The Mission of HoitTicuLxuRE. 49 



study of natural laws should be led to revere their author. The 

 "worship of trees" was once the higher type of pagan religion. 

 Better so than no worshipful spirit. The wandering Arab finds 

 cooling shelter and nourishing food in the pahn groves of the 

 desert. What wonder, then, that with his feeble spiritual vision 

 he should see more of Deity in the tree than in revelation. The 

 culture of plants and trees is a source of mental and moral 

 culture too much overlooked and neglected. Plant life is full 

 of attraction and impressive lessons, of mathematical exactness, 

 and perfect harmony, as well as of faith and patience. The 

 natural faculties of form and color find their most impressive 

 school in the symmetry and variety of plants. The perfect 

 adaptation of the parts of a plant, and its persevering develop- 

 ment to ultimate flower and fruitage, are valuable lessons point- 

 ing most surely to the true idea of human life, that "It is not 

 all of life to live,"' and that we should live to bless others. I 

 have, in a previous paper, spoken of a most impressive lesson 

 witnessed at Philadelphia in the Centennial year, but will repeat. 

 On the spot where, a few years ago, were to be seen the abodes 

 of crime and poverty, and where rags and wretchedness kept close 

 company, are now fine rows of brick tenements, each with its 

 little frontage of six by ten feet beside the walk filled with plants 

 and shrubs, mostly in pots and boxes ; also many of the window 

 sills, to the fourth story, brilliant with flowers. This was 

 formerly the " five points " of the city, but the John Wauna- 

 maker Mission School was started there, and from its benign 

 influence a great change was wrought in that moral desert, and 

 now a beautiful chapel and a large Gothic church are there, the 

 center of an industrious and worshipful community. It is said 

 that, from the first, flowers hml a prominent place in this mission 

 work. In any event, thousands saw and went away impressed 

 with the coincidence of the two sights — the blessed school and the 

 beautiful jlowers. I have recently learned of another incident 

 which occurred in the same city. The front of one of these 

 mission churches had a dreary aspsct, which the school desired to 

 beautify. For this purpose they held a concert, the price of 

 admission being one nice plant in pot. The result was a speedy 



4 — HORT. 



