ANNUAL WINTER MEETING AT WARRENSBURG. 229 



It has been frequently noticed that Wednesday morning is most 

 anxiously awaited by the unfortunates confined in the institutions 

 named, and who knows but that the beautiful and fra<2;rant blossoms 

 gpeak to them of the fact that they are not utterly forgotten by their 

 heavenly Father or entirly cut oil' from the sympathy of our common 

 humanity? 



Ten or twelve years ago I had the pleasure to read before this so- 

 ciety a paper on landscape gardening prepared by Prof. M. G. Kern. 

 (I am sorry he is not now present to follow ray paper by some practical 

 remarks on the cultivation of flowers). The meeting 1 speak of was 

 held at St. Joe. Among the gentlemen present was Judge Bliss of the 

 Supreme Court. The reading of that paper made a deep impression 

 upon the Judge, and he cited the case of a young gentleman with 

 whom he was personally acquainted. This young man was sick with 

 consumption ; he had been traveling for his health, had found little 

 relief and had come home to die. A ministering angel in the person of 

 a lady, who understood the benign and soothing influence of a few 

 well arranged flowers sent daily a boquet to the sick room. I belieVe 

 there was no romance connected with this benefaction of the flowers ; 

 but they spoke to the sick of sympathy and afl"ection ; they were in- 

 tended and very likely answered the purpose to call off his attention 

 from his suff"erings, and to point him to the better land ' where ever- 

 lasting spring abides and never fading flowers." The young man so 

 valued this particular act of kindness that he would not for a moment 

 allow anyone to step in between himself and his boquet. While the 

 Judge recited this incident he was so overcome by his feelings as to 

 utterly break down and begged to be excused. 



While on a visit to " friends " in Minneapolis, who makes a bus- 

 iness of cultivating flowers, an order was received for a basket of flow- 

 ers to be placed by the bedside of a very sick man "like unto that sent 

 last Sabbath ; " it was the gift of a thoughtful brother; did the sick 

 man know who sent the flowers ? Who can doubt it? And so I have 

 drifted from the Flower Mission to the mission of flowers. There are 

 those who profess to understand their language, do you ? 



In the course of human events there are birthdays, marriages, fes- 

 tivals, and, also, funerals. Moreover there are still other festive occa- 

 sions, such as concerts, family reunions, anniversaries of public and 

 private events ; openings of churches and other public buildings, fairs, 

 expositions, and let us not forget Christmas and New Year. What 

 would we do on all these occasions without flowers ? Can language 

 speak more plainly than the presentation of a well arranged and fra- 

 grant boquet offered by the bashful and timid lover to his '' best 



