154 VOICES FROM THE WOODLANDS. 



branches of hawthorn, emblematic of their hope, that 

 death had been to them a gate of life. They were 

 appropriated, also, to the nuptial chaplet of Athenian 

 maidens, and composed the festive garlands that were 

 borne in procession among the Eomans; nor were our 

 ancestors unmindful of their beauty, when they went forth 

 to gather branches on May-day. 



But whether permitted to live its century in wild luxu- 

 riance, attaining to the height of twenty to thirty feet, or 

 whether growing low, in hedgerows, or drooping over old 

 park palings, the hawthorn equally attracts attention. The 

 standard tree, both as respects its fragrant blossoms in the 

 spring, and its rich scarlet berries in autumn, is one of the 

 most attractive objects that can be introduced into a park 

 or lawn. 



Who does not remember with delight the hawthorns 

 of his native village, clustering, it may be, on the village 

 common, or making white the hedges, or displayed in the 

 glades and glens of extensive woodlands, or blended with 



