80 LANGUAGE AND 
DAHLIA. 
Dahlia . Class 19; Order 2 
DIGNITV AND ELEGANCE. 
It is worth much, in this dull world of strife 
And foolish vanity, to meet a heart 
Serene and beautiful like thine ! The praise 
And selfish flattery of the heartless crowd 
Fall idly on thine ear, whilst thou unmoved, 
And with a lofty purpose in thy breast, 
Retain’st thy elevation o'er the herd, 
No less by that calm majesty of soul 
Which shrinks from adulation, than by gifts 
Of lofty intellect and outward grace. 
Thy form hath elegance that indicates 
The beautiful refinement of thy thoughts; 
And there is dignity in thy firm step 
That speaks a soul superior to the thrall 
Of petty vanity and low-born pride. 
The Dahlia is a native of Mexico, where 
Baron Humboldt found it growing in sandy 
meadows several hundred feet above the level 
of the sea. It ornamented the royal gardens 
of the Eseurial, at Madrid, for several years be¬ 
fore Spanish jealousy would permit it to be in¬ 
troduced into the other countries of Europe. 
But it is said that it neither improved nor 
exhibited any change under their management. 
