Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-06-21
From the Cincinnati oommere,s,

~ was reinark OF VIII tnat G0d
might have made better berry than
strawberry, but he never did. Whether
better fruits are found on heavenly
ground have not been revealed by the
spirits who are said to come back to COM
municate with mortals, but who seem
to know very little about the horticultu-
raj products of celestial gardens. The
strawberry symbolizes, therefore the
best of the small fruits of the earth; and
if it grows on Jordon's stormy banks
abundantly, the saints who have entered
into possession have no reason to COM
plain.
Some way the strawberry is intimately
associated with religion. 1t seems to be
the peculiar fruit OH which the churches
rely whenever money is needed for reli-
giOus enterprise. 1t church is to he
built or furnished, apastor to be paid,
Sunday school to he libraried, par
sonage to be equipped, missioary to be
provided for, or theological student to
be educated, a strawberry festival is
suggested There is no church want
which the strawberry is not supposed
to Ue equal to.
So it comes that Strawberries and re-
! Gglon come to be us naturally associated
i'll the mind as beer and prctzels, or love
and lOllipop. Ii strawberries are scarce
and dear, lie who attends festival is
apt to get a large percentage of religion
to MS strawberry, but if his plate is
passed to HIM by a demure young
daughter of Israel, i'll whose lace the
grace OF the gospel is lack-lustre com
pared with the natural, and, therefore
unsanctihed vivacity, he is not disposed
to complain, the quality Of the service
making up for the deficiency in the guam
tity ol the delcacy served.
Shrewd church managers, and none
but the sllrewd should manage, under
stand this, and put the proper value on
the character OF the service rendered.
1t is an economy because 1t is vountari-
ly given and gives them cause to ca
claim, ''Blessed be nothngm Still the
strawberry Is an essential element to the
success Of the festival. 1T strengthens
a pleasant dclusion with the flavor o.
substance, and il Judiclousy mampuli-
ted and allowed 10 melt gradually upon
tie tongue, IL church festival straw
berry may De made to go Il great way,
and assist the slowly maturing conylu
ton Ot the testal guest, that he is really
getting his moneys worth.
We have occasionally been beguileu
into these holy pastnnes, and derIveu
Entertainment from the variety OF char
acter brought together.
The morally esthetic minded did not
seem to crlticlse the quaiity of the ber-
ries, or the quantity dIsplayed Ill then
saucers, nor Intimate by >igu or word Il
suspicion that the crean had an rcsem.
bl~n,e to water thlCkeh,u ".un q row
root ana tinged with Ochre. The con-
sciousness Oh nbbllng berry for the
sake OF a good cause Was upptrnOst III
their minds. Tnen there was the youEg
men, splendid vernal devices OF the tai
lor, with hear,s turning l.gnIly to love,
as Iennyson assures us tney 10 i'll the
sprlngtlme, who forget All about the
straw berries III their devotion to the
strawberry girls. The chap who really
seems To be distempered was the old lcl
low whose bulbously inclined nose,
double chm, and convex waist-cOat p, T.
tended good living. lie di,,lssocla,cu
Strawberries ana cream from the cause
and the causers.
"The primrose on the rive s brim
yellow pfmro'e Was 10 hinI,
And nothing more
Strawberries meant Strawberries, and
to be handed II dish in which lew sus-
piciously ripened berries tioated III II sea
of cerulean tinted and finnish cream,
was equivalent to the entertainment sup
| piled at the Barmcclde feast. Inc M
preston that the aatllr was II hunIbug II
pened Immediately into Il convlction.-
strawberry festivals are not AL oI TINS sort
Sometimes Mistress Bountilul presldes,
and from the strawberry horn OF plenty
pours an ineXhaustible DRIFT OF berries
i'll cream, like river overiiowing Its
banks. But this however may he re-
dound to the liberalIty of the entertain
ers, is not best for the cause. y church
strawberry festival, like a church taIr,
should be organized to get the largest
profit ut the least cost.
The goodness of the cause may be
fairly pleaded for the economy OF the
entertainment. III the cause Is not up
permost IN the minds aud hearts oI
those who attend them, they should heep
away.