i44 
LANGUAGE AND 
LILY, WHITE. 
Liliitm candidum . . . Class 65 Order 1 
PURITY AND SWEETNESS.-MAJESTY. 
Ask me not why I should love her : 
Look upon those soul-full eyes ! 
Look while mirth or feeling move her, 
And see there how sweetly rise 
Thoughts gay and gentle from a breast 
Which is of innocence the nest— 
Which, though each joy were from it fled, 
By truth would still be tenanted ! 
C. P. Hoffman. 
Although this flower—dedicated to Juno, 
queen of heaven—is generally deemed typical 
of majesty, there are many varied meanings 
given to the numerous members of its family. 
The Lily is held in high esteem by many for 
the frequency with which it is alluded to in the 
Scriptures. The Jews entertained a great ad¬ 
miration for its elegant form, which they imi¬ 
tated in the decorations of their first magnificent 
Temple; and Christ himself told them to “con¬ 
sider the lilies of the field/’ 
The varieties of this graceful flower are ex¬ 
tremely numerous, although, according to the old 
fabulists, originally there was only one kind of 
lily, and that was orange-colored. They give some 
