er . YIUt 
212 THE FLORIST. 
and never made no mistak.” Whereupon Joseph is permitted to carry 
one of the volumes for reference, a dignity esteemed in that boy brigade 
as highly as the Victoria Cross by a soldier ; and off they go for the fields. 
At the first stile, which.leads to the inclosures, there is a halt for 
choosing sides, the Curate nominating twovof ithe most experienced 
artists as leaders, and these electing their for¢es alternately. ‘Then the 
subordinates receive from their. commanding officer their special orders 
-and instructions;.some are to remain with him, to -help.in arranging ; 
these are to gather white flowers; those pink, and 0 on); while. others 
must: bring “‘ totter-grass,” Fern, or: variegated, leaf, to, complete: the 
outer circle of the collection. enol es 
Each company. has a librarian, whose office! it. is to find in, his allus- 
trated works the flowers brought in by his brothers;,and_ to communicate 
their, name and. history: Their English names, mind, you, for’ our 
Curate wisely declines to muddle their small brains, and weary their 
young jaws, with botany. 1 never:saw him angry but onee;and then 
with a bilious, old gentleman, who proposed that all wild flowers exhi- 
-bited -at- our: show should have their. latin names..and. classification. 
v T'lbtell you my mind,” quoth the Curate, ‘‘ botany is) a, grand science 
for those who have the head and. the time for it; but it’s about as,useful 
-to a ploughman’s child as»a ball-reom fan to.an Arctic yoyager; and, 
‘therefore, so far from rewarding any of my young rustics for latinizing 
our dear old country flowers, I. should. be inclined, to award -for-the 
precocious pedant, transportation to Botany Bay. Carry out your idea, 
and we shall-have the labourer’s child no more exclaiming, ‘ Q:faythur, 
there’s a Dandylion!’ but ‘ Aspice, O Paterfamilias dilecte, ubi.Leon- 
todon Taraxacum flavescit! while his sister, pointing to a Buttercup, 
shall astonish its mammy by requesting her to ‘employ her optical 
apparatus in the direction digitally indicated, and to admire the 
tanunculus bulbosus, of the class Polyandria, and the order Polygynia.’” 
‘I try to teach them something better about: Buttercups,” he said to 
me, as I met him one evening with his boys, and he referred to the 
subject ; and plucking one of the flowers in question, he held it before 
a charming little fellow, who could scarcely have ‘seen ‘halfsa-dozen 
summers, and asked him if he had learned any verses about it.The 
“answer came promptly, in that soft reverential tone which: makes a 
child’s recitation'so very touching :— idtiw soni 
*¢It would be wrong on pomp or dress 
To spend our thoughts or hours ; 
Another lesson Curist has taught, Haas 
Showing the simple flowers. , ee 
‘*There’s not a yellow Buttercup, 
Returning with the spring, 
But it can boast a golden crown 
As bright as any king.”* SIG SRO SIVA 
“‘That will do,” said the Curate. ‘* Now; Johnny,” and” he called 
another of his pupils, ‘Tell this gentleman about ‘all things bright and 
beautiful.’” And Johnny began forthwith!—-) 9 y> 9 erin owe 
‘¢ All things bright and beautiful, a: 
All creatures great and small, 01 
All things’ wise and wonderful, 
The Lord Gop made them all. 
