230 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



friend?" And need she blush when she sends back that little blue 

 flower with yellow center called forget-me-not? Do these two under- 

 stand the language of flowers? But my purpose was — to return for a 

 moment to the flower and fruit mission — to incite my hearers to these 

 resolutions, viz.: "I will raise some flowers to give away ; I will soothe 

 and cheer the sick and the poor with their fragrance and beauty. If 

 possible, I will aid in establishing a Flower Mission in my city, town or 

 hamlet, and I will thus test the truth, that ' it is more blessed to give 

 than to receive ! ' " 



ADDENDA. ' 



I am sure of a pardon, if I add what transpired in St. Louis during 

 Christmas week where the activities of the ladies of the flower mission 

 were again called into requisition. Said the president to me: "We 

 have received Ave barrels full of oranges, as fine as ever I saw, five 

 barrels of splendid apples, ever so many boxes full of ginger snaps ; 

 about one thousand pounds of candies, and two thousand beautiful 

 Christmas cards." Now, reader, do you wish to know what became of 

 all these contributions ? The following from the Globe-Democrat gives 

 you the desired information : 



FLOWERS AND HOLIDAY GIFTS. 



" Sick and in prison and ye visited Me," will be as Christ himself 

 has told, one of the reasons He will assign to the blessed for the favor 

 they will meet with at His hands on the great judgment day. The 

 ladies of the Flower Mission seem more than anxious to have those 

 words addressed to them, and the work they have been doing ^ives 

 guarantee of it. For some time past, as told in the Globe-Damocrat, 

 they have been making preparations to give their suff"ering proteges a 

 treat which would cause them to share in the general Christmas joy. 

 The^Presbyterian rooms have been constantly at their disposal, and 

 yesterday after they had put the last touches to bundles and parcels 

 they set out on their work of mercy, and these were the distributions 

 they made : 



City Hospital — 145 bags of fruit and confections, 500 magazines 

 and books, 400 Christmas cards, basket of toys and a dozen lemons. 

 Female Hospital — 345 bags of fruit and confections, 300 books and 

 magazines, 325 Christmas cards, and a basket of toys. Poor House — 

 855 bages fruit and confections, 300 books and ijiagazines, 400 Christ- 

 mas cards, basket of toys. Girls' Industrial Home — 3 glasses of jelly, 

 1 box of candy, 1 picture scrap book and toys. Pacific Railroad Hos- 



