STATK HORTICULTTJKAL SOCIKTV. 



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Branch of the Union Pacific railroad, the members of the Missouri 

 State Board of Agriculture with those of Kansas were permitted to travel 

 from Atchison to Waterville, the then western terminus of the road. On 

 that occasion we were entertained for a little at Blue Rapids, and amongst 

 the first things as worthy of note we were informed that the citizens of 

 that beautiful town had planted in their streets, that same year, seven 

 thousand shade trees. Allow me to ask, what have you done in and 

 around your own towns in the way of tree-planting? 



In one of the most beautiful and desirable suburbs of St. Louis, 

 where is my present home, we, early last spring, formed a "village im- 

 provement society," and at present, with previous efforts, both public 

 and private, we have planted and growing on the streets and avenues of 

 Kirkwood about fifteen hundred shade trees, mostly elms and maples, 

 and our lots and yards and gardens are studded all over with evergreens, 

 shade and ornamental trees, and shrubs and flowers, and we think it a 

 good investment. Children growing up under such surroundings, if 

 otherwise well and judiciously trained, can never divest themselves 

 entirely of the influences which surroucded them in their youth, and they 

 will "rise up and call blessed" all that aided and abetted in this labor of 

 love. And so it will be here, my friends, if you do your duty. Will you 

 do it? 



What I would say to you, then, on this occasion, is that human hap- 

 piness is the result of a consciousness that we have done our whole duty 

 to our fellow man ; to those near and dear to us, who naturally look to us 

 for protection and care and are dependent upon us for their enjoyments, 

 and to ourselves. In order to have all that is within our reach of this 

 happiness, we must be diligent in making our homes pleasant and cheerful, 

 fit to be the holiest of holies to ourselves and our dear ones, and to the 

 friends we would invite into their holy precincts. Even a hut by the 

 railroad track, if a snowy curtain shades its window and a vine overshadows 

 its portal, a bit of green sward and a few flowers adorn its approaches, 

 and if only a-bit of rag carpet be placed by the bedside, can be the abode 

 of happiness, enjoyment and peace. 



I have thought it singular sometimes, and yet it is not really so, that 

 the editors of our dailies or magazines or our essayists should almost with 

 one consent describe the acme of human happiness as being enjoyed in 

 the country. The bliss so much coveted by city people, and by others 

 anxious to reside in the city, consists largely in the tinsel and glitter of 

 fashion and wealth, and in the rush after amusements and the honors of 

 position and worldly fame. To the purer joys of country life, of quiet 

 meditation and of looking through nature up to nature's God, most of 

 the denizens of the crowded cities are strangers! 



In conclusion, and in confirmation of what I have just offered for 

 your thoughtful consideration, allow me to quote a paragraph from the 

 Philadelphia Record : 



Happiness is the grand aim of life, and to secure its fullest blessings we must 

 cultivate the mind and all the graces of the spirit. We always associate leisure, 

 innocence and peace with rural life, combined with the kindred joys which contentment 

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