ground it is carefully raised, reveren- 

 tially kissed and laid tenderly away. 

 The followers of Zoroaster believe that 

 before the coming of sin into the world 

 the rose bush had no thorns, while the 

 Ghebers think that when their infant 

 prophet Abraham was thrown into the 

 fire by Nimrod the flames turned into 

 a bed of roses, wTiereon the sacred child 

 reposed. , 



The burning bush in which the Lord 

 appeared to Moses was changed into a 

 rose tree and Christianity claims that a 

 white rose bloomed at the foot of the 

 cross and was stained by the blood of 

 the Redeemer. 



Roses are said to be a sure preventa- 

 tive of drunkenness. Hence the bibulous 

 Romans wound garlands around their 

 heads in order to prevent undue enlarge- 

 ment. At their banquets roses were 

 hung above the tables as a sign that 

 stories told there should not be repeat- 



ed ; hence the expression "sub rosa," sig- 

 nifying secrecy. 



Cupid once gave a rose to Hippocrates 

 as a bribe not to reveal the loves of Ve- 

 nus. As a result it became a symbol of 

 silence and the rose decorations in many 

 dining halls are a relic of these ideas. 

 The early popes often placed consecrated 

 roses over the confessional to denote se- 

 crec}-, while the Chinese not only use 

 them in this sense, but also as an emblem 

 of immortality. 



Many of the existing varieties of roses 

 have been produced by crossing European 

 with imported forms, especially with the 

 China rose, which was introduced into 

 England in 1789. The musk rose was 

 brought from Italy in 1592 and the sin- 

 gle yellow rose from Syria, in 1629. The 

 moss rose hailed from the land of dykes 

 and delft early in the eighteenth cen- 

 tury, while China appropriately contrib- 

 uted the tea rose in 1825. 



Charles S. Raddin. 



A BOWL OF ROSES. 



A dozen slender stems of perfect grace — 

 A myriad clustering leaves of misty sheen 

 That mass and tangle and together lean. 

 And shine and shimmer like an ocean space — 

 And as the cool sea wave that wins the race, 

 Crowned with the early, morn-flushed foami, is seen. 

 So rest the blossoms 'gainst this sea of igreen, 

 With blushing heads uplift, or drooping face ; 

 And each holds in its heart a touch of flame 

 That glows and glimmers like the eye of love , 

 And each a sweetness that no word can name ; 

 And over all, a charm, fine and complete 

 That thrills the soul, as if from, heaven above, 

 Through open gates came music low and sweet. 



Harriet Warner Higley. 



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