Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1859-04-01
rhs rlovvers.


a strawberry blossom TO pieces, in order to
resolve It into its first principles, or to en-
tighten myself as to its primeval ATOMS
All this painful and benehcent vegetable
surgery thankfully leave to the botanical
demonstrator, taking his erudite dexterity
for granted, but keeping my kaleidoscope
out Of his way, to show me Chaucer lying
among the daisies or Cowper or Beau hunt
ing for water lilies or Shakespeare standing
in the March wind looking at the datfodils,
and dreaming Of the swallows. at is my
faith that every flower enjoys the air it
breathes;" and in the annual miracle of
flowers, see set forth in the most vivid al
legory dream of hope to man. 1t pleases
me to walk in "God Almighty's garden"
and to yield myself to the sweet irresistible
mournfulness with which they bind them
selves TO the living, dying heart, that can
claim Mt least the brotherhood Of origin
with these lovely children of the dust. !
like to puzzle out their legends, to read
their yoiceless symbols to talk with
the flowers that are sown by the winds
watered by the showers, fed by the sun
beams, and cradled by the lulliug night
Never, to the most attentive and beseeching
eye do they present or reproduce reitera-
Iion Of themselves, or Of one another, how
ever perfect the old model, however fault.
less the desired grouping. Flora's light
pictures are never repeated; her kaleido-
scope is always turning. To lay aside that
technical "language Of flowers which has
only been brought to climax in tho fra
grant East is not the whole world under
their countenance, still "of one language
and one speech2' To the child, they are
the elves Of "life's fairy tlme;" he looks for
fays under the lady-fern, secs their ru-
bies in the golden cowsip-cups, holds sacred
the strwbery flower, listens for the peal Of
the swinging harebells; he gathers them.
crushes them as playthings in his rude
hand, loves them, wearies of them, throws
them away.
! Flowers arc the universal moralists; not
one but has its lesson, its sermon, or its
song. Rises and lilies, in wise hands and
at sacred feet, have formed the text for ho-
liest themes, for deepest parable and tender
est morality. Faith and duty and love and
f hope, and peace and gladness, smile or
, their dewy faces, fading in quiet hands, they
speak of death; creeping over low greer
graves, they whisper of Immortality
They are the emblems alike Of feasting anC
mourning, of speech and silence, of sorrow
/ and hope, of grief and love. They have
mingled largely in the pious superstition
of all nations; and, indeed, without figure
they might be called the divinition Of nat
ural religion. Sacrifices were dressed il
+ flowers, temples adorned with them, th
: dead fondly strewed with their sympathetic
] blossoms; the gods of springs and running
: waters were propitiated with their fragran
=, incense; ard of these Foatinaha, curiou
: relic may still be found in Derbyshire an,
j some of the midland English counties
5 where the pretty custom of "well-dressing
!, is retained by the fower-loving peasantry
J, Nor is divination by means of flowers alto
0 gether extinct in the southern village:
E. where they are even vet invited to emplo
i the harmless witchery in disclosing intrinsi
s and important love secrets. With death,
0 universal instinct appears to associate then
The ancient Jews were buried in gardens
Poor Shelley passionately desired to Ii
t among the howers-as passionateIy as tn
}, milkmaid who wished to die in spring
}, that she might have store of them stuc
x on her winding sheet, Sir William Temple
e a florist of very different order, had hi
heart buried among his Dutch flowers
d The symbolism which made the beautift
IL rose an emblem Of silence, consecrated it i
= a peculiar manner to the sad hush of death
and thus, while in one chamber, it wa
+. twined with myrtle at festive entertain
a ment, in the next it might be shedding i
t. dying sweetness on the withered lips Of
IN corpse Chambers Journal.