Would sudden gusts of fierce disdain, 
Mad laughter, or a mist of tears 
Come tugging at our ball and chain, 
When April's renaissance appears? 
Would Life be tuning every string 
If Spring meant nothing more than— Spring? 
Kate B. Burton, 
Mrs. J. P. Burton. Garden Club of Cleveland. 
The Flower Mission 
I have been asked to give a short history of the formation and work 
of the Flower Mission, which I do with a great deal of pleasure. 
The idea originated with Miss Helen W. Tinkham, encouraged by 
Dr. Edward Everett Hale and the first work of the kind in the world, 
I am told, was started in Boston in 1869. The first Sunday in May 
of that year a brief notice was read in several of the city churches in- 
viting all having either fruit or flowers to spare, or time to gather wild 
ones from the woods, to send their gifts to the chapel of the old Hollis 
Street Church, which would be open on certain mornings from eight 
until twelve, for the reception and distribution of flowers and fruit for 
the sick and poor of the city. The essentials for work in the chapel 
were a long table, broad enough to turn the flowers out in heaps, with 
room for assorting; shallow tanks of water in which to place the 
bouquets as fast as prepared and plenty of string and scissors. 
Railroads transported free of expense all baskets and parcels for the 
Flower Mission and if the baskets were marked with owner's name 
and address, were returned by the next train. 
In 1872, when but a girl of fifteen, I read an account of the Boston 
Flower Mission and determined to organize a similar one in the 
neighborhood of Philadelphia. Together with a number of my little 
schoolmates we started the Germantown Flower Mission, which, I am 
glad to state, is still in operation. 
For two years, besides receiving and arranging our flowers, we were 
obliged to go by train to Philadelphia, carry our large baskets from 
hospital to hospital and up and down the long wards. Glad indeed 
we children were to hear in 1874 that the Philadelphia Flower Mission 
had been organized and that we could confine ourselves to the work 
of receiving, arranging and forwarding the flowers by express to the 
city workers, who would attend to their distribution. 
It is rather remarkable that it has never been found necessary to 
make any change in the original simple methods and that, when in 
