 Old Perfume and Scent Bottles
by Wayne
Mattox
You don't have to
be a Sunday school teacher, or even a Christian for that
matter, to be familiar with verses 9-11, Mathew 2, from
the Holy Bible:
"After their
audience with the king they set out. The star which they
had observed at its rising went ahead of them until it
came to a standstill over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering
the house found the child with Mary his mother. They
prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they
opened their coffers and presented him with gifts of
gold, frankincense and myrrh."
Wise men came
bearing gifts. Most precious in Herod's kingdom,
undoubtedly. You already know about gold. How about the
other treasures in the coffer? Do you have any idea
what frankincense and myrrh are?
 They are
perfumes. At first thought, pleasant smelling tree resign
seems a tawdry gift to present to a newborn king whose
prophesized birth is announced by a supernova. On second
thought, in those days, it was a pretty special gift.
Here's why: running water, Dial Soap, Right Guard
deodorant, shower equipped bath tubs, toothpaste,
Listerine and affordable clean clothing and undergarments
are contemporary inventions. Bottom line is: Up until the
first quarter of the 20th century, people reeked,
big-time.
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