254 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



again observe that in laying out beds in borders, in ribbon and 

 in carpet gardening (which as yet has not appeared in our city), 

 that flowers themselves must be followed, or the result is an 

 abortion. It takes considerable skill as well as refined taste to 

 make a boquet beautiful. Anyone can make it gay, but to 

 make it beautiful — "ay! there's the rub." Mercenary folks will 

 underdo it, and uncultivated people will overdo. Only those 

 who in heart and life are as simple, pure and quiet as flowers 

 can do it well. No one who loves flowers can be vulgar, loud, 

 false or mean. 



3. Flowers are the o^auo^e of civilization. Barbarians don't 

 cultivate them. Hard, coarse, mercenary men care nothing for 

 them; they " leave them to the women folks." I will tell you the 

 exact state of a city by the appearance of its door-yards and the 

 condition of the cemetery. If these are flowerless, unkempt, un- 

 clean, you have a city where the people are ignorant, selfish, or 

 sick; it is in a state of decay, or else awaits further develop- 

 ment. It is within the nineteenth century that trees have been 

 planted in streets, and flowers made to adorn public parks. Now 

 as the old world is blossoming into such beauty as it never be- 

 fore has known, we take our flowers to church and make them 

 in silence preach the gospel of content; we give them to the 

 bride as pure and white as she; we lay them on the tomb in all 

 sorts of significant emblems to express onr sorrow, and to en- 

 courage the hope of immortality. These things are not done 

 among barbarous or uncultivated people. 



I need say nothing about the cheerfulness they give to the 

 home, nor attempt to describe the desolate condition of the home 

 where they do not shed their perfume and show their beauty. 

 Nor need I say a word concerning their ministry to the soul, and 

 that the Christian who affects to ignore them, rejects a very 

 profitable means of grace which is as necessary for his spiritual 

 life as prayer, fellowship or bible study. My object is not now 

 to preach, and therefore I purposely refrain from saying all I 

 miirht. But I will urg-e all to cultivate in the home and else- 

 where those apparently useless plants for their greater service to 

 the mind and soul. 



