SUIMMER MEETING AT LOUISIANA. 113 



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l)e our brothers keeper. When darkness reigned upon the earth, and 

 Chaos marked this world as his — from the Eternal came the word: 

 •*' Let there be light and there was light," the waters rolled and surged 

 in their places and land, in time, dry land appeared and old earth had 

 her place among the whirling worlds. God looking from on high, upon 

 his work saw that it was good and very good. Then the chorus of 

 heaven was awakened — the morning stars sang together and the sons 

 •of God, shouted for joy. We learn that in the fairest portion of that 

 young earth, God planted a garden and out of the ground he made to 

 grow " every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food." The 

 rivers went out of Eden to water this garden — the dews of heaven came 

 down upon it, and the mists from the earth watered the whole face of the 

 ground. And the Lord made man and put him in the garden to dress 

 and keep it, giving him dominion over the combined kingdoms of the 

 animal and vegetables. By and by, the work became too great for 

 Adam. He needed help, and pined by the way, and Our Father in 

 Heaven, seeing his need, came with his last best gift — the beautiful 

 Eve, to help him in his grand work. Thus was formed the first great 

 horticultural society, founded and brought into existence by He who 

 liung our world upon nothing and created ma^n from the dust of the 

 ■earth, breathing with his nostrils the breath of life— a high born lineage 

 running down to us through revolving years. 1 need not tell you the 

 sad old story of the serpent's entry into that garden, for we learn he 

 ■was the most subtle of all the beasts of the field, tempting our great 

 fore-parents to sin and caused the breaking up of thai, our first great 

 ancestral home. This story is too old to repeat, its effects too near to 

 our view, for we all know that death is abroad in the land, and that the 

 thorn, the thistle and briar do grow, and that the bug, the locust and 

 catterpillar infest our orchards and fruits and the truth of the mandate, 

 ■"by the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread all thy days," is bourne 

 to us on every breeze. 



But man is now striving to redeem the lost cause and to restore 

 the world to its pristine state. • The-nearest approach to that state be- 

 fore the fall is the well organized and thoughtfully conducted home. 

 Homes such as we have in the United States of Amerixja — homes such 

 as we have on our broad prairies where golden grain and waving corn 

 give out their influence and go to swell the marts of the world; homes 

 nestled in the hills where vines and fruits and flowers do or should 

 greet us on every side ; homes where the proud feeling of possession, 

 •by right of ownership, come to make it doubly sure. But the mandate 



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