FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 269 



whatever answers no material purpose, devise more useful to 

 our country than the means of arming its rising population, its 

 fnture champions and defenders, with that imperisliable love of 

 home which will nerve their arms, and render them invincible, 

 should their rights be invaded? 



Flowers, like their Author, are impartial to all. They cheer 

 the boundless prairie, the mountain top, the lowliest valley, the 

 rich man's palace and the poor girl's pathway. Like music, 

 painting and poetry, they are universally appreciated. Tliey 

 elevate the affections, and arouse the God within the soul, 

 whether in saint, in savage or in sage. They speak to none an 

 unintelligible language. Even from the lowliest flower each 

 attentive listener hears, in his own tongue in which he was born, 

 " the wonderful works of God." New Englanders, Missourians, 

 Nebraskians, and dwellers about Oregon and California and 

 Australia; Africans, Patagonians, Siberians, Russians, Greeks, 

 Turks, Germans, Frenchmen, Englishmen and strangers of the 

 Crimea, about Sebastopol ; Chinese and Hottentots ; all may 

 hear from "tlie lilies of the field" — in a language, too, alike in- 

 telligible to all — the same old story, that the Creator of all cares 

 alike for all. 



" Observe the rising lily's snowy grace ; 



Observe the various vegetable race ; 



They neither toil, nor spin, but careless grow ; 



Yet see how warna they blush ! how bright they glow ! 



What regal vestments can with them compare ? 



What king so shining, or what queen so fair? " 



"Man's inhumanity to man" never originated in the divine 

 teachings of nature. 



" The face of nature is God's written Bible, 



Which all mankind may study and explore ; 

 None, none may rest, interpolate, or libel 



Its living lore. 



" And from its pages we may gather 



That every sect should love alike all others ; 

 Christian, Jew, Pagan, children of one Father, 



All, all are brothers." 



Earth has no reluctance to becoming the abiding place of 

 universal peace and happiness. Her darkest place, even her 



