THE ROSE IN MYTH AND HISTORY. 



The rose occupies an unique position 

 in the floral community. No other flower 

 is surrounded by such a wealth of fact 

 and fancy, of romance and tradition, as 

 this queen of the field and the garden 

 which graces impartially, the dawn, the 

 meridian and the close of human exist- 

 ence. At all times and in all ages since 

 man appeared upon this planet, fair 

 Rosa has been the chosen flower for the 

 sacraments, festivities and conspiracies of 

 barbaric and civilized man. Church --nd 

 state have exalted her, Minerva and Bac- 

 chus have courted her favor and Mars 

 has chosen her for his emblem. 



Geologically, the rose is ancient. 

 Tliousands of years ago, during the ter- 

 tian period, the ancestors of the Ameri- 

 can Beauty, were born to blush unseen 

 and waste their fragrance on the dino- 

 saurians and other unduly elaborated 

 reptiles that frequented the landscapes 

 of prehistoric epochs. Even at that early 

 date they foresaw a field of utility apart 

 from their accepted function of orna- 

 mentation. In their struggle for exist- 

 ence, they evolved the pear, apple, peach, 

 cherry, blackberry, strawberry and many 

 other forms that make glad the heart 

 of man. 



Historically, the rose is ancient of 

 days. Herodotus speaks of the double 

 rose and Solomon, when his attention 

 was temporarily diverted from the lilies 

 of the field, gave praise to the rose of 

 Sharon and the rose beds of Jericho. 

 Theophrastus speaks of the roses in the 

 Isle of Rhodes (isle of roses), so called 

 from the extensive culture of the plants 

 carried on there and Egyptian records 

 make mention of presents of roses sent 

 to Rome along with the grain, which was 

 the staple article of commerce. 



Paestum and Samos were famous for 

 their roses. There the plants blossomed 

 twice each year and the magnificent 

 flowers were sent in ship loads to Rome 

 to supply the demand for garlands and 

 decorations. It would appear that the 



people on the seven hills fairly wallowed 

 in the flowers. Nero compelled his hosts 

 to have their fountains filled with rose 

 water, to supply all guests with garlands 

 composed of roses, violets and myrtle 

 and to set forth rose wines, and rose 

 puddings, after eating which, refresh- 

 ment in the form of rose baths, were 

 furnished. 



If after breathing, wearing, eating, 

 drinking, lying on, walking over and 

 sleeping on roses, the hapless ancient 

 was taken sick, he was said to be "a 

 rose in aromatic pain." This floral di- 

 agnosis, however, was cold comfort, and 

 doubtless operated on the men of the 

 forum in much the same manner as on 

 those who in our own day are afflicted 

 with rose colds which become manifest 

 about the opening of the fishing season. 

 When Saladin captured Jerusalem in 

 1 128 he refused to enter the shrine of 

 the temple luitil it had been thoroughly 

 purified with rose water. A similar in- 

 stance occurred w^hen Mohammed took 

 Constantinople in 1453. The prophet 

 ordered the cleansing of the church of 

 Sophia with rose water, before it could 

 be transformed into a mosque. 



The high esteem in which rose water 

 was held by the ancients led, in one in- 

 stance, to the discovery of an important 

 commercial product of the rose. It ap- 

 pears that many years ago, when India 

 was in full possession of her power and 

 riches, the celebrated and beautiful 

 Princess Nourmahal entertained the 

 Grand Mogul with unparalleled magnifi- 

 cence. A feature of the entertainment 

 was an excursion along the grand canal 

 in the princess' ship of state. As water 

 would not serve the purposes of the oc- 

 casion, the entire canal was filled wnth 

 rose water. During the progress of this 

 aesthetic navigation the heat of the sun 

 disengaged the essential oil from the 

 rose water, and some of this being col- 

 lected, the otto or attar of roses was dis- 

 covered. The Catholic Church has al- 



so 



