XVT. 



THE ROSE. 



The romance of the Rose, and its exquisite loveliness, will never permit it to oe 

 .eft oat of the window garden, notwithstanding the occasional trouble and diffi- 

 culties of its culture. 



THE ROSE IN ROMANCE. 



Sappho says of it in one of her poetic strains : " If Zeus had willed to set a 

 King over flowers, the Rose would have claimed that distinction. It is the orna- 

 ment of the earth, the glory of the plants, the eye of the flowers, and the blush 

 of the meadow. 



Luther, in his admiration of it, says: "If a man could make a single Rose 

 we should give him an Empire " and he chose the Rose for the emblem on his 

 seal. 



In Germany there are various superstitions concerning the Rose, many of 

 which are very singular, and the relation of the flower to blood is widely 

 credited. 



Thus one hears in France and Italy as well as Germany the saying that a 

 drop of one's blood buried under a rosebush will bring rosy cheeks. There is a 

 legend that the thorn crown of Christ was made from rose briar, and that the 

 drops of blood which issued from His head fell to the ground and blossomed in 

 Roses. 



Mrs. Howe alludes to it in these lines : 



"Men saw the thorns on Jesus' brow, 

 But angels saw the Roses." 



In Ancient Greece there was an Academy whose statutes were couched in 

 these words : " The Academicians think much, write little, and talk less." 



A famous Professor desired to become a member, and when a vacancy occurred 

 hastened to obtain it, but arrived too late a candidate had been chosen. The 

 Academy desired to number Dr. Zeb upon its rolls, but it had just granted to 

 power what belonged to merit. 



The President, not desiring to give a refusal in words, desired a cup of water 

 to be brought, which he filled with water so that even one drop more would 

 cause it to overflow. The doctor understood the emblem, but he saw at his feet 

 a rose-leaf, which he placed upon the top of the water without displacing a drop. 



His ingenuity procured him the desired admission, and he was received by 

 acclamation as a member of the Silent Academy. 



