83 
“Note the beauty of form and color in the daisy design on this 
Minoan jug, over three thousand years old, and compare it with 
the flowers on this marguerite plant. The olive was the symbol 
of plenty and the laurel signified success or victory. By com- 
paring the true laurel leaves of southern Europe with those 
of our mountain laurel, you will notice some differences, but 
these were not sufficient to prevent the use of tons of the latter 
in welcoming our returning victorious troops. 
“The remarkable hanging over the door is not tapestry, but 
embroidery, and the woman who made it must have spent a 
lifetime. It is a seventeenth-century Italian altar front repre- 
senting a formal garden, the pots of tulips and the angels with 
golden harps being made separately and stitched on. 
_ the excellent perspective and well-preserved colors. Careful 
scrutiny will reveal many different kinds of trees, flowers, birds, 
and other objects used as motives in this truly wonderful piece 
of work. 
“One of the most interesting and graceful plants in the room 
is the papyrus. It was probably introduced into Egypt from 
Nubia and became so abundant and important there that it 
was chosen as the emblem of Lower Egypt, as the lily was the 
floral emblem of Upper Egypt. When these two districts be- 
came united under Menes, the first historical king of Egypt, the 
floral emblems were blended, as was done with the red and white 
roses in England. 
“The uses of the papyrus, now unfortunately extinct in the 
valley of the Lower Nile, were many and varied; the large, 
Strong roots, as well as the slender leafstalks, replacing wood for 
many purposes, while the pith was eaten and the branching 
leaf-tops were made into garlands for the shrines of the gods. 
But its most important use was in the manufacture of paper. 
The stalks were cut into thin strips and laid side by side on a 
board, with another layer of strips across them, and then soaked 
in river water until somewhat mucilaginous, when they were 
Pressed and smoothed into sheets of paper, the finest of which 
were called hieratica. Here is one of these sheets, covered with 
ancient hieratic characters. 
