BY WAY OF 



mine. I have put myself into it. It may be plain 

 and humble, but — ^there's honesty in it." And 

 that is a feature you have a right to be proud of. 



Never make the mistake of neglecting good 

 old plants for the sake of something new, simply 

 because it is new. Old plants — ^plants that have 

 held their own against all newcomers — ^are the 

 ones to depend on. The fact that they have held 

 their own is sufficient proof of their merits. Had 

 they been inferior in any respect they would have 

 dropped from notice long ago, like the " novel- 

 ties " that aspired to take their places. Old 

 plants are like old friends, old wine — all the bet- 

 ter because of their age. There's something sub- 

 stantial about them. We do not tire of them. 

 We know what to expect of them, and they 

 never disappoint us. 



***** 



Never make the mistake of thinking the shape 

 of a bed deserves more consideration than what 

 you put into the bed. It's the flower that de- 

 serves attention, — ^not the bed it grows in. It 

 isn't treating a flower with proper respect to 

 give it secondary place. 



274 



