242 On the Campus 



of our forebears. We love fable and fancy, and believe 

 the miraculous. Lack of truth is the vice of the race. 

 In my attempt to do the work of science I find it ex- 

 tremely hard to tell the truth, to distinguish between 

 what I think is true from what is true. The man on the 

 witness stand tells what he thinks is true. 



But the folk-lore of plants gives everywhere abundant 

 instances of the impress of Christianity, and especially of 

 what might be called biographic Christianity. The sim- 

 ple peoples of the northern world were taught the lives 

 of the saints; the story of Mary, and the rest; and all 

 the flowers of the field reflect the fact. The maiden hair 

 is our lady's hair. We have lady's bedstraw, lady's 

 thistle, lady's tresses, lady's thimble and lady's mantle, 

 lady's comb, lady's looking-glass and cushion. While 

 the roses are all hers, and even the threaded beads, upon 

 the weary fingers of that simple kneeling creature on 

 the hard floor of the cathedral, yonder, who can pray 

 but who can do no more even the threaded beads are 

 the rosary of her faith. 



Saint John, i.e., John the Baptist, has plenty of com- 

 memoration. The karob, once part of the prophet's 

 meagre diet, is St. John's bread. St. John's-wort is a 

 beautiful family of flowers, the name transferred here to 

 our woodland meadows; even currants are in Germany 

 Johannesb eeren and Artemisia is the proto-baptist's 

 beard ! Veronica is the name of our little speedwell, and 

 both these names bring memories. St. Peter 's-wort is a 

 primrose ; a bunch of keys ; in German, himmelschliissel. 



A great many of the popular names of plants in all 

 countries are attended by legends ; each name comes from 



