ILLINOIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 265 



more advanced age, who gleefully, hand in hand, wander through the 

 woodland wild, in search of flowers, or in meadows sweet, engaged 

 in making floral wreaths, or daisy chains. 



This love of the beautiful never becomes extinct in the human soul. 

 It may be crushed by the cultivation of selfish feelings; it may be par- 

 tially extinguished by wolfish greed and the eager haste to be rich ; but 

 away down in the human heart the latent spark remains. We see this 

 exemplified when the weary, worn-out man of business, tired of acquir- 

 ing wealth, begins to look around for some quiet spot where he can 

 plant shrubs and flowers, and make himself a home. 



Can we not, as a society, bring this latent principle into healthy action 

 by bringing such influences to bear upon the minds of men as will lead 

 them to drink at those pure fountains of pleasure, and here find the re- 

 laxation they need from the sterner and more uncongenial pursuits of 

 wealth .' This is a (question wliich deserves our serious consideration. 



A writer has beautifully said : " Floriculture is the most rational ot 

 all recreations. It teaches forethought, industry, and' economy of time. 

 It exalts the mind, invigorates the frame, and constantly reminds us of 

 the great God, whose hand is imprinted on every leaf and flower, and 

 who, in His bountiful goodness, rewards us with the fruits of the 

 earth." 



To teach the farmer to manage his garden, and his children to cul- 

 tivate flowers, is to find them innocent gratification and ultimately lead 

 them to purity and happiness. 



This we believe to be our mission, to teach men that they were not 

 born to plod and drudge; that tliey were not sent here with eyes blinded 

 to the beautiful creations around them ; or ears stopped to the music of 

 nature ; or, when the fragrance of opening flowers, as it floats upon the 

 morning breeze, is wafted toward them, refuse to inhale it lest they 

 might enjoy it. 



You must not, gentlemen, think us crazy on this flower (juestion, for 

 we do think that the adornment of our homes contributes in no small 

 degree to the improvement of a people, by the moral influence it exer- 

 cises upon them. Whatever makes home pleasant and attractive, les- 

 sens the temptation to stray into the paths of evil, and protects its 

 inmates from falling an easy prey to the snare of the tempter. 



As the work of this society is missionary to some extent, we can do 

 much in educating the taste of our peoi)le, more especially the farming 

 population, as they possess greater facilities for beautifying their homes 

 than any other class. Each of us might go to work during these leis- 

 ure days of early spring, and encourage our neighbors to fix up things 

 generally about the house, to go to the woods and river bottoms, and 

 dig up maples and elms and plant them around the homestead, not only 

 to make // more beautiful, but to protect themselves from the summer's 

 heat and the winter's storm. 



We think when dealing out arguments in favor of home adornment, 

 .we ought to say as little as possible about money being necessary for its 



