Ellen Hampton Dick.
THE BIRD OF PEACE.
The dove, bearing an olive branch, is, in Christian art, an emblem of peace. The early churches used vessels of precious metal fashioned in the shape of a dove in which to place the holy sacrament, no doubt because the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ in the form of a dove.
Noah’s dove, of still older fame, was immortalized as a constellation in the sky.
The plaintive “coo” of the dove has also added to the sentiment about it. The poets delight to refer to it as a sorrowful bird. One of them says:
“Oft I heard the tender dove
In fiery woodlands making moan.”
The dove, “most musical, most melancholy,” is the singer whom the mocking bird does not attempt to imitate.
There is a Philippine legend that of all birds only the dove understands the human tongue. The pigeon tribe is noted for its friendliness to man—
“Of all the feathered race