6 
$3tt£a«. 
It is for no other reason than that flowers have 
in themselves a real and natural significance. They 
have a positive relation to man, his sentiments, 
passions, and feelings. They correspond to actual 
emotions. They have their mission—a mission of 
love and mercy. They have their language, and 
from the remotest ages this language has found its 
interpreters. 
In the East the language of flowers has been 
universally understood and applied “time out of 
mind.” Its meaning finds a place in their poetry 
and in all their literature, and it is familiarly known 
among the people. In Europe it has existed ^nd 
been recognised for long ages among the people, 
although scarcely noticed by the* literati until a 
comparatively recent period. Shakspeare, however, 
whom nothing escaped which was known to the 
people, exhibits his intimate acquaintance with the 
language of flowers in his masterly delineation of 
the madness- of Ophelia. 
Recent writers in all languages recognise the 
beauty and propriety of this language to such an 
extent, that an acquaintance with it has now be¬ 
come indispensable as a part of a polished edu¬ 
cation. 
