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INFLUENCE OF HORTICULTURAL ON CHARACTER. 419 
“Tn the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was 
there the tree of life, which bore twelve manner of fruits and yielded 
her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing 
of the nations.” 
We read that the “hanging gardens” of Babylon were the wonder 
of the ancient world, and the sculptures of Egypt that are being 
discovered and excavated clearly indicate the esteem in which the 
art was held in that distant age? 
During the best days of Rome we find that all her free citizens 
must either hsve been employed in warfare or in the culture of their 
fields, while their slaves were confined to the practice of all mechan- 
icarts. The patricians, when in the country, forgot all the dis- 
tinctions of rank and toiled daily in the fields like the lowest plebian. 
Cincinnatus we have seen named dictator by the voice of hiscoun_. 
try while at the plow. M. Curius, after expelling Pyrrhus from 
Italy, retired to the possession of a small farm, which he assiduously 
cultivated. Scipio Africanus, also, after the conquest of Hannibal 
and the reduction of Carthage retired to his paternal fields and 
with his own hands reared and grafted his fruit trees. 
Of Persia we read: “To cultivate an untilled field, to plant fruit 
trees, to destroy noxious animals, to bring water to adry and barren 
land, were all actions beneficial to mankind and, therefore, most 
agreeable to the divinity, who wills perpetually the highest happi- 
ness of his creatures.” 
Of Italy, “Afterthe example of the last emperors, Theodoric pre. 
ferred the residence of Ravenna, where he cultivated an orchard 
with his own hands.” Of England in the time of Charles II: “Tem- 
ple in his intervals of leisure had tried many experiments in horti- 
culture, and had proved that many delicate fruits, the natives of 
more favored climates, might, with the help of art, be grown on 
English ground.” 
Our own Bancroft says: The great employment of France was the 
tillage of land, than which no method of gain is more grateful in 
itself or more worthy of freemen or more happy in rendering. service 
to the whole human race. No occupation is nearer heaven.” 
We must not neglect mentioning our own Washington, whose 
grand, noble character was as much the result of time, means, 
strength and thought spent in this direction as of labor performed 
and sacrifices made for the welfare of his country. 
Also, Thomas Jefferson, who kept in complete touch with our 
favored art while in political life, spending his vacation and leisure 
hours at Monticello in gardening. 
Even the eminent writers do not forget our ennobling art, as illus- 
trated by Homer, Virgil and other poets of past times, as well as 
ourown Bryant, Hawthorne, Emerson, Whittier, Lowell and many 
others not directly within the ranks of horticulturists. 
Alcott says: ‘‘We associate gardens and orchards with the perfect 
conditionof mankind. Weesteem the tiller of the soil as the pattern 
man, the most favored of all. They yield the gains of self-respect 
denied to other callings. His is an occupation friendly to every 
virtue, the freest of all from any covetousness and debasing cares, 
° 
