102 TEANSACTIOXS OF THE ILLINOIS 



Mr. McKinney presented an invitation for the Society to hold 

 its next meeting with the Marshall County Society, at Lacon. 



After considerable discussion, a ballot resulted in the choice of 

 Cairo. 



WEDNESDAY EVENINQ 



FLOWERS— THEIR INFLUENCE AND ASSOCIATIONS. 



BY MRS. F. L. FULLMER, HAMILTON. 



Mr. President. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Illinois State Horti- 

 cultural Society: 



The realm of flowers is as varied and infinite as its blossoms- 

 are fragile and evanescent. And while we leave to the Botanist 

 the analysis, classification, habits and functions of plant life, and 

 to the Committee on Floriculture the instructive dissertation upon 

 that branch of the subject, we propose sinrply to touch upon the 

 influences of these refining messengers of nature, and the tender 

 associations connected with them. Some one has styled the 

 flower "a living creature with histories written on its leaves and 

 passion breathing in its motion: a voice rising from the earth; 

 a new chord in the mind's music.*' Born of the inspiration of 

 this poetical idea of the flower, are the humble thoughts we gar- 

 land together this evening. It would be a voluminous task to ex- 

 haust the subject under which we write, and so we must be con- 

 tent with exhausting our audience. We find that flowers are 

 associated by ancient custom with the most entrancing tales of 

 genius, the richest essence of poetry. "We find them consecrated 

 in all ages to our religion, our fancies, and even to our super- 

 stitions. They are also s}'mbols of the flowers that bloom in the 

 garden of the heart ; flowers purifying life, expanding the soul,, 

 and drawing more closely the bonds of nature to the human 

 heart. Through their mute influence lessons of purity are un- 

 consciously taught, and untold pleasures are conveyed. To the 

 flowers we owe our ardent love of bright colors. We have a dis- 

 tinct, childish recollection of looking forward to a time when we 

 might wear a dress stamped with variegated "Touch-me-nots," 

 a hat plumed in "Princess Feather,'" and a parasol, modeled after 

 an immense Sunflower; which at the present day would be 

 stunningly esthetic, not to say Oscar Wilde-ish. Nor have we, 

 in all the years that have intervened, been able to tone down 

 that love born of the flowers, the love of color. There are those 

 in the world who ardently admire the brilliant hues of a flower,. 



