October 3, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



•t;)5 



MISSION OF BEAUTY. 



Ee:i<l I'.v C. B. Harrison before American 

 Peony Society in CLieayo. 



In the age of carbon there were no 

 flowers. Utility came first. The oceans 

 of oil must be distilled. The vegeta- 

 tion must be canned uii in co;il bods so 

 that the heat of the Ions ago lould be 

 carried down through the ages to the 

 present. 



There were no peonies or roses in 

 these days— no grains, no fruits. No 

 animals adapted to human wants. But 

 as the earth ripened for man we see 

 primitive fruits and grains, then come 

 domestic animals and most wonderful 

 of all God's gardens of precious gems 

 are planted. These are marvelous in 

 their splendor and all have their mis- 

 sion in the uplift of humanity. The 

 diamond, the emerald, the topaz and 

 sapphire with scores of other jewels 

 have their place in ministering to the 

 pleasures of men. How much these 

 gardens of Immortelles, these flowers 

 which do not fade, have added to the 

 wealth of the world. Turkey has mil- 

 lions upon milions of precious stones 

 stored in her vaults. England has im- 

 mense treasures of them. The crown 

 of Elizabeth was a blaze of sjilendor. 

 The present crown is most magnifi- 

 cent. What a blaze of effulgence was 

 seen in the martial displays of the 

 past. The bridles of the horses and the 

 swords of the warriors sparkled with 

 precious stones. Beautiful things are 

 made to pay tribute to love. The 

 ycung man gives his intended the most 

 fragrant and charming roses and car- 

 nations and then puts a flashing 

 jewel on her finger. The millionaire 

 adorns his home with the treasures of 

 art — all this a tribute to his affection 

 foi wife and children. 



I love to think of the most charming 

 idyl of womanhood. In the long ago a 

 prophet of a far away vision said "a 

 virgin shall conceive and bear a son 

 and he shall be called Immanuel." 

 Seven hundred years pass aw'ay when 

 among the hills of the Holy Land a 

 beautiful maiden is saluted by an 

 angel and told that she should be the 

 mother of the promised child. Enrap- 

 tured with the honor and glory of it 

 she breaks out in that lioly song of the 

 Magnificat which has thrilled down 

 through the ages. 



"My soul dotb magnify the Lord. For 

 He batb regarded tbe low estate of bis 



bandmaiden. 

 For bebold bencefortb all generations 

 sball call me blessed." 



How came that rapturous song to 

 bubble up in the soul of the beautiful 

 girl? Was the prophesy true? Never 

 ■woman so highly honored in art, in 

 poetry and song. She is reverenced, 

 adorned and adored as the Mother of 

 God. Go into the Sacristry of one of 

 the Greek churches in Moscow and 

 there you will see her image carved in 

 cedar, clothed in the richest silk and 

 all her robes flashing in the light 

 which is poured in upon her so that 

 she seems transfigured. The jewels 

 which flash in her robes are worth mil- 



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In wrttlng advertisers kindly mention HOUXICULTUKB. 



liens and on her head a coronal re- 

 splendent in glory. In some of the 

 Latin cathedrals representations of 

 her are embellished with the tributes 

 of nations and of ages. In Spain her 

 image is crowned with a magnificent 

 coronal and on its crest a sapphire of 

 marvelous worth and beauty. 



Centuries ago Sha Jahan lost his 

 beautiful and beloved wife. When she 

 was dying he promised her the most 

 costly monument the world had ever 

 seen and he kept his word. He se- 

 (ured the services of the most famous 

 architect of his time — the man who de- 

 signed the Peacock throne which cost 

 tliirty millions. For this vast temple 

 monument the wealth of India was 

 poured out. Thousands of workmen 

 toiled for years. Enormous quantities 

 of richest gems glittered in the walls. 

 The stately columns were ablaze with 

 them. The mosaics were the triumph 

 of wealth and art. And today, away in 

 the heart of India after ages of neglect 

 pnd pillage the costly structure rises 

 like a vision from the land of dreams. 

 Beauty is for imtnortals. 



Animals cannot appreciate it. Along 

 in the 50s I used to ride through the 

 vast native flower gardens of Minne- 

 sota where the emerald of the plains 

 would meet the sapphire of the sky in 

 the distant horizon. Often I would try 

 and interest my horse but he cared 

 nothing for flowers and glowing skies. 

 He wanted only the grass. Once wife 

 and I were riding out with our first- 

 born. It was evening and there were 

 hrng these curtains of splendor in the 

 radiant west. It seemed as if the man- 

 tles of the suns were placed there — 

 the gathering glory of earth and sky 

 adorned those gates through which 

 the weary day was passing. Though 

 only 15 months old and not able to 

 speak a word of English the scene 

 awoke the soul of the child. He was 

 thrilled with rapturous delight. Awe, 

 reverence, adoration and ecstacy were 

 oii his countenance. He would look at 

 us and then at the glory and in the 

 unknown tongue of babyhood and the 

 most expressive gestures of childhood 

 ho poured forth one of the most elo- 

 quent outbursts to which we had ever 

 listened. Some times I think I inher- 

 ited some of my enthusiasm from the 

 raptures of that baby boy. 



Thus it is ever. The beauty of the 

 Lord has a transforming power. A 

 florist once said to me, "When I see a 

 pure and beautiful La Tulipe in full 

 bloom, pouring its fragrance on the 

 ai: I feel ashamed that I ever uttered 

 an oath." 



Teach your girl to love and care for 

 flowers and she will be a lady of re- 

 finement. Association with the purest 



and best dressed company on earth 

 will have its influence. Teach your 

 boy to spend some of his time in the 

 front yard and not all of it in the bam 

 yard and you will have a gentleman 

 and not a boor. A father was greatly 

 v orried about a wayward son. One 

 day he took hini in a greenhouse and 

 then they walked through a flower gar- 

 den on the outside. "Dad, this is 

 something I like. Lefs go out a little 

 ways and get some land and go to 

 raising flo\vers." The father gladly 

 consented. The boy was saved and 

 became an enthusiastic florist. 



Flowers have an elevating and en- 

 nobling influence on character. I have 

 liad the pleasure of an acquaintance 

 with some of our great leaders. The 

 l.irnented Thos. Meehan was a genial, 

 great-souled man. He was at the front 

 al the resurrection of a new era of pro- 

 gress which transformed the home. 

 Samuel Parsons was a poet. He was 

 a companion of the rose and his life 

 was sweetened by them. T. C. Thur- 

 low was the first to call the attention 

 of the peoi)le to the peony. He was 

 one of the most winsome men I ever 

 knew. His home was in fields of 

 flowers. Their fragrance and beauty 

 seemed to transform his life. 



The influence of these men though 

 quiet was pervasive and powerful. Sol- 

 diers of peace. They left no path of 

 ruin behind them filled with wrecked 

 homes and broken hearts and sad 

 tioops of widows and orphans. The 

 paths they left were margined with 

 flowers and overhung with luscious 

 fruits. They left behind them smiles, 

 benedictions and blessings. The time 

 K coming when we will give due honor 

 to the heroes of progress and peace. 

 For war with its disaster, ruin and 

 sorrow is a vanishing delusion. 

 {To be continued.} 



While the war undoubtedly has ef- 

 fected the nursery trade in many 

 spots throughout the State, the Old 

 Town Nurseries of South Natick. 

 Mass.. of which M. P. Haendler is 

 proprietor, reports that btisiness has 

 compared favorably with the corres- 

 ponding month of last year and that 

 the outlook is much better than was to 

 be expected, judging from the advance 

 orders which they are receiving. 



THE Florists' Supply 

 House of America 



H.BAYERSDORFER&CO. 



1129 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa. 



