The Love of Flowers in America 



"flowers are an accident, not a daily in- 

 terest, in village life " in New England, 

 I would say that he who takes this ground 

 can scarcely be familiar with the old coun- 

 try towns of that section to which one 

 must look for the typical aspects of New 

 England life. Like all the sentiments of 

 its people, the love of flowers is there, not 

 paraded, but profoundly cherished ; and 

 if there is no gaudy display in the door- 

 yard, there is sure to be found a corner 

 behind the house, easily accessible to the 

 kitchen, where old-fashioned plants bloom 

 gayly, and are cherished often from some 

 tender association with the past. Any 

 country doctor in one of the older New 

 England villages can tell these critics that 

 there are almost no houses so homely, 

 but that he finds in them, in* winter, a few 

 plants in the window, and in summer some 

 bright flowers in a tiny garden, cultivated 

 and watered often by feeble and tired 

 hands. Hard and dreary as are many of 

 the poor little lives of New England vil- 

 lagers, this one touch of color and per- 

 fume is there almost invariably, to show 

 that the thirst for beauty is unquenched. 

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