THE PEACHES OF NEW YORK 9 



peaches, the writer gives some of the superstitions and legends which the 

 Chinese connect with the peach. 



" The ordinary name for pink is peach flower color, and notwithstand- 

 ing the love of Chinese for color, it is used sparingly, in fact, owing to its 

 being associated with the peach blossom, seems to have an unsavory signifi- 

 cance, as I found when I came home one day with a pink satin brocade 

 gown that I had just purchased. My people held up their hands in horror, 

 and exclaimed it was a mercy that I did not intend to wear that here, it 

 would only do for outside countries that did not know about peach flowers, 

 which' remarks led me to leave it in America when I came back, though 

 it was a very lovely delicate color and one of my prettiest gowns. 



" The reason for this prejudice is owing to its symbolism. Just as 

 the violet is considered in western lands to be the symbol of modest worth, 

 so the plum is that of feminine virtue in China and the peach flower the 

 opposite. Not even the beauty of its color, whether delicate pink or deep 

 cerise, redeems it from this fatal significance. In, order that there may 

 be no . possible opportunity for a ' peach flower heart ' to spring up 

 unawares in some girl of respectable family, it is not considered wise to 

 plant a peach of any kind near the bed room windows of the court yards 

 inhabited by the women, yet peach wands are supposed to be especially 

 useful to beat off all evil spirits, only they must be plucked during a solar 

 eclipse and a hole bored through one end for hanging up by, during a lunar 

 eclipse, which perhaps accounts for their fewness, as during those times 

 in the old days the people were generally busily occupied in beating gongs 

 and firing off crackers to drive away the heavenly dogs which were supposed 

 to be devouring those luminaries, and no one had time to think of making 

 peach wands. The lucky possessor of an efficacious peach wand is sup- 

 posed to be able to sleep at night with it under his pillow in full confidence 

 that no evil spirits can harm him. 



" Taoism from early days has taken the peach as its particular fruit, 

 signifying longevity, much as the apples of Hesperides were symbolic in 

 the Grecian mythology. 



" Furthermore peach stones are often made into rosaries which are 

 considered specially fine. There is a collection of tales by one Cornaby 

 to be found in almost every library called ' A String of Peach Stones.' 

 And a host of legends cluster around the tale of Sun, the stone monkey, 

 eating the peaches of immortality stolen from the gardens of the genii, 

 whereby he attains immortality. This theme is seen elaborated in many 

 scenes, that decorate pottery, textiles, and congratulatory scrolls. 



" I wish that I were not tied down so much by tedious detail in the 

 medical work, as there is a most interesting book that needs to be trans- 

 lated telling much of the folk lore of the peach interwoven with the plot, 

 which is supposed to be the journey of Hsien tsang to bring back the 



