CORRESI'ONTHNa EDITOltS : 



JOSIAH HOOPES, JAMES TAPLIN, MARK MILLER 



YOL. 29. 



MAT, 1874. 



j^O. 335. 



The Progress and Influence of 

 Rural Pursuits. 



BY MARSHALL P. WILDER, 

 I'resiilent of the, Ainerlcait I'otnolof/ical Socirty. 



ONIj of the most gratifying evidences of 

 progress and refinement, is the general 

 love and appreciation of fruits and flowers. 

 These have been too often considered as the 

 mere superfluities of life, but the more we are 

 brought into communion with them, the more 

 shall Ave realize those pure and refined sensa- 

 tions which inspire the soul with love and de- 

 votion to Him who clothes the fields with a 

 radiance, to which Solomon in all his glory 

 could only aspire. 



The cultivation of the garden, the orna- 

 mental planting of our grounds, and the gene- 

 ral use of flowers aft'ord striking proof of the 

 high state of civilization which marks the prog- 

 ress of the present age. Within our own re- 

 collectiou the use of flowers at funerals was 

 9 



deemed improjier, nor was their appearance in 

 the sanctuary greeted with pleasure. They 

 were thought to be inconsistent with the pro- 

 prieties of divine worship, as diverting the 

 mind, and detracting from the solemnity of 

 the occasion. Grod was not seen in flowers, in 

 the rose, nor the lily of the valley. From the 

 lovely forms and various hues of flowers, the 

 glories and joys of the garden, the royal 

 psalmist has derived some of the highest types 

 of inspiration. We cannot therefore too 

 highly or gratefully appreciate that divine 

 wisdom and benevolence which has sur- 

 rounded us with these manifestations of his 

 perfection and glory, these beautiful crea- 

 tions,- — 



"Mingled and made by love, to one great end." 



Some of the most touching and beautiful, 

 some of the most sacred and sublime inspira- 

 tions of Scripture have been drawn from 

 scenes in the garden. Nor has the imagi- 

 nation of the poet, philosopher or psalmist, 

 ever conceived of any spot more chastening, 

 more refining or more hallowed in its influ- 

 ence : — 



