Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-10-10

HENRY WARD BEEoHER ON FLOWERS

by Henry Ward Beecher.
MIR. Beecher said it had been stipulated that a
regular speech should not he expected from him,
but that he should be permitted to address the as
sembly in an of.hand manner, and if his remarks
had no other merit they should have that of appro.
priateness. He found himself embarrassed not BY
poverty, but the richness Of the subject. Sc many
things presented themselves that be hardly knew
which to choose, but on the whole he had come to
the conclusion that he would speak of the flowers,
rather than Of the fruit not that he desired to as
sert the superiority of either to the other, for he
liked them both, and thought that either of them
was inferior to both of them together, (L0ughter)
lie deemed that man, a thoroughly worldly man
who thinks the time spent on flowers is wasted.-
There are those who thought il a flower helped q
mans tongue or pocket, or the coarser part Of his
nature, it was good for something. But tell such
q man that a flower was good for thought to eie'
vate the Imagination, and made fer mans better
nature, and he would not appreciate it. If there
was such n man here, or any who stood in the way
of horticultural pursuits on the part of their fam
lilies, he would advise them Ito go home and repent,
not in dust and ashes, yet at least in good garden
soil. (Renewed laughter.)
We are inclined to Judge of things by the effect
they have upon us, as IL we should think the God
who made the mountains greater than lie who
ma1e the flowers. But he, (Nr. b thought there
were more evidences of loving thought and care in
flowers than in anything else-even than in the
birds. Nowhere did he respect the divine hand
80 much as where it had manifested itself in the
creation Of flowers, which alone were u com plete
proof of the natural goodness and wisdom and
taste of the Divine nature. lie liked to rid0 through
the open fields and see what God most approved of
and he thought that the divine being approved OF
the dandeliou, for i, was scattered all over the con
tinent with its starry blossoms, lis ducats, its gold
en- spots There was every where enough of then
Many and many a plant which won't by the nam
of weed, he (Mr. b. had put in his list of flowers
because he judged from its frequency in what higl
estimation it was held by the Maker. And The
many hundreds of thousands of flowers strewr
over the world showed him that God had q linger
ing love for fOwers-that he never grew tired Of
creating shem; and from the man that told him he
should not love aud study the flowers, be would
turn away as from an evil counsellor. The very dis
position of flowers in the natural world was to him
an emanation from God, scattered here and there
Us they were, in such rich profusion, and in all po-
sitions and situations, for only man ranged them
in rectangular rows. lie could talk till morning of
the revelations of Gods nature which flowers made
to him, but the time forbade it, and he would pass
to another phase of the pleasing subject,
lie had been thinking since he had come here Of
relieving the formality Of religious worship by the
introduction of natural objects, and he believed lie
might suggest, when he returned home. how much
better it would be if his pulpit should be adorned
every Sabbath morning with flowers. Christ drew
his lessons from the beauties of nature, and preach
ed 10 a natural temple. Some of the pleasant rec
ollie ctl0nS Oh tue speaker 5 CUllu0OOu, were Oh tue
brass flowers which adorned a portion of the
church where in his boyhood be went to hear his
father expound the Bible, and it was always a re.
lief to him after passing up the square wooden
walls of the pew aisles to see his favorite flower
in its place. He had begged the old brass flower
when the old country church was torn down, and
he still preserved it as a precious memento.
The divine mind had always employed fruits and
flowers as the means of instructing and blessing
men. Did we ever reflect that the rose was first
placed in the garden of Eden, that the garden o.
Joseph of Arimathea held the grave of the Savio
that gardens had been the scenes of many sacred
events. Even in the aGornments of the temple o
David. fruits and flowers bore a conspicuous part
When a man was ia the highest and purest stat
of mind, then he was most susceptible to the intlu
ence of flowers. No man that had ever passet
through the period of youthful love but re
membered how naturally when we loved we ais
wished for flowers, and saw in them the fttest me
dunn of expressing gentle thought. So when Low,
was not quenched, but the object of it was and W,
were called to lay the loved ones in the grave, W,
wished for flowers. Never did he find poverty s.
bitter as when he was called to attend a funera
among those who we've too poor to provide flower
for the dead; and he always thought it as nue.
his duty in going to such u scene to carry flower
as to carry his Bible.
lie never was so overwhelmed as on one occasion
when called to oficiate at the funeral of q younI
maiden Of Sixteen, whose parents and friends, il
NE cAtTeultJ VI tucli RIict, III uOV tnlnh Vi III
details Of the burial preparations. When he say
the fair young creature lying in the coffin, he il
voluntarily went out of the house, and seel
ing a neighboring florist, brought back with hir
to the place OF mourning orange blossoms, all tn
white blossoms Of whatever plant he could secur
hastily. Before be could cross the room with thel
the mother embraced him in a transport of ieelin
30 that he could hardly get to the coffin to lay thel
on the dead. The parents had felt there was som
thing wanting, but till that moment they had NJ
known what it was. Who would dare lay the De
ecrating finger on the rose the bride had worn, {
recklessly iGjure the flower that had been taken Q
a menento from the bosom of the dead
1t needed not be said how much Art was beholt
en- to flowers. 1t had gone to them for form an
color, and the fairest ideas the artist had of colo
were attained from the study of their many hue
The man who studied them thoroughly had a bette
idea of the theory of artistic development, and
better practical hold upon its details.
Flowers had added a great deal to thought an
philosophy. He believed he could trace their c
feet in some Of the most abstruse writings, he al
not think he could find q more beautiful instanc
of this than in that old Puritan writer, Jonathr
Edwards Metaphysicians and philosophers we
indeed indebted to flowers.
Flowers should have a part in the furnishing
every house, particularly where there were childre
In respect 20 the cultivation of flowers, it was
wise and a good disposition of a mans wealth
send to every corner of the world to gather plant
1t was making no unwiso disposition of the veal
God had given US to use it in cultivating flowers
He would not say we ought not to give the pot
assistance. but at the same time we ought N
so neglect flowers, but should teach tho poe
that there are higher relishes for them tina
those Of common appetite, and the man who ovne
garden, and would not let people come into it, wa
o hunks.-(LaughteI.)
Country people could always have flowers enoug
without being indebted to any one. They conl
always find them on the trees and shrubs the
could always obtain beautiful wild flowers, and
they were not quite so rare and fine as the garde
flowers, yet God had thrown open the gates Of hi
free kindness so that no man was SO poor, except b
was SO poor as to live in a city-that he could nc
get flowers and as many as he pleased.
There was a literature of fruit, but time forbad
him to enter upon its discussion. Fruit needed n
eulogy from him, for it was not only very beaut
ful to the eye, but it was pleasant to The tast
which God implanted in man, and thus, having
double tongue it could speak for itself.
PRoGREss.-The Volksblat, the organ of Il