Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-05-14
Agrltnltura,
From the Country Gentleman.
Moral Influence of Gardening.

home, and a comfort to his family. Has 1t
not the additional attraction of moral in |
auencei Tha, it has, might be inferred
from the fact this every employment gives
. tone ant bias, more or less marked, to the
character of him who pursues il. The
kindred pursuit Of farming, it is generally
conceded, exerts decided and happy infu-
euce on the character: why may No. the
same be true of horticulture!
IL is obvious that this employment with
draws q man from many scenes of tempta-
tion- Il does not send him into the haunts
Of vice iD cities, nor into places Of sharf
traffic, where every high and noble principle
10 sacrificed to the lust of gain. l. does not
often bring before him the dark side o: hu-
m. n nature, and familiarize his mind with
gross wickednsss. and stimulate his passions
to indulgence. From his daily path, he sell
dom hears profane oaths, or licentious jests.
or erticements to intemperance. His call
ing will not indeed, ensure the preservation
Of q virtuous character, yet it IS eminently
conducive to that result.
Gardening brings one under the favorable
influences OF home. This is positive ad-
vantage, and it accrues both to him who
follows gardening for livelihood and to
him who makes II the recreation OF his
leisure. The wsrbing man pursues, his
daily toll within sight of his own gables;
his wife's cheerful song is waited cut to
him through the open easement; his chill
dren, some Of them lsbo: at his side, and
others soothe him with their innocent pratrle
He who pursues gardening from love of
it, is not apt to spend much oI his leisure
in ether and questionable amrsements. The
early morning finds him among his trees
and plants, and when the days business or
study is ended, he hi TO his garden as the
most delightful refuge rom fatigue and care.
The pursui. OF Office or wealth is laid aside
for the study of nature; the society Of the
street and the market-place is exchanged
Tor the society of home. Every man sill
have samrsements Of some kind, and his
character is often determined, for good or
evil, by the nature of his smusemenis y
Gardening sffords a rational and innocent
recreation, and one which carries with it
the salutsry influences of home.
This pursui! tends to repress evil passions
One cannot get on at all while in state of
excteWent. The employment requires
patience, sober thought and careful man.
ipulztion. And there is something in the
very aspect of garden adapted to sooihe
irritated feelings and to promote peace Of
mlnd. Graceful trees seem to wave We.
come TO TIE gardeners footsteps; Towering
plants, holding up their little cups to catch
the dew, seem to smile upon him as he
passes, and heavyladen fruit trees drop their
ripe products in.o bis hands, os If TO reward
him for his care.
"Yes! in the poor mans garden grow
Far more than herbs and flowers;
Kind thoughts, contentment peace Of mind,
Andi Joy for weary hours"
"a garden is place of healing to the soul.
il would seem as if from the growth of
leaves and flowers and shrubs, there exhaled
silent dew, which brought comfort to the
heart blistered in the sul,ry suns Of Fife
The intercourse of men and woman is often
harsh and chsfne. Little irriations, like
nettles, lie hid along the paths-but the
silen: growth of garden lcommunes with
out speech, and every leaf becomes leaf Of
healing"
This pursuit fosters a habit OF industry,
and SO benefits the character. A garden
requires daily care. The seeds sown, the
bushes and trees planted, must be also wat
cred. and pruned, and trained, and kept free
from weeds and innumerable insects. A
little neglect, and al is lost That motor
isus and busy parsonage. who is said always
to fnd some mischief for idle hands to do,
we verify believe passes BY the gate of
every true gardener, in despair!
This pursuit tends to cultivates feeling
OF dependence upon an over-ruling Provi-
dence. When the gardener has prepared
his soil, and planted his seeds and his trees,
he can do little more. He must wait for
higher power to waken into life the seed
germ, and to excite into active growth the
roots snd branches Of the tree. 1t is not
human skill that makes the radicle descend
and the plume rise; that causes the sa p to
flow, the roots to push out their mouths into
;ne soil in search of food, the buds to ex-
pand, the branches to extend, the trunk to
enlarge, and flowers anG fruit to follow each
other in succession. Human power does
not bring down the needFul rains and dews,
neither does it give or temper the light and
heat Of the sun. When the stated order of
things is interrupted-wben the showers
and dews are withholden, and the thirsty
earth is parched with drouth, or when the
rain dosfpnds in ,Ia
his face, and b!ighting winds and untimey
frosts descend-how utterly helpless is man !.
And when all circumstances combine to
favor the gardeners operations, how can he
help seeing the hand of Providence-a Hand
co-working with and blessing him continue
ally!
And this suggests the collateral thought,
that gardening tends to lead the thoughts
heavenw ard. The objects with which the
girdener is daily familiar are peculiarly the
works OF God, Iand are suggestive of his
power, wisdom and goodness. A clerical
friend, who sometimes INDUCES in vein Of
pleasantly, writes US that he is now coming
10 find some meaning in horticulture. For
merry, he got no further than to see the will
symboiical in quack-grasses aud Canad'
thistles; the affections in clinging vines
the understanding in sober rows of well
meaning vegetables; fancy in the hauntin:
tulip; calm satisfaction in the well-growI
turnip; wise intelligence in successful
cabhuge-head: and a sympathetic influence
apower Of melting, even to tears, in tn
onion! But now, he saw something more
something, indeed, to amuse him, but .mor
to excite sober reflection. He could no
help "heariug the voice Of the Lord, walk
ing in the garden in the cool of the day.
He saw divine Hand rolling onward tn
seasons in steady succession, and sustaining
all the forces of nature. He thought tn
undevout gardener a mad man, no less tha
the undevout astronomer.
As the gardener beholds all vegetation re
yiying in Slring, his thoughts are carrie