a, and was welcomed by
them as useful in teaching Christianity to the Indians. It is the one
contribution of the new continent to the ecclesiastical symbolism of
flowers.

_Symbols of the Evangelists and Apostles._--The Evangelists are often
represented by four scrolls, four open books, or four streams of water
issuing from Christ the Rock; but most commonly the Evangelistic
symbols are the _Man_, the _Lion_, the {84} _Ox_, and the _Eagle_.
These figures refer to the mysterious creatures described by the
prophet Ezekiel, and afterward by St. John, as adoring ceaselessly
before the throne of God. "They rest not day and night, saying, Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." The
man is assigned to St. Matthew and his Gospel, because of the manner in
which the manhood of our Lord is set forth, the lion to St. Mark,
because he shows {85} His royal dignity and power; the ox to St. Luke,
because his is the sacrificial Gospel and dwells on the Atonement; and
the eagle to St. John, because his Gospel rises to the contemplation of
the sublimest mysteries of the Christian faith.

[Illustration: Man, Lion, Ox, Eagle symbols]

All these symbols are winged, as showing that the message of the
Gospels is to go to all the earth as the concern of all men everywhere.

All four symbols are sometimes combined into one, called a Tetramorph.

Each Apostle has also his own appropriate symbol.

St. James the Greater has the escallop shell and staff of the pilgrim.
His shrine in Spain was one of the great centers to which pilgrims came
from all lands.

[Illustration: Apostle symbols--S. Peter, S. Andrew, S. James ye more,
S. Johan, S. Thomas, S. James ye less.]

St. John, as an Apostle, has a cup with a winged serpent rising from
it, in reference to the tradition {86} that St. John once drank with
impunity from a poisoned chalice after having made the sign of the
Cross over it.

St. Thomas bears the spear with which he was slain, or the carpenter's
rule, from a legend that he was sent to the king of the Indies to build
him a palace. St. Thomas gave to the poor the money intrusted to him
by the king. He was cast into prison, but the king had a vision of a
marvelous palace in Paradise built for him by the money given in
charity. St. Thomas was released, and the king became a Christian.

St. Peter has the keys, in reference to our Lord's words to him, and to
his opening of the door of the Church to