SYMBOLISM OF THE HEART

Hokitika Guardian, 28 April 1928, Page 4

SYMBOLISM OF THE HEART

In “The National Review” a writer remarks the burial of hearts apart from their respective bodies, was most prevalent during the Crusades. Several of our liionareli.s, including Charles 11., Queen Mary and her husband William 111. and Queen Anne and her husband had their hearts removed, encased in silver, and buried separately. The desire that hearts of husband and wife might reipose together was not uncommon.

From time immemorial the heart was fancied to he the seat of the affections, of the emotions, of all that meant the real man or woman. From the heart proceeded all goodness and also all evil. The heart enters more into our ordinary conversation, than ;,'iiiy other organ. AYe are sear<e'y able to express ourselves with any vehemence or even clearness without bringing it in. It is the real King Charles’ head of the human race.

Not a day passes hut we use the word. A man is described as heartless, and perhaps there is no severer epithet to designate a worthless person. Another is of good heart. It is the heart that knowetli its own bitterness. A merry heart goes all the day. A\ e are stirred to our heart's core and afb|ird our heartfelt (sympathy. We advise friends to take heart. A ige-xl glass of wine warms the cockles of our heart. AYe treasure up a kindly netion. not in our brain, but m oar

henrt. A sc.crct. ion. wo jimmis! 4 - i > lock up—not in our bruin, hut in Iho secret and inmost rm-'-vs of our heart. A bitter word goes to oar hear,). Heartaches are common and broken, hearts not unknown. ( lni:-t i- >:n.. to have actually died of a broken, heart. Tile cult of the S;p red Heart has great vogue with Reman (Y'hu-

Hcarts ease is the usual expression for contentment, while hear! burning signifies disappointment or moKifieation. It is well not to lie downhearted but In s'.’l one’s heart at. rest.

To love a person from the bottom 't one’s heart is ideal, and a lover's sweetest name for his mistress is dear heart or sweetheart. Ft. John tells tts not to let our heart he troiibk 1. and Tennyson that kind hearts are more ilia coronets.

In short., take the symbolism of the heart out of the language and wo should find it difficult to find a vent for our feelings or to express many of our thoughts. When the heart was first endowed with all these marvellous properties it is impossible now to determine—most probably it synchronises with the advent of human speech hut it is certain that in (lies’ days the mysticism of the heart could not have originated ; we know too iniirli about it as a central pumping engine In a machine house ol marvellous complexity. AYe should probably replace it, if we had to. with the pineal gland, the appendix viqmiiformis, or some other remarkable, mysterious or obscure portion of our anatom v.