of flowers are their chief charm. A rose is pre- A STALK OF 

 ferred for its perfume more than for its color MIG NONETT 

 or its form. Scarcely will they have come to 

 a flower before they bend to discover its scent. 



To all lovers of flowers this is one of their 

 attractions. An evening in the garden would 

 be much less pleasing but for the subtle fra- 

 grance of lilies, mint, lavender, rosemary, 

 roses, and the sweet scent of the cedars as it 

 comes faintly through the twilight. 



This fact is instructive. There is a subtle 

 relation between the human soul and the 

 senses. It may be called a unity — in some less 

 perfect than in others, but always marked in 

 the artist. In one the sense of sight most stirs 

 the soul to utterance; in another it is sound 

 that most reaches the deeps of being; but per- 

 haps the least material of things that reach 

 the soul through the senses is perfume. 



This, probably more than anything else, 

 suggests the thought that the soul of the flower 

 is expressing itself in its fragrance. Some one 

 has said that "a flower without perfume is like 

 a beautiful woman without piety." 



It is true, perfume may be sensuous and 

 [97] 



