IRIS THE MESSENGER.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 February 1935, Page 21 (Supplement)

IRIS THE MESSENGER.

“Why do we call the coloured part of our eyes the iris—same ■ as the purplflowersin the garden?” asked the little questioning princess. : f. “Because the eye acts as our messenger,” replied the oldest of all the nurses. “It peers out into the world and sees tor us, just aS Iris travelled out with messages for the old Greex “Iris? Who was she?” asked the little princess. . _ . “I’ve just told you—the messenger of the gods. The old Greeks thought there were many gods, and that when these gods wished to communicate with the earth they sent their lovely messenger, Iris. They said Iris flung a bridge from heaven to earth, and across this bridge she ran, with her wings, stretched wide and her purple eyes gleaming. You often see her bridge; it is the rainbow, that beautiful arch containing the seven colours—violet,’. indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. ■ “And what sort of messages did Iris Ca -‘Often she came to the soul that it might leave the body in which it lived, and then she would lead it across the rainbow to the land of Joy. She would run to the clouds with water with .which to bathe the earth. Sometimes, alas, when the gods were angry, they would send .Iris with a message and there would be war on earth. And as she ran to ' and fro across the bridge, messenger saw into every comer of the world with those deep purple eyes saw Her namesake W the fe messenger, too. Can you guess what the ir^l,” a n3ied princess. “It is saying, ‘Be happy! ’