BLUE AND PURPLE WILD FLOWERS 
were cast upon the cradles of children and the beds of 
young bridal couples much after the custom with 
which we shower the latter with rice and old shoes, 
as a token of good luck. The former ceremony is still 
practised in parts of Germany, where the Violet is also 
believed to prevent ague. The Violet has some religi- 
ous significance among the followers of Mohammed, 
who considered the odour of the Violet, which he 
referred to as the “Flower of Humility,” superior 
to all others. The Romans offered Violets of solid 
gold as prizes for poetic competitions. In England, 
broths, salads, and puddings were at one time flavoured 
with Violets, and many dishes were garnished with the 
flowers. Napoleon adopted the Violet as his emblem, 
and when he ascended the steps of the Tuileries, 
upon his return from Elba, he was greeted with showers 
of Violets from every direction, and beautiful violet- 
gowned ladies and children welcomed him with great 
masses of the flowers which were cast before him that 
he might tread upon them. In Paris, the statues com- 
memorating the loss of Alsace and Lorraine, and the 
tomb of Victor Hugo in the Pantheon, are annually 
decorated with wreaths of Violets. In royal and in 
religious ceremonies violet is a conspicuous colour. 
It is the college colour of New York University. Yale 
University has adopted the Violet as its floral emblem, 
and it is also the state flower of Rhode Island. Sev- 
eral fragrant varieties have been highly cultivated, and 
are regularly sold by florists for every conceivable 
floral purpose, and they are popularly worn as a cor- 
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