With the ancient races of Greece 

 and Rome the lily was a favourite for 

 certain ceremonies, weddings chiefly, 

 when the priest was supplied with 

 two chaplets composed of lilies and 

 ears of corn, which he placed on the 

 heads of bride and groom to typify 

 purity and abundance. 



In the Bible the references to this 

 flower are frequent, and it always sym- 

 bolises sweetness and purity. From 

 the days of the earliest Crusades pil- 

 grims to Palestine have sought in vain 

 for that lily before which the glory 

 of even Solomon faded. The temple 

 of Solomon was decorated by Hiram 

 with sculptured lilies and pomegran- 

 ates, and in Hebrew the name Susan- 

 nah signifies a lily. Shushan, the city 

 of scriptural and Persian fame, gains 

 its name from this same flower, which 

 is everywhere and in every tongue 

 celebrated for its loveliness. 

 68 



