Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-06-17
The ReaeyOIenee Of Keeping
FIOyTerR.


Many persons love flowers, perhaps
nearly all. Old and young, when there
IS no more to be done than Just to
I look at them. There is beauty in q
I flower. and 1t must be a very hard
sort of an animal who does not see
and admire It; but, after al, there are
few heart lovers of flowers, and few
who keep them. Where you see one
home with flowers blooming about it,
there are dozen without them. Yet,
there is in keeping flowers q real be-
nevolence,. which, if people looked at
more, would make the world pleasant
er, if not better. It might make the
stranger passing by think it less cold
and hard, than he imagined it. The
Gospel. commands as to hospitality,
but is not keeping flowers in your
window, or your little yard, an act OF
hospitality? It says tc the stranger,
81 don't know you, and can not ask
you within, but these flowers in the
window are my token that share with
you in a common humanity, and such
hospitality as | can, | give you. Look
upon these emblems of Gods eternal
love and glory, and see, by this common
tie, that we are together the offspring
of Cod" This is 8 sentiment true
and Just. We may all feel and acknowl-
edge; and not that affectation of sen.
timent we see in what is called the
poetry of flowers. That is affsctation
Of sentiment, because the sentiments
OF friendship, love, jealousy &C., can
not be symbolized by any inanimate.
objects. But the flower is a symbol Of
the wisdom and glory of God, which
all true hearts will admire and love,
So Christ symbolized them IS the type
of eternal beauty, when he said, even
Solomon in all his glory was not cloth
ed like one of these.
1t Is an evidence both Of piety and
bsneyolence, when some woman, per-
haps lone and poor, perhaps in sorrow,
or cut OF from the pleasures of the
great world, puts some flower pots in
her window, or set a rose, or an althea,
or an hyderangea in her yard; no
doubt she did it because it pleased
herself; but if she had done it only for
the sake of thoso passing by, il would
have been kind and benevolent act:
and has any one thought how much
more beautiful and lovely such acts
would make this world? Walking up
! dry and dusty street, and passing
blocks of brick houses without a signe
II freshness, We meet a little farm
house where evidently poor people
i've, but in one of the windows are
'ots of fresh blooming flowers. and we
eel Ike taking of our hat and bowling
o the people in this house. Did they
Inow me? Did they even think Of
eelng met Not at all but they have
lone good action they have been
ind to the wayfaring man. We pass
lown a fashionable street, and see no
lowers; the people are satisfied with
herr stone fronts, their French glass
and forget the simpler but
Fighter glory, which blooms in the
ED. We come to another house, rich
nd elegant as either, but little green
ard is in front, and beautiful flowers
loom in it that was kind, although
he owner may not have thought Of
nat. Inthis aspect, then, the keeping
flowers is one of the charities of
fe; one Of the little things which like
le cup OF cold water, we may give,
I'D lose nothing. It costs but little,
sry little to plant the seeds or put
le root of some graceful flower in
't or in the yard. Where the world
ay learn this much of you, that you
ye the beautiful and feel kindly to
'ur neighbors. Il will be a better
cord than marble monuments. cree
d by mourning friends, will ever
axe for you. We walked down the
cen swsrd of our rural home. and
" on either side the rose and the
neysueale, the lily and the lering2,
. peony and the snow drop, and as
emory called up scenes long past,
It greatful that other hands than
rs had planted here the types Of
ernal beauty. and left the fragrance
their virtues in the sweetness of
wers. Death may take such friends
fairer homes, bat the charities of
cir lives will, like these flowers,
Smell sweet. and ripen In the silent dust %
Cincinnati Gazette.