January 8, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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COMING EVENTS 
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Epiphany. 
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Royal Geographical Societv at 8.SO P.M. 
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Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees at 11 A.M. 
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THE CHAPLAIN’S NEW YEAR’S ADVICE TO 
YOUNG GARDENERS. 
F that excellently written and evidently well- 
thought-over article by “A Working Gardener” in 
our number for December 13th touched the feelings 
of “ Id. Notts,” and set him thinking—and I do 
not wonder it did—so also did the latter’s paper, 
which he entitled “ The Journal of Horticulture,” 
touch my feelings and set me thinking. I like 
now and then, and at this season particularly, 
to see such good advice in print—plain, prac¬ 
tical, and, perhaps some may say old-fashioned advice, and 
none the worse to my mind for having an old-fashioned 
flavour in it. I, indeed, cannot claim to have known The 
Cottage Gardener and our Journal for thirty years, but the 
“ Wiltshire Rector” in this periodical comes of age this year, 
for it is twenty-one years since he wrote his first article and 
sent it off wondering if it would be printed. After twenty- 
one years as “ W. R.” here (I dare not say how many more 
according to the family bible in the old home in Cambridge¬ 
shire) I think I may give advice to young gardeners. As 
we get older we are apt, I know, to become, according to 
Juvenal, “ praisers of the days past,” and must guard against 
being unduly so; still, it is right to regard past as well as 
present. 
I said recently to a mechanic, “ I hope your boy takes to 
your business.” His reply was, “ I have not much to com¬ 
plain of, but I wish he would work at little things of an 
evening by himself, as I used to do, and so try and improve 
himself; but then young people now-a days are so much taken 
up with ‘wonderments’”— i.e., the Wiltshire for “amuse¬ 
ments.” And that father exactly hit the blot of the present 
age among young people. It is the ceaseless round of 
“ wonderments,” or what the very old country people in 
Wilts call “ onderments,” that take up the time over-much 
of youths and maidens. 
Who will say that dessert is bad in itself, especially the 
fruit part of it ? but if the dessert is eaten and not the 
wholesome dinner, then the dessert would do harm. So 
circuses, concerts, all sorts of evening amusements, now so 
very plentiful, are in themselves harmless, but if too much 
indulged in a lightness of mind comes on, and a disinclina¬ 
tion for useful hand work or head work is sure to come on 
too. Perhaps the old days had too few amusements, and the 
world we were boys in was a trifle dull, but what grand men 
came out then ! What reading of an evening ! what know¬ 
ledge was acquired ! and afterwards, because of that reading, 
and because of that knowledge gained, how the young men 
rose to places of trust and good income ! 
Then, young men, remember the contest and the struggle 
of life is now keener and harder. You can’t win the prizes of 
life unlc»s you are much better men than the mass of men 
in your calling. Says Shakespeare, “ If you give way 
or hedge aside from the direct forthright, like an entered 
tide, they all rush by and leave you hindmost. 
Believe me, too much amusement is a great evil of these 
No. 184.—Yor. VIII., Third Series. 
days—it is like eating more cheese than bread, and ruins the 
mental appetite. The very flood of books and periodicals, 
novels especially, is apt to be injurious, with many books 
people get to skipping instead of reading, and mere looking at 
books in a careless easy-going fashion does no manner of 
good. In old days there was a saying, “ Ah ! lie’s a man of 
one book,” meaning that he had mastered that one and 
knew it thoroughly. 
Now young gardeners, you readers of this journal, and to 
whom I write, my advice is this : Take a copy yourself, 
exercise self-denial, and make it your own for ever by buying 
it. Then master each week’s number before the next comes 
in, or else you get “mixed up ” with the numbers. Pencil- 
mark any article you judge most useful to yourself. Then 
further, loose numbers are easily lost and not easy to refer 
to, so exercise another piece of self-denial—buy a half yearly 
cover, and for a few pence a bookbinder will make your half 
year’s numbers into a book. Mark the table of contents ; note 
on the flyleaves, “ This vol. contains so and so, pp. so and 
so.” All this I do and have done for years, and my old 
volumes are dear friends whom I often consult. I say to 
myself, “ I fancy dear old Robert Fish (bless his kindly and 
godly memory) wrote something about this subject,” and I 
turn to it. I know my advice is good, I know it from 
experience. Young men, young gardeners, rise superior to 
these injuring amusements and these desultory habits of 
reading, and grasp and hold tight your knowledge, gained by 
devoting evening hours to study. Secure as you feel the 
need of them scientific works which refer to your business. 
Some of you may presently find some bit of experience 
worth recording ; if so, send it to 171, Fleet Street, and it, 
if useful, will be welcomed there. 
Of besetting sins I need not speak, a little voice within 
will tell you yours. Flee from them as for your very 
life. I am sure healthy young men need no beer, and 
that saved, how many books you will be able to buy! 
Then, I would say, do not be discouraged by not being 
able to grasp the thoughts of others readily. This will 
come if you read slowly and give your mind to it. A 
blacksmith’s arm was not overstrong at first, but by using it 
hard on the anvil it became so. So a man’s mind becomes 
stronger by use. Read and think over that “ Word to 
Young Gardeners,” by “A Working Gardener,” and equally 
carefully read “ H., Notts ” last week’s advice to you. Take a 
manly stand against self-indulgence, and you will gain self- 
respect, and a man who respects himself will respect others. 
Yet another word—cultivate good manners. I sometimes 
think we are in a sort of transition state, the old respect, 
some people might call it subservience, of the lower to the 
higher being gone. A sort of over-independent conceited 
tone is adopted by the young men ; but this is not good 
manners, and it is a matter of good manners and nothing 
else. Cultivate then, I say, good manners to all. I hate 
supple-subserviency, but a kindly greeting from a young 
man’s open honest face I dearly love. 
Such, then, is the advice which in all good faith I give 
you young men this new year. Follow it, and I feel sure 
you will be the better for it. Follow it continuously, and 
perhaps some here and there in old England and her colonies 
may in future years date their more steady application to 
their calling to this year 1884. Generation after generation 
pass on and away—some in each achieve success ; you may 
not be able all of you to do this, but so act as to deserve 
success. 
I have said I come of age in the Journal this year; for 
it is just twenty-one years since Mr. Johnson dubbed me his, 
and its, Chaplain. I was very glad to see a kindly reference 
to Mr. Johnson by “ H., Notts.” All older readers will be 
glad to hear that, though over fourscore, he still enjoys life 
in his pretty country home. Well, he dubbed me Chaplain, 
and in that character I have each year given words of advice, 
a Christmas or a New YYar’s homily, to our readers. I 
No. 1840 .—Yol. LXX., Or.D Series. 
