dbe national IRursenimait 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated 
VoL XXII. 
ROCHESTER. N. Y., AUGUST, 1914. 
No. 8. 
MISSION OF BEAUTY 
Read Before the American Association of Nurserymen at the Cleveland Con¬ 
vention by the Rev. C. S. Harrison, York, Nebraska. 
In tli(i age oI‘ carbon Ihere were no flowers. Utility 
came first. The oceans of oil must be distilled. The 
vegetation must be canned up in coal beds so that the heat 
of the long ago could be carried down through the ages 
to the j)resent. 
There were no ])eonies or roses in those days—no 
gi'ains, no fruits. No animals adapted to human wants. 
But as the earth ripened for man we see primitive fruits 
and grains, then come domestic animals and most won¬ 
derful of all God’s Gardens of precious gems are i)lanted. 
'J’hese are marvelous in their splendor and all have their 
mission in the uplift of humanity. The diamond, the 
emerald, the topaz and sai)phire with scores of other 
jewels have their place in ministering to the pleasures of 
men. How much these gardens of immortals, these 
flowers which do not fade have added to the wealth of the 
world. Turkey has millions upon millions of precious 
stones stored in her vaults. England has immense treas¬ 
ures of them. The crown of Elizabeth was a blaze of 
si)lendor. The present crown is most magnificent. What 
a blaze of effulgence was seen in the martial displays of 
the past. The bridles of tbc horses and the swords of the 
warriors sparkled with ])recious stones. Beautiful 
things are made to ])ay tribute to love. The young man 
gives his intended tlie most fragrant and charming roses 
and carnations and then juits a flashing jewel on her fin¬ 
ger. The millionaire adorns his home with the treasures 
of art—all this is a tribute to his affection for wife and 
children. 
I love to think of the most charming idyl of woman¬ 
hood. In the long ago a ])rophet of a far away vision 
said “a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and he shall 
be called Immanuel.” Seven hundred years pass away 
when among the hills of the Holy Land a beautiful maid¬ 
en is saluted by an angel and told that she should be the 
mother of the promised child. Enraptured with the 
honor and glory of it she breaks out in that holy song of 
the Magnificat which has thrilled down through the ages. 
“My soul doth magnif y the Lord. For 
lie hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. 
For behold henceforth all generations shatl call me 
blessed.” 
How came that raiilurous song lo bubble up in llu' soul 
of the beautiful girl? Was the prophecy true? Never 
woman so highly honored in art, in poetry and song. She 
is reverenced, adorned and adored as the Mother of God. 
Go into the Sacristry of one of the Greek churches in 
Moscow and there you will see her image carved in cedar, 
clothed in the richest silk and all her robes flashing in the 
light which is poured in upon her so that she seems trans¬ 
figured. The jewels which flash in her robes are worth 
millions and on her head a crown resplendent in glory. 
In some of the Latin cathedrals representations of her 
are embellished with the tributes of nations and of ages. 
In Spain her image is crow ned with a magnificent crown 
and on its crest a sapphire of marvelous wmrth and 
beauty. 
Centuries ago Sha Jahan lost his beautiful and beloved 
wife. When she was dying he promised her the most 
costly monument the w orld had ever seen and he kept his 
word. He secured the seivices of the most famous ar¬ 
chitect of his time—the man who designed the Peacock 
throne which cost thirty million. For this vast temple 
monument the wealth of India w as poured out. Thou¬ 
sands of workmen toiled for years. Enormous quanti¬ 
ties of richest gems glittered in the walls. The stately 
columns w^ere ablaze with them. The mosaics w ere the 
triumph of w^ealth and art. And today, aw^ay in the 
heart of India, after ages of neglect and pillage, the costly 
structure rises like a vision from the land of dreams. 
Beauty is for Immortals. 
Animals cannot appreciate it. Along in the 50s I used 
to ride through the vast native flower gardens of Min¬ 
nesota wdiere the emerald of the plains would meet the 
saiijihire of the sky in the distant horizon. Often I would 
try and interest my horse, but he cared nothing for flow¬ 
ers and glowing skies. He wanted only the grass. Once 
w ife and I were riding out with our first born. It was 
evening and there were hung those curtains of splendor 
in the radiant West. It seemed as if the mantles of the 
suns were placed there—the gathered glory of earth and 
sky adorned those gates through wdiich the weary day 
was ])assing. Though only 15 months old and not able 
to speak a word of English the scene aw oke the soul of 
the child. He was thrilled with rapturous delight. Awe, 
reverenciL adoration and ecstasy wen' on his counten¬ 
ance. He would look at us and then at the glory and in 
