1 8 Field, Forest, and Wayside Flowers 



the listener's thoughts far away from sin, death, 

 and judgment. 



Only experience teaches what, it seems, the early 

 fathers of the church well knew, that tending gar- 

 den is at once a school and a test for all the 

 great Christian virtues. 



In hope one lays out hard-earned dollars for 

 seeds, roots, tools, fertilizers, re-enforcements to 

 the fence, and wages of a man to " spade up." 



Faith in Nature and in the florist's integrity is 

 sorely needed when, day after day, the beds show 

 only a few sticks, upholding scraps of paper seed- 

 bags, and marking the locations of hoped-for crops. 



And charity towards that florist is severely 

 tested when those crops fail to appear for all the 

 wooing of the south wind and we begin to sus- 

 pect him of foisting off superannuated seeds upon 

 our guileless simplicity. 



But the gardener might as well be charitable 

 with a good grace, for he must be charitable 

 whether or no. 



The result of the sweat of his brow and the 

 emptying of his pocketbook is shared with all 

 creation. He is almoner to countless creatures 

 which give him no gratitude. 



The moles and slugs nibble his vegetables. The 



