Flower Legends

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 19, 22 July 1933, Page 9

Flower Legends

There is a certain magic in tho words flora\'ind fauna which sheds a glamour over dry facts (states an exchange). When the flora and fauna of certain countries or periods are mentioned, wo immediately think of unpronounceable names and complicated biological facts. But if we repeat tho words, our thoughts change, and something mysterious speaks -to us out of the past. Flora and fauna reach back to ages when men know so little about flowers and animals that they were obliged to invent legends to account for them. The words themselves date back from Roman days, but the legends behind them come from ancient Greece.

Flora was the Greek Chloris, the 'god- ! dess of flowers. Some people suppose that her name was changed to Flora in memory of an extremely beautiful Roman courtesan who left her immense riches to the Roman people, and in whose honour a festival was instituted yearly. As several celebrated and rather light ladies were named Flprn, including the famous courtesan beloved by Pompey the Great, whose lovely portrait adorned the walls o£ the temple of Castor and Pollux, this theory is a little confusing. Like Chloris, according to legend, the goddess Flora married Zephyrus, the west wind, who produced flowers ■by the sweetness of his breath, and through him Flora became the Queen of Flowers and enjoyed perpetual youth. Fauns often attended Flora. These strange creatures, half goat, half human, were called Satyrs by the Greeks; they were the patrons of wild animals, and in many cases they had the same powers as gods. The language of flowers also has its origin in the past. Tho red rose has always been the symbol of love. When Venus found.the dead body of Adonis in the forest, she fell down and wept over it, and the thorns of the white roses pricked her and her blood stained tho blossoms red. The white rose is the emblem of innocence. As the national emblem of England, the rose means in corruption. Tho lily, which is the emblem of Franco, means purity. The Romans dedicated it to Juno, tho goddess of marriage. The watcrlily moans beauty; it was supposed to have blossomed suddenly out of the waters of the Nile when a lovely maiden and a beautiful and virtuous "young*, man passed by.

CMldreo's Faocy Dress

Now that the season of fancy dress dances is upon us, many mothers are seeking for ideas for simple and inexpensive costumes for their girls and boys. Here are a few easily devised examples (states a writer in an exchange).' For Brer Rabbit, make a suit from a pyjama or thick, pile velvet, with a ""bob-tail" pattern of fawn-coloured fur cloth of white cotton wool. The cap is of the same fur cloth, with the ears lined with pale pink velveteen, and the short coat is of blue cotton.

A fireman's is a costume to please the small boy, and if a helmet is not obtainable, V one may be fashioned of cardboard and gilded with gold paint, while long boots may be made of American leather.

The Christmas tree fairy wears a frilly frock of green sateen, with miniature bonbons, stars, and dolls cut out and pasted to it, having been silvered or painted first. Printed satin makes the fnll trousers worn by Ali Baba, .with a bright red art silk coat, round-necked blouse in white, and gay striped sash. "Pack of Cards" is a costume easily made with a plain tunic of white American cloth, having a red "heart and a black "spade" applied to the front and back respectively. The white net ruffle can be edged with black and red, and miniature cards- stitched to the hair ribbon, and to form the buckles of the shoes. Silvered American cloth makes the costume for the airman, with a red-spotted, scarf to make him iook dashing, and a pair of goggles perched on his forehead.

"Alice in Wonderland" should onrry a rubber "flamingo," which may be bought at one of tho toy departments, or she' may have a medicine bottle labelled "Drink Me." Her quaint blue cotton frock and 'white muslin apron must be accompaiiied by a ribbon snood for the hair. "Parma Violets?' 'wears a frock of violet taffetas trimmed with artificial violets at neck and armholes, and a big violet made of the taffetas is sewn to her hair ribbon. Tho "Powder Puff" is made of pink or blue sateen or satin with thick downy edging of white; A Pierrot has pompoms jauntily, arranged, and a "Hawaiian belle" with skirt formed of thick strands of raffia has a flower garland and posy of poppies.