17 



crowned with success a society of seven years stand- 

 ing be still undiminished and further increased. 



History informs us that the use of fruits and flow- 

 ers, as ornaments of beauty, as garlands of victory, 

 for festive occasions, for the purposes of Religion, 

 and for the last sad duties of sepulture, was almost 

 coeval with the human race ; and some of these cus- 

 toms still exist. Under the benign influences of a 

 purer faith, in a place once dedicated to the dramatic 

 art, but since consecrated to sacred purposes, we 

 have decorated these walls with festive garlands, and 

 spread before you the rich bounties of the seasons. 

 Centuries have not broken the common bond of feel- 

 ing, which prompts the taste for the beautiful and 

 innocent in Nature. But in our admiration of the 

 treasures of Flora and Pomona, let us not be unmind- 

 ful of Nature's Great Author ! 



