THE CORNELIAN CHERRY. 



THE CORNELIAN CHERRY {Cornus sanguined).— 

 Duration. 



The wood of this tree is said to be as hard as horn {cornu) ; 

 hence its generic name. Virgil tells us that it was used in the 

 manufacture of implements of war ; and it is related of 

 Romulus, the mythic founder of Rome, that, when he had 

 marked out the boundary of the embryo city, he hurled a 

 javelin over Mount Palatine ; that the javelin shaft was of 

 cornel wood ; that it penetrated the earth, took root, grew 

 up, put forth branches and leaves, and thus became a tree ! 

 This prodigy was regarded as a happy omen, foreshowing the 

 strength and duration of the infant empire ! ! Surely the 

 author of Baron Munchausen must have taken a hint from 

 this. 



The wood is applied to a variety of useful purposes. It is 

 called Dogwood. As a shrub, it is a good emblem of Hard- 

 ness and Duration ; for in plantations where the lower branches 

 have perished, there, even under the drip of trees, this will 

 flourish and fill up the vacant spaces. 



The Greeks worshipped Apollo, to whom they consecrated 

 this tree, because he presided over works of talent. It is, 

 therefore, an emblem worthy of adoption by all who are 

 determined to cultivate literature, oratory, and poetry ; since, 

 if they would win the laurel leaf, it must be by patient 

 enduring labour, in study and in persistent reflection. 



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