110 Hardy Plants for Cottage Gardens 
dling, if lilies reappeared as capricious spoiled darlings of 
fortune? Even as lilies, they toil not, neither do they spin, 
and what can we expect, when, from the first, the moral edu- 
cation is neglected ? 
Certain plants are of singularly frail constitution, and 
though they may buffet the storms of life for a while they 
take cold easily, and all is over with them. I had a Spirea 
astilbe, that survived two winters, and was progressing to 
beautiful planthood. One spring night when Astilbe, 
“was in thought 
To brave its blossoms to the air,” 
an unusual frost overtook it. At first I thought it but a 
severe cold, and that a little doctoring would restore health; 
but it grew steadily weaker, and by another winter “it was 
laid away,” to use the pious euphemism for plain dying. The 
feverfew also has weak lungs and is sadly afflicted by a frosty 
spring night. It develops an irritating cough in the form of 
leaves that turn brown in a single night, which it perversely 
carries about with it long after it begins to flower, as if to 
remind you of your neglect. 
It always interested me to note the cold-blooded attitude 
of political economists in the matter of the death of the indi- 
vidual, who had been reared to an age of self-support, and 
then thwarted the best interests of the commonwealth by 
carelessly dying. Their statistics make no mention of what 
that loss is to the father’s heart, nor of the mother’s tears: 
that death, or any death, before the individual earns enough 
to make full return for his keep, is so much needless loss to 
the State. If economists had their way, all persons at the 
age of four years would be compelled to give bond to live 
until fifty at least, or make a heavy restitution. I am com- 
pelled to take this same view of my plants, when, forgetful 
