82 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



flowers — the flush of joy on the cheek, as the eyes rest on the token, 

 proves that their oflice is to bring peace and joy to mankind. 



Knowinjj( how the refining, gentle influence of these pursuits must have 

 made itself manifest in your lives, it affords me great pleasure to wel- 

 come you to our city. I know that your deliberations will be productive 

 of good, and my only regret is that it will be impossible for me to attend 

 all of your meetings and listen to your feast of reason and flow of soul. 



RESPONSE BY MR. MONROE. 



When I came here tonight the president said he would call upon me for 

 a response, or to furnish a substitute, and I do not believe he had any 

 more difliculty during the war to get a substitute than I have had tonight, 

 and I am not surprised, if they knew this mayor. I assure you that I feel 

 considerably embarrassed to uadei'take, on the spur of the moment, a fit- 

 ting response to such cordial words of greeting and such pleasant words 

 of M'elcome, and Ibis supplemented by the flags which decorate this hall, 

 stirring our patriotism and pride of country; supplemented, too, by the 

 flowers, and the music we have listened to, and this handsome room, furn- 

 ished for our gathering — I wish that I might find words to more fittingly 

 respond and thauk the people of Adrian and their mayor for this cordial 

 greeting. 



But as I can not, on behalf of the state society I sincerely thank you 

 for these many courtesies, evidences of your thought and care, all about 

 us, trusting that during this meeting we may give you some little items 

 of information that will prove helpful to you in the raising of fruits and 

 flowers. 



RESPONSE BY MR. REID. 



Our president has an unpleasant way, to amateur speakers like myself 

 (Mr. Monroe is an old hand at it), of drafting us into such service as this, 

 and insisting upon it; and, knowing he would do it anyway, I just a mo- 

 ment ago said I would undertake to say a word, inasmuch as I can do so 

 with a little better grace than if I were forced into it. 



We have had quite a time getting to Adrian. It is many years since 

 we have held a meeting in this part of the state. We were at Ann Arbor 

 two years ago, and at Port Huron before that; but we had tearful 

 entreaties from Mr. Allis to hold the meeting here, and you would have 

 thought Ironi those letters tliat the local society was famishing for a sight 

 of the state organization, which he led me to believe possessed a peculiar 

 vitalizing charm There may be a little in that, but it is very evident 

 that the Adrian society, so far as keeping it alive is concerned, does not 

 need our presence. But finally we have gotten around, and that we are 

 glad to be here you may feel assured by the pleasure we must show in our 

 faces inasmuch as we feel it in our hearts. As to our all being so good, I 

 really hoped your mayor would leave that untouched, and when he spoke 

 of having to take it cum grnno solis. I thought, "He also has 'got on to' us." 

 I did not suppose he had heard of me, or the president either, but some 

 way he has found us out. 



They say Adrian is a pretty city. I trust it is I think in the sum- 

 mer time it must be. I never heard of it as a bad city, but as one of 



