“In form then of a white rose Displayed itself to me the saintly host Whom Christ in His own blood had made His bride; Faces had they all of living flame, And wings of gold, and all the rest so white, No snow unto that beauty can attain.” Tennyson, in “St Agnes’ Eve,” uses white in the same way to convey the ecstasy of St Agnes:-- “Make Thou my spirit pure and clear As are the frosty skies, Or this first snowdrop of the year That in my bosom lies.” The Archangel Gabriel is usually known in pictures from the fact that his emblem is the lily--sometimes called the “lily of the annunciation,” as a sign that a pure soul is necessary before Christ can take possession of it. Gabriel is usually said to be the Angel of the Moon, to which the colour white and the metal silver were given by astrologers and mystics. It was the custom of Roman ladies to wear white. The wearing of bright colours was looked upon as portraying a lack of virtue. The word “candidate” tells us that integrity was expected of all persons desiring office. Hesiod the poet sees Modesty and Justice in white robes:-- “And those fair forms in snowy raiment bright Leave the broad earth, and heavenward soar from sight; Justice and Modesty, from mortals driven, Rise to th’ immortal family of heaven.” Hermas sees the Church as a virgin in white:-- “Behold there met me a certain virgin, well-adorned, and as if she had just come out of her bride-chamber--all in white, having on white shoes, and a veil down her face, and her head covered with shining hair. Now, I knew by my former visions that it was the church.” The Japanese use white as symbol of death, and a bride wears white as her parents consider her dead to them and belonging only to her husband. In Revelation there is a curious statement: “To him that overcometh will I give the white stone.” It was the custom to give the victor in the games a white stone, so that the sentence seems a truism, as “To him that overcometh will I give the sign of victory”; but when we dig more deeply into the meaning of the white stone we find that it is a sign of deity, of the Spirit of God marking out His chosen one. In the Amaravati tope at the British Museum Buddha is seen sitting on the white stone, and sometimes the white stone is used in place of Buddha. In Ireland, until recent times, white stones were placed in a coffin and called “God’s stones.” Hence “To him that overcometh will I give the white stone” means that to the victor shall be given the joy of the presence of God, the joy of harmony, the music of the spheres-- “When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy.” There was a similar idea among the Egyptians. In the papyrus of Ani you will note that when he is justified he is shown with white hair. Similarly, Christ in Revelation has hair[19] as white as wool. [19] Revelation i. 14.