The Belles of Saint Mary’s
REMARKS ON HERBS
“For use and for delight,” says
the Herb Society of x\merica, and
others define an herb as “a garden
jdant which has been cherished for
itself and for a use.” Having sug
gested definitions, how shall we pro
nounce our term? Webster’s Dic
tionary gives “urb” preference over
“herb.” English usage retains the
“h” and its use is growing com
moner in this country.
During Tudor days and for seven
centuries before, by a garden was
meant an herb garden, and this gar
den supplied the household not only
with pot herbs but with coimh mix
tures, tonics, sweet waters, love po
tions, insect powders and cosmetics.”
It was utilitarian; though in read
ing lists of plants grown, we are
'charmed by names such as Lovage,
Sweet Cicely, Rosemary, balm and
rue. We may be disappointed, too,
for good King Henry, on further
acquaintance proves to bo a kind of
“spinage.” Many of the plants
grown in these old gardens have no
place in our gardens, but others may
well find a place because of their
fragrance, beauty of form and use
fulness.
Many herbs are at home in Medi
terranean countries where their es
sential oils protect against heat and
drought and they require a sunny
location for virtue and fragrance. A
good, dry baking North Carolina
summer should appeal to these sun
lovers. Their soil requirements are
not exacting and poor soil gives a
higher yield of aromatic oil for less
leaf develops. Science C, a few
years ago, planted specimens of
some great herbs in the flower bed
between East Rock and the West
Building and there you may see
some that have survived and thrived.
Two large lavender bushes have
been happy there until this winter,
which claimed one victim. Laven
der, a favorite sweet smelling herb,
is a shrubby perennial witli gray
green foliage and [)urple, lavender
or white flower spikes. It is native
to hot, dry hillsides around the Med
iterranean and prefers a light, warm
soil and plenty of lijru'. The dried
blossoms are used to .^cent linens and
to make pot pourri.
Rosemary is the fitting com])anion
for lavender. It, too, is a woody
perennial with glistening, gray green
foliage—and delicious, resinous fra
grance and flowers of an exquisite
shade of blue. Brush against the
bush or (you have my permission)
|)inch a few leaves to delight your
nose. Rosemary was the herb of re
membrance and a sprig of it was
presented to wedding guests and
friends and, with an orange stuck
with cloves, it was a New Year’s
gift. It was used for strewing and
in cookery and in medicine and is
still used in the manufacture of eav
de cologne. A few leaves add flavor
to roast veal.
Rue, or the herb of grace as it was
called, is a bitter herb. Its leaves
are bluish green, and delicately scal-
lojjcd and finely divided. Pale yel
low’ flowers are borne in flat topped
clusters. Rosemary and rue were
SIX UNDERCLASSMEN DANCE MARSHALS
(Times Staff Photos)
Above are the six dance marshals elected recently from the freshman and sophomore classes. These
marshals together with the upperclassmen’s representatives took over their new duties at the Junior-
Senior dance and made it one of the most well-regulated dances Saint Mary’s has ever had. In the,
usual order they are Nancy O’Herron, Ann Carter, Peggy' Parsley, Mary Davis and Betty Jane Peuch-
tenberger. Dibba Thome, also a marshal, is not pictured above.
considered protective herbs and
branches were placed before the
judges in court to protect them
against gool fever.
The thymes are almost without
number. They are sun lovers of low
shrubbery or creeping growth habit.
Many are tough enough to use in the
garden path and give up their fra
grance to the air when stepped upon.
Bacon said that “herbs are fast of
their smells” but they do yield such
good smells when encouraged to do
so. Beside the common thyme of
stuffing fame, there is the wild thyme
which is a valuable bee plant that
gives an excellent flavor to honey.
We have, too, the lemon scented va-
riety.
' .\n annual which comes readily
from seed and sows itself is borage,
with wide, rough, bristly leaves and
star-like blossoms of pale blue. The
blossoms were once used to decorate
the claret cup and the leaves were
recommended as a kind of “spinage,”
of which some of us think there is a
plenty without search for new varie
ties. Borage was the sovereign
•Vnglo-Saxon remedy against melan
choly and w’as said “to comfort the
heart and increase the job of the
wind.” The traveller stuck a piece
in his shoe and was never foot-weary.
These are a few of the herbs you
may enjoy and I must tell you that
herb gardening may be taken to the
fireside and there enjoyment is to be
had from the quaint recipes in the
old Herbals, recipes for sweet waters
to comfort the brain and to cheer
the spirit and for protection against
the brown nightmare that paws on
the chest. One recommends bruised
horehound leaves for “woman’s will
fulness in falling on her husband’s
hastie fistes.” Under thyme, there
is a recipe to enable one to see the
Fairies. As Miss Rohde quotes, “If
there be any that are not true, yet
they are pleasant.”
M. Lalor.
We’re all wondering when the
weather will make up its mind. One
day we dress for sunshine, that aft
ernoon it rains and we get out our
reversibles—we even put on galoshes!
. . . Peggy Parsley packed off to
Carolina last week-end—looking as
gorgeous as usual, by the way! . . .
Rachel Evans and Peggy Dennis are
two of the fortunates w’ho are ac
quiring a slow but steady tan. . . .
Last Saturday night Virginia Wil
liams and Sybil Lytle tripped off to
the Sig-Ep ball. Tassie Fleming and
Bunny Dicks added that extra some
thing to the Figure. ... If anyone
has lost a Kappa-Alpha pin please
see Margaret Swindell. One was re
turned to her, but, sadly enough, she
doesn’t claim to be the owner! . . .
Not to change the subject, but have
you heard “Polka Dots and Moon
beams” ? It seems to be the rage at
the moment along with “Rebecca.”
. . . Gertrude Carter and Gray
Woodard were just in ecstasies about
Lawrence (Heathcliff) Olivier (dit
to yours truly). . . . For those inter
ested—Eddie Duchin has been signed
uj) for State’s Finals. We can bet
that Saint Mary’s will be represent
ed as usual. . . . Nancy Moore’s Gus
finally got here last week end. After
hearing about him so much we just
couldn’t resist mentioning him! It
appears that this was one of those
rarely pleasant rainy afternoons. . . .
Ruth Miller and Betty Youngblood
really had a heavenly time in Bab''
more. From what they say, tU!
didn’t spend the greater part of
nights at home! . . . Glad to
Clara Ann Gardner back again. • j
Martha Kight couldn’t talk enoUr
about her trip to Virginia, or
^filler either. It seems sbe had F
much of a good time to want to co®*'
back! On the subject of Virginia")
Jean Betts and Betty Barnard a**
planning to go up for Finals. • '
Listening to T. Dorsey tomorra’
night will be Betty Thorp and Majj
-r-v 1 TTTl *. ' pt
Doyle White. Wish we could
there too.
AT THE THEATERS
AMB.^SSADOB
April 28-29: “It’s a Date.”
April 30-May 2: “My Little
“Chickadee.” ^
May 3-0: “My Favorite Wife.”
CAPITOL
April 28: “U-67.”
-\pril 29-30: “Brother Rat and
the Baby.”
May 1-2: “Forgotten Girls.”
May 3-4: “Spoilers of the Rang®'
STATE
April 28-29: “Invisible Stripes-
xVpril 30; “ilillionaire Playboy-
May 1-2 : “Sidewalks of Nev’
York.”
May 3 : Stage Show.
May 4-5: “Black Friday.”
WAKE
April 28: “Reno.”
xVpril 29 : “Oh, Johnny, Oh.”
April 30-May 1: “Charles
ifeCarthy, Detective.”
^lay 2: “Babes in xVrms.”
May 3-4: “Shooting High.”