THE ROSE 
... IN ROMANCE AND HISTORY 
“Would Jove appoint some flower to reign 
In matchless beauty on the plain 
The Rose (mankind will all agree) 
The Rose, the Queen of Flowers should be.” 
Thus sang Sappho, the Greek poetess, in 600 B. C., and 
opinion concerning this matchless blossom has not changed. 
Probably no flower has gained more distinction through 
history and fiction than the Rose. 
The Rose is an ancient flower. There were about ten 
kinds or species remaining in the world after the Glacial 
period, and these ten kinds, with the addition of a few 
new' ones, were first cultivated as medicinal plants. 
There is proof that the Rose was grown even before 
history was written. Ample evidence exists that the great 
and powerful peoples that inhabited the fertile lands of 
Northern Africa and Western Asia 5000 years ago and 
built wonderful palaces for their rulers cultivated the Rose 
in the gardens of their beautiful homes. 
The rose is mentioned in the bible as a favorite flower of 
the Jews. There are those who would disclaim this state¬ 
ment, saying that the flower mentioned here was not the 
