most ancient times, its fame has been 

 sung by poets, philosophers and divines. As the emblem of j^outh, 

 it was dedicated to Avtrora, the morning. As the sentiment of 

 love and beauty, it was relegated to the care of Venus; as of danger 

 and f ugacity, Cupid held it under command. According to the clas- 

 sical writers, the rose was presented by Cupid to Harpocrates^ the 

 god of Silence, hence 'sub rosa,' or under the rose — 'we will speak 

 our love in silence.' The learned Dr. Lindlej^ talked of the power of 

 the rose in the materia medica as one of the greatest in pharmaco- 

 poeia. In all nations, everywhere, it is recognized as the queen of 

 flowers. Other floral stars have arisen, flourished meteor-like for a 

 time, but all, all have paled before the conquering Queen Rosa." 



THE ROSE IX SCRIPTURE. 

 "I am the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley." 



In response Mrs. A. W. Latham, read the following: 



If I had been asked to respond to the sentiment, "The Flowers of 

 the Bible,'" I should still have had a dearth of material from which 

 to gather thoughts for your entertainment. 



We all know that the Bible has a distinct object in view in all its 

 teachings and illustrations, and it is remarkably silent upon matters 

 which have little bearing upon its main object. 



We are told that Aaron's rod, which brought forth buds and blos- 

 somed, yielded almonds, but of the burning bush, which to Moses 

 was a sj'uibol of God's glor}^ and power, we are left in ignorance. 



The Savior spoke to us of the "Lily of the Valley," but onlj' that it 

 might bring to us a lesson of freedom from anxiety and care. 



The rose is mentioned but twice in the Bible, the first being but 

 an indirect allusion to it: "The wilderness and the solitary place 

 shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as 

 the rose, "the other is the text used as the sentiment for this toast, "The 

 Rose of Sharon," which we are told was not a rose at all, but the nar- 

 cissus, that star-like, beautiful flower of early spring. 



One of our poets has said, "What's in a name? The rose by any other 

 name would smell as sweet." And so, whether the rose of Sharon 

 brings to us, through the star-like narcissus, the thought of the 

 Bright and Mqrning Star, that Star which has guided many weary 

 feet into the pathway of life, or whether it brings to us the sweet 

 perfume of that life of gentleness and peace, of purity and love, it 

 matters not, for with the star to point the way and the purity of 

 that life as our guide, the desert of our lives shall blossom as the 

 rose. "It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice, even with jo}^ and 

 singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellen- 

 cy of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glorj' of the Lord and 

 the excellency of our God." 



