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^ LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. 29 
the mere sensualist or the shallow sentimentalist 
j would imagine ; and here are the words of one 
who has studied them deeply, and knows that 
I they arfe types and characters of the glorious 
revelation, second only to that direct one which 
God has given us in the Bible. What says he:— j 
“Listen to the words of wisdom, 
Uttered by the tongue of truth, 
Tottering age and manly vigour, 
Listen ye—and smiling youth.”—H. G. A. 
Books are great and glorious agents of civili¬ 
zation and happiness. They are the silent 
teachers of mankind, filling the mind with ! 
wisdom, and strengthening the understanding 
for the strife of action ; making us powerful and 
gentle, wise and humble, at the same time. 
But we cannot be always buried in our books ; 
I we must sometimes go out into the sunshirie, 
and it is necessary, in order to enjoy our books, 
that we should also enjoy the privilege of air 
and light, drinking in health and vigor, to 
enable us to make the best and most profitable 
use of our sedentary hours. In direct opposi¬ 
tion then to books, or rather in secret combination j 
