,transcribed from the #ahdj ,w4 ,birch edition by ,david ,price4 ,,palm ,,sunday3 ,,or1 ,,little ,,mary',s ,,saturday',s ,,walk4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,by ,,lady ,,callcott4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,printed ,,for ,,the ,,benefit ,,of ,,the ,,kensington ,,schools ,,in ,,peel ,,street1 ,,hope ,,terrace1 ,,and ,,the ,,potteries4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,kensington3 ,,printed ,,by ,w4 ,,birch1 ,,high ,,street4 #ahdj4 ,,price ,,one ,,shilling4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,palm ,,sunday2 ,,or1 ,,little ,,mary',s ,,saturday',s ,,walk4 8,,come1 ,mary60 said ,mr4 ,lumley to his little girl1 one ,saturday afternoon1 8put on your bonnet and your thick shoes4 ,i am going to ,davies's cottage1 and there is a basket for you to carry1 with some work for ,jane1 and some jelly for her grandmother4 ,the lane is pretty clean1 and the stepping-stones1 even the rickety one1 quite out of water40 ,before the last comfortable assurance could be heard1 ,mary was ready for the walk4 ,papa at leisure on a fine ,saturday afternoon to help her to enjoy her holiday would have been enough2 but to go to old ,molly ,davies1 and to see her favourite ,sunday-scholar ,jane1 was pleasure indeed4 ,it was a charming afternoon1--one of the first that ,mary had called so that spring4 ,the winter had been severe2 there had been no fine ,saturdays in ,february1 scarcely one in ,march4 ,but on this1 the wind was soft1 the sun was shining1 the violets had no withered brown edges to their deep blue petals1 but looked and smelt as ,march violets should look and smell4 ,in the sheltered lane there were a few full-blown primroses among the moss1 the woolly stems of the cowslips were already peeping up in the meadows1 and innumerable buds of all ,mary's favourite spring flowers seemed ready to open in the warm sunshine4 8,oh1 papa1 how happy ,i am60 cried the little girl1 as she shewed him a lap full of gay colours4 8,here are yellow pileworts1 and grey lady's-smocks1 and wood sorrel1 and cowslips1 ready to blow2 and1 ,i declare1 there's a wood anemone quite blown4 ,oh6 this year these darling anemones will answer to their pretty name of pasque-flower1 for they will be in full beauty by ,easter4 8,do you know1 papa1 ,i feel as if it were more good in ,god to create beautiful things to make us happy when we only look at them1 than even to give us needful and useful things1 which are often far from being beautiful or pleasant4 ,i hope ,i am not foolish or wrong to say so40 8,no1 my little ,mary4 ,i remember the wise and good ,mrs4 ,w--y said the same thing1 almost in your very words1 to me some years ago1 when she saw a bunch of spring flowers in water on the table of a sick friend4 ,i am glad you are learning to see and love the goodness of ,god while you are young2 it will make it easier to do your duty towards him for the rest of your life40 8,hush6 dear papa4 ,hush one moment6--,i am almost sure ,i hear a willow-wren in the hedge2 and those wagtails6 ,i declare they are catching flies already2 and look6 there are the little tadpoles all gathering round that green mossy stone1 how merry they are in the clear water6 ,but here we are at ,davies's cottage1 and there's a thrush singing2 and old ,molly says the thrushes sing earlier in the copse behind their house than anywhere else4 ,do you think it's true1 papa80 8,i don't know1 my dear4 ,but run in and settle it with ,molly1 while ,i step on to the overseer's2 and by the time you are ready to go home1 ,i will call for you40 ,now1 this was just what ,mary liked4 ,she went into the house by herself1 and felt very important as she opened her basket and gave ,jane directions about the needle-work to be done for her mamma1 and then helped her to spread the cloth on ,molly's little deal table1 that she might eat some of the jelly1 to do her good directly1 as ,mary said4 ,meantime1 the flowers were laid out in due order by the two little girls2 and as soon as ,molly was at leisure1 a hundred questions were asked at once1 but as she declared she could only answer one by one1 ,mary was obliged to curb her impatience4 8,well1 then10 she said1 8do tell me why this pretty yellow flower is called pile-wort80 8,i have been told10 said ,molly1 8that wort means root or plant in general2 as for the pile you know that is an old word for cross1 and as you have brought a bit of the root1 ,i can shew you why this is called pile-wort1 or cross-root4 ,look1 ,i will cut the root across1 and you will see a number of black spots in the form of a cross1 upon the white part4 ,in former days this root was used in washes and salves1 for healing many kinds of sores4 ,this pretty little green leaf1 whose flower is just budding1 lying close by1 is adder's-tongue2 and ,i still often boil it with sweet oil and wax to make salve for the wounds and cuts that mowers and reapers are apt to meet with in the course of their work40 8,and what do you do with the lady's-smocks80 cried ,mary4 8,i see such a store of dried ones hanging up there60 8,they are the remains of last year's gathering1 ,miss4 ,the powder made of them is given for agues4 ,the bundles of roots hanging by them belong to your pasque-flower3 they are good in powders and in drinks for obstinate coughs2 and this pinkish wood-sorrel makes a sort of tea which is very good for colds4 ,in short1 you have not brought anything but the pretty primroses that ,i do not remember using or seeing used to cure some ailment or other40 8,what1 ,molly1 even the violets80 8,oh yes1 ,miss6 ,the syrup of violets makes people sleep as well as the laudanum the doctors are so fond of now-a-days4 ,but next month and the one after it are those of all the year that bring forth most of the plants of which the leaves and flowers are good for physic4 ,august and ,september ripen such as have most virtue in the seeds and roots4 ,if your mamma likes it1 ,i shall be very glad to tell you all ,i know about these things1 and ,jane can shew you all the plants ,i use in the fields40 8,thank you6--thank you1 dear ,molly6 but here comes ,sam1 with a whole bundle of sticks4 ,what can they be8 ,oh1 ,i see now1 they are palms to wear to-morrow4 ,are they good to cure sickness8 ,and why do we call them palms1 and carry them about on ,palm ,sunday80 8,why1 ,miss1 ,i think you had better ask your papa the two last questions1 and1 in the meantime1 ,i will do my best to answer the first4 ,the bark of willows in general1 but particularly that of the sallow1 which is the palm-willow1 has long been known and used as a cure for agues and low fevers2 and though the elm and some other barks were employed1 yet none was found to be so good as the sallow1 till the ,jesuits brought the bark of a shrub from ,america1 about two hundred years ago1 which is so much more powerful as a cure for the same disorders that the ,european barks are nearly out of use4 #e ,but here comes your papa1 and ,i shall be as glad as you to hear what he will have to tell you40 8,papa6 papa60 cried the eager little girl1 as she ran to meet her father1 8do come in quick1 and tell ,molly1 and ,jane1 and me1 all about them40 8,all about what1 or who1 my dear8 ,the new benches in the church1 or the children in the new school80 8,no1 no1 not now2 but about the palms1 papa6 and ,palm-,sunday1 and why we carry palms1 and--0 8,enough1 enough1 my little girl4 ,if ,i answer all those questions1 ,i must sit down in the chimney-corner1 and ,jane must give me a draught of whey1 and ,molly must have patience with us for at least half an hour40 8,that ,i will1 and be thankful too1 your reverence10 said the old woman4 ,jane dusted the settle1 and brought the whey1 and the party was soon seated4 ,and now1 who so happy as little ,mary8 ,seated on her father's knee1 hoping to have all her questions answered1 with old ,molly in the opposite chimney-corner1 ,jane at work in the window-seat1 and old puss purring on the hearth3 it was far the best ,saturday afternoon she had known1 this year at any rate4 8,you know1 my little ,mary10 said ,mr4 ,lumley1 8that what you call palms are really branches of willow in flower1 and that all willows bear their flowers1 called catkins1 before their leaves come out4 ,i think you know1 also1 that real palms are trees which only grow in hot climates1 whose large branch-like leaves grow like a crown1 distinguishing them among trees1 on the top of the stem1 whether it be only one year old or a hundred4 ,i think you can compare a palm-leaf to nothing so aptly as to the ostrich feathers which ladies wear in their head-dresses4 8,now these palm branches have been thought1 at all times and in all places1 so beautiful as to be fit to carry before kings and conquerors1 as signs of victory and of fame likely to last40 8,in what particular country was that1 papa80 8,wherever palms grew at first1 but by degrees neighbouring countries adopted the palm as a sign of victory1 and we read of them in every profane history as well as in the ,bible1 where you know the palm is often named40 8,was there any reason besides the beauty of the leaf for this1 papa80 8,you shall judge4 ,the palm leaf1 even when cut from the tree1 is not subject to decay4 ,in the countries where it grows it is used to thatch houses1 nay1 even for the walls when woven into mats4 ,palm mats make soft bedding for men1 and safe cradles for infants2 and ,i have seen labourers in rice grounds well sheltered from sun and heavy rain by a hood and cloak made of one leaf of a palm-tree4 ,the fibres of many kinds of palm are woven into coarse cloth1 and most of them furnish materials for strong and durable ropes4 8,the juice that flows from the top of several palms1 when a small cut has been made either in the bark or at the foot-stalk of a leaf1 is as refreshing as ,jane's whey1 when fresh2 and after standing a few days a strong spirit is often distilled from it4 ,the juice from the date palm1 indeed1 when boiled1 produces a very sweet1 dark-coloured sugar1 called jagree4 8,the palm-tree wood is useful in building2 it resists the attacks of all insects1 even those of the white ant1 and is perhaps the most durable wood in the world40 8,how can we know that1 papa80 8,a piece of timber was lately brought to ,england from the ruins of ,babylon4 ,it was found in the ceiling of a chamber where it must have been at the very least for two thousand years4 ,your dear friend ,mr4 ,brown examined it1 and found it was palm-tree wood40 8,how wonderful6 but1 papa1 has the palm-tree any fruit fit to eat80 8,what think you of cocoa-nuts and dates8 ,you like them both1 ,i think2 and in many countries these fruits furnish great part of the food of the natives during many months of the year4 ,and from the refuse cocoas and the seeds and nuts of other palms a sweet oil1 good for food as well as for lamps1 is pressed40 8,dear papa1 you might well say the palm is distinguished among trees4 ,were there many palms in ,palestine80 8,yes1 my dear2 and in ,egypt1 where the ,jews dwelt so long1 many more2 nay1 even while they wandered in the desert1 they often came to clumps of date trees1 whose charming shade1 sweet fruit1 and refreshing juice1 were to them truly a #8table in the wilderness4' ,you cannot wonder1 then1 that on all occasions of rejoicing1 and especially on the solemn feasts1 when the heads of families went up to ,jerusalem to worship1 the people gathered the branches and carried them with their other offerings to the temple1 where they probably formed shades and screens from the intense heat of the sun1 while they waited in the court of the people40 8,has that custom of the ,jews anything to do with our carrying palms on ,palm ,sunday80 8,it is the origin of it4 ,you have read in the ,new ,testament1 when our blessed ,saviour was preparing1 with his disciples1 to eat his last paschal supper in ,jerusalem1 the people met him as he was riding towards the gates of the city1 and received him with shouts and rejoicing1 crying to him1 ,,hosannah6 which means1 ,,save1 ,,we ,,beseech ,,thee1 and strewing palm branches in his way1 and some even spreading their own clothes before him4 8,as this is supposed to have happened a few days before the feast of the passover1 which was1 and indeed still is1 observed by the ,jews at the same time with our ,easter1 though not always on the very day1 the first ,christians used to carry palm branches into their churches on the ,sunday before ,easter1 in memory of ,christ's entry into ,jerusalem40 8,well2 but1 papa1 how came we to use willows instead of palms80 8,it was natural that1 as the first ,christians were all ,jews by birth1 they should observe many of the customs and ceremonies of the ,temple of ,jerusalem in their own churches2 and when the ,christians became numerous1 and gained riches and power in all countries1 that their priests and bishops should wish to make the worship of the ,christians at least as grand as the worship in the ancient temple of the ,jews4 ,accordingly1 they imitated as far as they could the dresses and music1 and some of the offerings2 and among these that of the palm leaves4 8,now1 the ,christians in most of the countries of ,europe looked upon the bishop or pope of ,rome with the same reverence that the ,jews paid to their high-priest1 and considered the chief church of ,rome as holy as the old ,temple of ,jerusalem4 ,of course1 it was impossible for many of them to go to ,rome every year to worship there2 but every one who could possibly afford it went thither once in his life1 and carried offerings in money1 or jewels1 or curious things1 such as he could afford4 ,noblemen and kings gave great estates to the church2 and for some hundreds of years1 the popes pretended to have authority over all kings and princes4 ,during that period1 the visitors to ,rome were not to be counted4 ,the ceremonies observed during the whole week before ,easter attracted crowds from all countries4 ,the churches were decorated with costly hangings of tapestry1 or gold and silver cloth1 or silk and velvet4 ,and on ,palm ,sunday1 in the church where the pope himself sung the service1 the altar was covered and ornamented with palm branches4 8,at a particular part of the forenoon prayer1 the pope pronounced a blessing over the palms1 which were the signs of the victory of ,christianity over the heathen2 and then the palms were distributed to the cardinals1 the bishops1 the princes1 and1 in short1 to as many persons as they would serve40 8,what was that for80 interrupted ,mary4 8,such of the persons receiving them1 as had come on a pilgrimage from a distant country to ,rome1 carried these palms home1 as a sign that they had accomplished their undertaking1 and called themselves palmers in consequence4 ,they1 and all who had palms from the church1 preserved them carefully1 as they believed that the blessing pronounced over them by the pope would extend to the house in which they were kept40 8,now1 papa1 tell us why we call willows palms1 and gather them for ,palm ,sunday40 8,a little patience1 my dear1 and ,i will4 ,i need not say that palm-trees do not grow in all the countries where there are ,christians4 ,even in ,italy the climate does not suit them4 ,there is1 however1 one small sandy valley1 open to the sea and the southern sun1 on the coast of ,genoa1 where the date-palm is cultivated on purpose to supply ,rome with branches for ,palm ,sunday2 and ,i have heard it said that it is the exclusive privilege of one family living in a village on the coast to furnish these branches1 because it is descended from a sailor to whom the right was granted in reward for having1 by quickness and presence of mind1 saved the lives of hundreds1 and ensured success to the raising the immense obelisk of ,egyptian granite in the ,piazza di ,san ,pietro1 where it has stood ever since the days of ,pope ,sixtus the ,fifth1 who was pope from #aehe to #aeij4 ,at his command it was raised out of the earth in which it lay buried by the enterprising skill of the architect ,domenic ,fontana4 ,crowds assembled to behold the wonderful work4 ,silence was enjoined to all upon pain of death1 that nothing might for one moment draw the attention of the workmen from what they were about1 or prevent their hearing the signals agreed upon4 ,a ,genoese sailor1 however1 accustomed by his seafaring life to the management of ropes1 perceived that the cords to which the obelisk was fastened were slackening1 and1 in defiance of the order1 loudly cried out1 #8,acqua6 acqua6' 7,water6 water67 ,fontana instantly understood his meaning and the danger1 and ordered pails-full to be brought and splashed over them1 by which means the ropes1 which had been dried too much by the sun1 were quickly tightened again1 and the heavy obelisk saved from falling upon the workmen40 8,oh1 papa1 how could that be80 said ,mary4 8,when you go home1 your brothers will shew you the difference wetting will make in the length of a rope1 and then you will understand my story better4 ,i am sure ,molly and ,jane know it already by their washing-lines4 ,but to finish my story4 8,the brave sailor was tried and sentenced to be put to death for disobedience to the ,pope's orders2 nor was it 7the story goes7 without difficulty that ,fontana obtained his pardon1 and1 as it seems1 a slender reward for so great a service4 8,it is probable1 too1 that this family may be employed to manufacture artificial branches1 when 7as is frequently the case7 the trees themselves do not supply a number equal to the demand4 #i ,this they contrive by tying reeds and sedges to willow wands1 in imitation of the palm leaf1 and placing a portion of the real palm at the tip of the mock one40 8,oh1 thank you1 papa--thank you4 ,what a pretty story1 what a brave1 good man the sailor was2 how ,i love him6 ,i hope it is quite true1 papa4 8,indeed1 my dear1 so do ,i1 and ,i am inclined to believe that it is40 8,but what a pity there is no more of it1 papa4 ,we have not been sitting in this snug corner nearly half an hour4 ,have we1 ,molly8 ,have we1 ,jane8 ,you are not tired1 dear ,molly80 8,oh no1 my dear ,miss ,mary4 ,perhaps10 continued the old woman1 8your papa can tell us why the willow1 rather than any other tree1 was chosen to represent the palm2 if he really will spare us a little more of his time80 8,willingly10 said ,mr4 ,lumley4 8,from the prayer of consecration used in early times on presenting the palms at ,rome1 we learn that fruit and flowers were also presented4 ,this clearly shews that the whole ceremony was copied from some of those of the ,temple of ,jerusalem4 ,there1 at the ,feast of the ,tabernacles1 along with the palm branches1 boughs of the willow and myrtle1 and the fruit of the citron1 each perfect in its kind1 were presented by every man to the priest at the altar40 8,why was that1 papa80 8,the palm1 as ,i told you before1 was a sign of victory2 and the ,jews loved to worship ,god as the leader of their hosts1 as the ,lord of ,battles4 ,the willow grows by the fresh water brooks1 and is a sign of fertility2 it was properly laid on the altar of ,him #8who openeth his hand and filleth all things living with plenteousness4' ,the myrtle is a shade and shelter from the heat1 and its bark and leaves preserve all materials tanned with them from decay2 it is in reference1 ,i think1 to this quality1 that ,queen ,esther is often called ,hadassah1 or the ,myrtle1 because she sheltered the ,israelites and preserved them from the malice of ,haman4 ,as to the ripe citron1 its fragrance1 its beauty1 and perhaps its quality of keeping long unspoiled when gathered from the tree1 fitted it for an offering representing the beauty and fruitfulness of the land of promise4 8,now you see1 ,mary1 that of the trees or fruits offered in the ,temple of ,jerusalem1 or the church of ,rome1 the willow is the only one which is found in the northern countries of ,europe1 and therefore the only one likely to be used by us on ,palm ,sunday40 8,i am sure10 said old ,molly1 when ,mr4 ,lumley had done speaking1 8we shall not easily forget why we gather willows and carry them instead of palms1 eight days or so before ,easter4 ,can your reverence tell us if the poor ,jews preserve any of these customs now80 8,a great many2 although the glory is departed from their temple1 many with true hearts continue to perform their ceremonies1 and to the best of their power1 to make their offerings in their synagogues4 ,at present1 ,i have not time to tell you more than that they spare no expense to procure fair citrons and flowering myrtles3 the willow1 you know1 they find everywhere2 but they generally supply the place of palm by the branch of an almond tree40 ,mary's half hour was now spent4 ,the minute-hand of ,molly's great clock pointed to half-past three4 ,mamma expected her and papa home by four2 so1 tying on her bonnet1 she bade ,molly and ,jane good-bye1 and followed by ,sam1 with a bundle of palms for her brothers1 she set out gaily on her walk home1 gathering fresh flowers for her own flower-pot1 and arranging the new things she had learned that day in her little head1 by the help of a question to papa every now and then about citrons1 myrtles1 willows1 and palms4 ,,botanical ,,names ,,of ,,little ,,mary',s ,,flowers4 ,march ,violet ,viola ,odorata ,primrose ,primula ,vulgaris ,cowslip ,primula ,veris ,pilewort ,ranunculus ,ficuria ,lady's-smocks ,cardamine ,pratensis ,wood ,sorrel ,oxalis ,acetosella ,pasque ,flower ,anemone ,pulsatilla ,white ,wood ,anemone ,anemone ,nemerosa ,adder's ,tongue ,ophioglossum ,vulgaris ,sallow ,salix ,aquatica4 ,,medicinal ,,uses ,,acknowledged ,,by ,,lindley ,,in ,,his 8,,flora ,,medica1 #ahch40 ,,violet4--,flowers anodyne1 and roots emetic4 ,used in the ,grand ,seignor's ,sherbet4 ,,cowslip4--,pleasant sedative1 particularly in wine4 ,,pilewort4--,very acrid4 ,used sometimes for blisters1 or for drawing-plaisters1 but with great caution4 ,,lady',s-,,smocks4--,lindley does not seem to know its use in agues1 but says it is a popular remedy for falling-sickness in children4 ,,wood ,,sorrel4--,a cooling drink in fevers4 ,,wood ,,anemone4--,the pulsatilla very acrid1 and those who rub down the powder vomit and are affected with colic if they do not use a veil4 ,used in very small doses for complaints on the lungs4 ,the ,anemone ,nemerosa is much milder4 ,both have been used by country people1 in various ways1 often with good effect2 but sometimes producing much mischief4 ,,sallow4--,the bark of many willows is an effectual substitute for cinchona or ,jesuit's bark4 ,a substance called ,salicine is produced from it1 used with effect instead of ,sulphate of ,quinia4--,lindley4 ,willow bark contains a good deal of tannin4--,hatchet4 ,next to oak-bavin1 willow sprays peeled make the best charcoal for gunpowder4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,end4 99 99 99 99 99 ,printed by ,w4 ,birch1 ,high ,street1 ,kensington4 ,,footnotes4 #e ,though old ,molly did not know it1 just about the time she was speaking1 some gentlemen began to examine the sallow bark with more attention than it had met with before4 ,and they procured a medicine from it called salicine1 which seems to have the same properties as the quinine1 which is made from ,jesuit's bark4 #i ,little ,mary's friend ,mr4 ,brown told her afterwards1 that the only place in ,europe where the climate and soil is sufficiently favourable to the palm for dates to ripen is ,valencia2 and that the palm-trees there had been originally planted for the purposes of the church4