The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-07-15 00:00:00

A CHILDREN'S FLOWER SHOW.

In the gardens of Grosvenor-house, London, on Monday
s,fternoon, a "Children's Flower Show" was held, under the
kindly superintendence of the Duke of Westminster, and the
youthful competitors received their prizes trim the hapds
the Duchess herself.-21te Times gives the following account
of the proceedings :
At four o'clock the show opened, and the flowers
had then been arranged under a large tent erected to
the right of the lawn, all the judging being then over
and the prize-winners delared. From four till six
o'clock the visitors enjoyed the cool of the ample lawn,
and listened to a well-played selection of music by the
band of the Duke's Own ( Westminster) Rifles. At
six o'clock the Duchess of Westminster distributed the
prizes, all of money, with an injunction, not un-
needed it might have been thought, considering the
diminutive size of some of the small competitors,
to be sure and "not lose it." Between 30 and
40 children, the eldest apparently not more than
15 years, received prizes, and when that part of
the ceremony was over the Earl of Shaftesbury
addressed the visitors, remarking that they saw him in
position which he had never occupied before and, he
firmly believed, he should never occupy again—i.e.,
that of leader to Mr. Gladstone. Mr. Gladstone would
address them, and the Earl of Shaftesbury was anxious
that the proposal he had to make should have come
from Mr. Gladstone; but the right hon. gentleman
had been good enough to say that he would follow his
leadership. He hoped the visitors had seen that day
sufficient to show them that they should encourage in
children a taste for flowers. He had seen himself in
the east and central parts of London, where children
were surrounded by every bad influence of moral
degradation, dirt, and squalor, the refining in-
fluence of flowers en the might, the mind, and
the heart that had followed on encourage-
ment. He hoped that thoFe who had witnessed
the result of that day would do their best to encourage
flower-gardening amoeg the poor. It was his experience
that it taught the children of the poor the best of lessons,
for they watched the flower from seed to blossom, and
learnt the beneficence of a great and unseen Power. It
taught them the great truth uttered by Bacon in one
of his Essays "God Himself planted the first garden,"
and be added tbat "a garden was one of God's bless-
ings." The rich had it in their power to benefit in
mind and soul the poorest, lowest, and least moral of
the great mass of this country. He hoped they, the
visiters, would remember this, and make it their rule
to impress upon them that there were "lessons in
flowers, sermons in stones and babbling brooks, and
God in everything." The noble speaker concluded,
amid cheers, by proposing a vote of thanks to the
Duke and Duchess of Westminster.
Mr. Gladstone seconded the motion, addressing him-
self to "my lords, ladies, and young friends here to-
day." He said that he was reluctant to follow the
Earl of Shaftesbury after his able speech upon the
value of flowers, but he was glad to give his good word
to the Duke and Duchess of Westminster as a testi-
mony to their good work, the penalty they paid for it
being to have their praises sounded in their ears. He
could not suggest any change from that, unless it were
to advise them to change their course of life, to shut
their eyes to the wants around them, to shut ttoeir ears
to the cries for help, and to live for themselves alone.
If they would not do this they must expect to have their
praises sung before theirfaces or behind their backs; but
one thing he could assure them—that those praises were
not empty expressions of compliment. Probably, as a
nation, we were wont to boast of our own good deeds,
but in this Instance, he would not say in the " cultivation "
of flowers, but in the art and science of gardening as a
whole, it was England that led. Abroad, all gardens,
with any pretensions to the name, were laid out on the
English plan. To go back in our history no long time
—a century—we reached a period when every human
being was in reach of the country; now every one at
this time had the advantage of parks and squares; but
London now covered such a space that many persons
were being gradually removed from contact with nature.
The value of it was apparent from the eagernirs with
which it Wi'a pursued. In the manufacturing districts,
however, where for miles and miles there was nothing
but dirt and smoke, and where the products of toil
covered the whole face of nature and changed the
very appearance of the people, there was no opportu-
nity of enjoyment in parks and gardens. So much
the more important was it then that the cultivation of
flowers should be encouraged by window and house
gerdens. The need was increasing, and the oppor-
tunity, he hoped, would be improved. It was neces-
sary the dwellings of the
poor should be improved;
they would be improved, and he hoped some conveni-
ence for gardens, horticultural and floricultural,
afforded. Gifts of flowers were the means of drawing
out the most touching sympathies between man and
man. One old woman, having received a gift of
flowers, declared that they preached to her; but in
gardens and in the profusion of the country he thought
some were apt to forget the giver in the gift, and not
hear the preaching of the flowers. If we thought, we
should find it pleasant to know that by gifts of flowers
poor homes were brightened, and a means of deep re-
ligious education afforded. The right hon. gentleman
concluded amid much applause.
The Duke of Westminster briefly returned thanks for
the vote to himself and the Duchess of Westminster,
and was willing to pay the penalty, if such it could be
called, when it was accompanied by the pleasure of
hearing such speeches. He hoped that the children
who had gathered there that day, good plants as they
seemed, would bud and blossom into noble men and
gentle women, and, that their fruit would be good.