THE WRATH OF ROSES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 918, 10 September 1910, Page 9

THE WRATH OF ROSES.

' -The/position of. the rose among flowers is. like.that of the dog 'among animals; It is not so much that both are-domesti-cated'as that we hayo some dim' feeling that they.' were . always domesticated. 'Therb..aro wild; i'oses : ;an'd there arc wild dogs;.l-dp hot kiiow! tho wild dogs; the .wild.: roses are/very-nice'., ' But .nobody -ever thinks; of-either' of them, if the name isj'abruptly mentioned in; a gossip; or a 'pb.em.' .On' the- other-liand, there are taine tigers and tame, cobras, but it ;oiie' say's, /"I have :a cobra ;. in i"my ,pbcket,":or "There is ,iii '.the music-ropm,-/the-.adjective "tame", has to-be; somewhat hastily .added. ; /; It 1 'one speaks of'beasts bno/thinks- first of; wild beasts; if; of, ;flo\y'ers/'one-.thinks, first of wild flowers;:,:,'./ -/,':/'•',;;,.;:; ■;.

' But .there are :t'wo:;great,.exceptionsi -caught' the .wheel of man's civilisation'/ entangled so uhalteiv. ably with his i'aiicien't emotions -.andimhges, that, the artificial product seems more'.: natural thaii; the nattiral.- The. : dog is;not a part of. natural Jiistory, but: of' human history;,and the! real;/ rose : the elephant .'as '■ something tremendous'/ '•but tamed ;■ and many, especially in. our great cultured-'centres,, regard,'! every, bull as presumably a'mad .bull.-- In/the same,way :\ye think of most;garden.trees and 'plants ;.;as; -fierce crea'tures!', of. !•the forest, or/morass 'taught' ;at : ,"last, :tb.' endure.'the curb. '■•■%:■■■"■'■ ";/••'.! /'■;-"' ;!'■'■'• ;J;But:'with the/dog/and the/rose,this, instinctive principle "is, reversed. /.With: •them./we.'.thinkVof the!artificial : as.'the archetype; the carth-bpm!as thb.erratic exception, :• We! think,! .vaguely.'.of..;.;!the :wild, dbg'as if. he had;run-away;'like' the. stray.'cat!; v'Aiid caniioK help.fancying 1 that'-the wpiiderful.'. wilcl;''rose ; ;'ef bur hedges :has!escaped,by/.jumpiiig ; ovbr.the ! hedge.■■:'.Perliaps tlie.v-.ned,fogetheri the' ;;dbg;and: the,_rqse: a/ singular and.(on the : whole)-• an / imprudent': elopemeiit;-.'Per-, haps:.; the •'■ treacliero'us dog/crept f from tUe/keJinel, and.theirebellious-rose frbuithe/flowerbed,, aiid;they; fought ; : .their :way 'out;, in- /company/, onb .with; teeth and /the; other-with-thorns; ,;v /Possibly -. .'this :is ;)vhy : hijv dog/becomes: aUvild",dpgwhen /he/; sees'-roses/'; and: kicks /them ahyri'h'ere/;/Possibly/this .is.!why//«.tho, ynld'irbsb/is. /Possibly ; :nbt.-;;/'/;; ''-;!''■!!;'.' '/'///,;''/-:/;.•'. '■'/■!'-'-!. - ; : /.•:But ; .tliere,is this 'degree,-; of 'dim/ bar-; baric truth/..;ih; the'', /quaint,; pld-world-'legendjthatrh.ave just invented/:.'That;' in these .two, ca!ses: the civilised product; is .felt !tb .'be the -/fiercer/, hay/ even the. wilder, i Nobody,/seems; to be/afraid bf ;a v ,wild:dog":-:he/ is/classed/among;'.the japkals/ihd' /the/servilo'./;beasts! : !;The .terrible!cave, cahein ; is V,written'/. oVei - ; ■ man 1 s. creation!;.-When;we! read:"Bew'are of thefDog,'.'-;.'it;.meahs.'beware;of 'v-thb: tame/ dog I':for;,it: is .the-tame ,dog : ! : tha't ; •Is ; terrible./; He/is terrible;ih.'prbpoi , tion : is/he is;tame("it ,'is ;his.:loyalty;.aiid;hiS' 'virtues /'that !are;!.asifu^ s even the/stranger your; gates';: stijl more ,'tb. the; stranger halfrway over! your/gates/./ Hc/!is': alarmed/at./isuch 'deafeiiing-'vand ;funous;!/dociiity ••'lie''flees,! from .thatvgreat/mohster of"! niildhess.; / -//Well,; I/havb./mucly/itheisame.feeling'' iiyheri I" look !at,'tlib,'ijoses'- ranked -red and!;'thick and re'spliiteVrouhd a. garden; they SMm-'txj'/mb;hold and even, blustering.! I 'ha-stenyj^VMX l -.-th'at ! 'J; , : /knoW.-''evcn/.less' ; : about my pwn/gafden.-than'about anybody's/ else's/garden.. I:.know-notning.' about/roses, -not even ! their'-names; ,'1 : Mow/.piily/tlib.name/Rosc.;'! and 'Rbsb i,sv(in'eyery'sensp;of'the.word) a'.'Chris-, tiaß.-hame.-. it/is :Ohristian'in .tlie/oho' abßo]ute'and Chris- ; 'tian-T-that; it comes! down-from/the age of -.pagans. - ; The', rose ";can be,.seen,! ani even smblt,/,ih:Greek;,Latiii,,Pi'bveiical,/ .. poems '/ Beyond/this; mere wbf.d -Rose/' which;' (like wine and! other noble words) .- is-thesame : iri/all,tho tongues 'bf.-wb.ite/ 'men,;,l kiiow. literally/nothing.'; : ;.-'..!;,,?/' i'i /I.have/heard the more evident! and/' advertised: names'. : I! know: there.' is ; i :flower,:.which'/calls' -itself .'the/Glory; of Dijon—whicli I had •'.supposed to be! its cathedral./.'But-"anyhbw,;lo-Irnvb-;proi-/duepd/a fpse/in acathedral/is,-to ! have' .producedinot 'only two'; glorious and humane things,-but.also (as I maintain), two very soldierly and-.defiaiit,-things/ <lalsb'/know;"th'erb.i.is a.rbso.called Mareclial Niel— note once/ more the military ring.. ;./-/'.; /.!-/';,/;/'/:'.'.;/'/:/:/ rv.■:.-;';; '/,: '/ ; ,/iAiid Men/I 'was iwalking' round- mygarden the : ; other.'.da'y!i; spoke' to -my. gardener-; (an- enterprise of!/no •-■ little! /-valour), and "asked him /the'.'iiiamb-' bf a strange, dark .rose-, that'. oddly taken my fancy."- It-was- almost. 'as ,if it • reminded' : me -: of:!some' tiirbid.'element in .history "an'd ; the soul. Its' red was not only swarthy/but smoky;'.there! ,was. something: congested/and wrathful about: its' .colour.'.;', It/was. - at; bnco'' •jtheati-ical ; and.:,sulky.' gardener tpld;,me it; was "called ; Victbr.. Hugo./' /.Therefore; it'isthat,-I,feel: all roses'to have some secret power, about /.them; even their names; may! mean something in-cpnnection with themselves, in'.whichthe,differ: from'nearly, all the sons of men. : But the' rose itself is: royal and\ ,dangerous; long.as. it; has remained in : the rich -house of, civilisation, '-'it : has, never;laid off its : armour.: A roso. always looks, like a mediaeval "gentleman of Italy, with a.cloak/of crimson and-a'-sword; for.;tlip..tlwrn 'is. the- sword of -the.'rose.'. , ■" /And/thero/is tliis,real.moral iii'thb matter; that we have to remember that •civilisation a's;it ought not to grow /more fighting—but; ought to! grow moro ready to fight.. ,Tlie more valuablo and reposeful is the order we have to .guardj the more-vivid,should-bo our ul■timate sbiiflo. of vigilance and. potential violence. : . And/when 1 walk round !a summer /garden* I -can understand;how,: those- high, mad lords at '(the end of the 1 Middle Agcsi' just .-before- their swords, clashed, caught at" roses for.' their in-, stinctive emblems pf empire: and riy-'. airy: ' For to. mo ■ any such garden is full of the, wars'of tho roses,—Chester-,' toil,'in the! "Daily-News," /: -. '~