240 State Horticultural Society, 



in his eyes is not sunlight, noonlight, nor starlight ; far less is it the 

 light that never shone on land or sea. It is merely the glitter of 

 commercial metal, and is entirely foreign to spiritual emotion of 

 any kind. What knows he of — 



"The bees low haunting hum. 



The skyward whirring of wings, 

 Bruised sassafras scent, 



The sweetflag's tonic taste. 

 The wind's cool instrument, 



Wholly unspoiled by haste?" 



He is concerned only about his dollars and planning how he may 

 increase their number. He does not believe that there is anything 

 better or higher. A cabbage is more to him than a rose, unless he 

 can sell the rose for more money than he can get for the head of 

 cabbage. 



He does not know that poetry is needed in the affairs of life ; 

 even more needed than gold. Nor did he ever hear of a poet's 

 comment on the commercial spirit. "They had no poet, and they 

 died," said Pope, and I think those who have no eyes to see the 

 beauty, nor ears to hear the melody of nature, are not only spirit- 

 ually dead, but are rendered incapable of enjoying material exist- 

 ence. He who can climb to the mountain top inhales purer air 

 and obtains a wider view than does he who remains forever on the 

 lowland. 



It is almost a crime to go through the beautiful garden of the 

 Master with dull, unseeing eyes, taking no notice of the loveliness 

 so lavishly spread out for our interest and entertainment. Listen ! 

 Hear Him speak of such careless ones — 



' 'Eyes have they, but they see not, 

 They have ears, but they hear not." 



The melody and radiance of this world is to them as a sealed 

 book. How dare we so slight the work of the Creator ? 



The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table questions his auditors 

 thus: "Do you ever wonder why poets talk so much about flow- 

 ers? Did you ever hear of a poet who did not talk about them? 

 Don't you think a poem, which for the sake of being original 

 should leave them out, would be like those verses where the letter 

 a or e or some other is omitted ? Flowers will bloom over and over 

 again in poems as in the summer fields to the end of time, al- 

 ways old and always new." 



I recently imbibed comfort from this same author along a 

 slightly different line, when I was asked to write an essay to read 

 before this Society. I thought with trepidation, how can I do this 



