68 
MORAL OF FLOWERS, 
“ The flowers in silence seemed to breathe 
Such thoughts as language could not tell.”— Byron. 
We have called the flowers “silent monitors,” 
and not unadvisedly, for many are the lessons 
they teach, of patient submission, meek endu¬ 
rance, and innocent cheerfulness under the 
pressure of adverse circumstances :— 
“ They smilingly fulfil 
Their Maker’s will, 
All meekly bending ’neath the tempest’s weight 
By pride unvisited, 
Though richly raimented, 
As is a monarch in his robes of state.”—H. G. A. 
Many are the moral precepts they inculcate, 
bidding us admire the wisdom of their Omnipo¬ 
tent Creator, in their infinite variety of forms 
and colors, and perfect adaptation to the situa¬ 
tions they tccupy:— 
‘‘Not a flower 
But shows some touch, in freckle, streak, or stain, 
Of His unrivall’d pencil. He inspires 
Their balmy odors, and imparts their hues, 
And bathes their eyes with nectar, and includes 
In grains as countless as the sea-side sands. 
The forms with which He sprinkles all the earth.”— 
Cowper. 
