In Christian and Medieval Times 329 



brought with them from that blessed time the art of making 

 honey. 



Bees, as ministers of the Church, were not exempt from 

 obedience to divine law. 



According to a German legend, the good Lord willed 

 that bees, like men, should rest on Sunday from their work. 

 This command of the Creator the bees in their excessive 

 zeal disregarded, overcome by temptation to gather the 

 abundant honey of the red clover. As a punishment, God 

 closed to them the blossoms of this flower, and never again 

 were they able to gather its nectar, — a fact in nature which 

 modern scientists have noted, but to which they have given 

 a somewhat different interpretation. 



Wax was much used in the early history of the church 

 for other purposes than the making of candles. The fol- 

 lowers of the new religion also had their votive images. 

 These at first, while partaking of the magic of the pagan 

 images, were put to a good instead of a bad use. 



The devout believed that their wishes would be granted 

 through the influence of wax images, and by means of 

 them they gave thanks. 



In Germany and neighboring countries, the form of 

 that portion of the body affected by disease was moulded 

 in wax and placed in the church, or in earlier times at 

 the cross-roads, in the belief that in this way recovery 

 would be insured. 



Childless couples also made an offering of the waxen 

 image of a child, if they could not afford one of silver, 

 hoping thus to become possessed of offspring. 



The Church was quick to take advantage of this popular 

 custom, and received these votive images. Wherefore one 

 finds to this day in chapels and on the altars of celebrated 

 places of pilgrimage the familiar hands, feet, arms, and 

 other parts of the body formed in miniature from wax. 



