496 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



August 4, 1904. 



OUR DONATIONS. 



Under the beftd of Chicago Notes in 

 the issue of July 7 are a few emphatic 

 remarks above Ihe signature of O. W. 

 Frese, relative /to the imposition that is 

 practiced on the Chicago florists by a 

 request and, it appears, almost a demand, 

 for flowers ^as a donation by various 

 people and institutions. Mr. Frese 

 seems to have suffered most at the hands 

 of what he calls "Sisters." Sisters, it 

 is true, have been the leaders in the 

 abuse of the florists' good nature, for 

 all women are sisters. But, from our 

 experience, the Sisters of Charity, if 

 those are meant, have been by no means 

 the chief offenders. We have many 

 good customers among these worthy peo- 

 ple. It is true that if they come from 

 the Emerald isle, or happen to be bom 

 in this home of the free, they are in- 

 clined to be addicted with the begging 

 microbe and their cloth and vocation 

 have an influence to extract * ' the goods ' ' 

 from the merchants. The unsophisticat- 

 ed Polish and German Sisters seem more 

 independent and purchase and pay cheer- 

 fully for plants and flowers for their 

 festival days. The extent to which this 

 begging of flowers has grown in Chi- 

 cago, according to Mr. Frese, is ridicu- 

 lous and carried to what seems to us 

 incredible lengths, accompanied with a 

 large amount of gall. 



How is it the wholesaler is the vic- 

 tim? In our city it was the retailer. If 

 a grower has his own wholesale depart- 

 ment he can give away, but if he is an 

 honest commission man he has nothing 

 to give away. The flowers aren't his. 

 He is handling them for the consignor, 

 and if he gives any away he should 

 credit them as sold. 



But this is a little off the subject. 

 It is not the Sisters of Charity that 

 have ever troubled us. It was the full 

 blown, married sisters in almost all 

 walks of life, except the good women 

 who are your liberal patrons, or those 

 not built that way. A man makes a 

 few dollars and is elected a trustee of 

 the United Brethren of Spiritual In- 

 spiration church, or some other institu- 

 tion. The wife has a new function in 

 life, becomes an active church worker 

 and a philanthropist at other people's 

 expense. "Wives of G. A. E. veterans 

 have an almost substantial call on you. 

 To such a degree had this tax upon the 

 florists grown in our city that it was 

 not uncommon for a grocer's wife from 

 the east side to sail into the store and 

 announcp that "she was going to have 

 a euchre party tomorrow night and 

 wouldn't we please donate a palm for 

 a prize! '' We never saw or heard of 

 her before or since, but someone must 

 have told her the florists were "real 

 easy." So, after suffering for years 

 with this humbug, the Florists' Club 

 got together very much in earnest and 

 passed a resolution, agreeing that we 

 would donate neither plants nor flowers 

 to any church, institution or individual 

 for any purpose whatsoever. Church, 

 charity bazaar or euchre party, it was 

 all cut out. A copy of the agreement 

 was signed by every florist in the city 

 and neighborhood. 



The city papers published the same 

 and a framed copy hangs in a conspicu- 

 ous place in all florists' stores or places 

 of business. It was the best day's 

 work the florists of our city ever did. 

 No unpleasant excuse is now needed. 

 We just point to the Uttle 6x8 sign and 



that settles it. It did its work well, 

 and the beggars of both sexes and all 

 conditions of life were soon aware of 

 our agreement. 



It is not to be supposed that this 

 resolution has not been occasionally vio- 

 lated, because there are cases and cir- 

 cumstances where the florist feels it not 

 only his duty but a pleasure to con- 

 tribute toward some worthy object. For 

 instance, some lady who buys liberally 

 and gracefully throughout the year says, 

 "There is a class of trained nurses to 

 graduate from the Creneral Hospital to- 

 night. Would you mind sending a few 

 palms for the stage f I assure you they 

 will be much appreciated." In sudti 

 cases there may have been violations 

 of our solemn covenent, and no harm 

 if there was, but it has choked off en- 

 tirely the chronic leech and beggar, ana 

 the good people never did bother us. 



I forgot to sayVbove that the resolu- 

 tion signed by all snposed a fine of $25 

 on anyone detected in making a dona- 

 tion. No fines yet imposed in seven 

 years. Still the agreement has been of 

 the greatest benefit, and largely faith- 

 fully kept. 



Get together, you army of florists of 

 Chicago. You have no more business to 

 be imposed upon than the jewelers, or 

 hatters, or milliners. Just let me add 

 that a few days after our action was 

 published in the daily papers, our most 

 valued customers took occasion to con- 

 gratulate us on the stand we bad taken. 



I suppose it is a fact that many 

 thoughtless people do not realize that 

 it costs anything to produce our flowers 

 and if we have a hundred roses in the 

 ice box and sell fifty we might just 

 as well give away the other fifty. We 

 have made lots of money anyway. 



Then, unfortunately, there is the in- 

 dividual (sorry I am to say it, but it 

 is generally poor, dear woman) who de- 

 sires to dispense much charity at other 

 people's expense. They are continually 

 soliciting and begging donations of flow- 

 ers or other delicacies for poor Mrs. 

 Tubbs, who is confined to her bed witn 

 luipbago. The florist, or candy man, or 

 grocer is really doing the charity part 

 of it, but they don't get any of the 

 glory. 



I have a vivid recollection of a large 

 lady who would sail into the shop and 

 after three or four heavy respirations 

 and undulations of her expansive chest, 

 as much as to say, "well, here I am 

 again," she would begin: "Well, I'm 

 always buying flowers, but I never buy 

 them for myself, hardly ever. Mr. B. 

 says he never saw such a woman, always 

 doing something for somebody else. 

 What have you got this morning that's 

 real pretty and cheap? Mind these are 

 not for myself. If they were T wouldn't 

 mind the price, but they are for one of 

 my hired girls' mother who fell down 

 stairs last week and she's terribly 

 shook up. Mind I can't afford much 

 because they are not for me. It's char- 

 ity you know." And then one of those 

 sweet charity smiles is bestowed on you, 

 that would stiffen up butter in sultry 

 weather. You produce a dozen roses 

 and shade the price away down, yet in- 

 stead of thanks a hand is outstretched 

 touching up a rose or two as not being 

 fresh. About that time you feel as if 

 there was a small Mount Pelee working 

 inside you, yet you muat suppress it 

 Often have we undergone this ordeal, 

 only far more elaborate and beyond my 



descriptive power, when we could not 

 escape to the rear or under a bench. 



Well, one day this good woman had 

 the misfortune, in a carriage accident^ 

 to fracture the upper section of her left 

 ' lower limb, and for many months she 

 had to stop indoors. Her husband, a 

 splendid man (poor man) never failed 

 to come around at least every other day 

 and buy from $1.50 to $2.50 worth of 

 flowers for the invalid. Whatever was 

 nice suited him and so did the price. 

 He seemed delightfully cheerful when 

 buying those flowers. No doubt the 

 joy of taking them home was sincere, 

 yet his gaiety of spirit was so marked 

 while Mrs. B. was confined to her bed 

 and his purchases from us so frequent 

 and liberal that I cannot help thinking 

 there was more than one regretted this 

 large lady's convalescence. 

 , To give to the poor, the needy and 

 deserving is a most hallowed pleasure. 

 It is like mercy. "Twice blest, it 

 blesses him that gives and him that 

 receiveth. It becomes the king better 

 than his crown." But the army of 

 busybodies and small-souled creatures 

 that pester the florists, and many other 

 business men, should be severely re- 

 pressed. Stamp them out as you would 

 the scarlet fever or the glanders. 



W. S. 



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