New-York tribune., 1874-05-08
THE FLOWER MISSION.

THE FLOWER MISSION
On one of the hottest days Of that hot sum-
mer which burned itself into everybodys
memory. q lady in the country happened TO
send a large basket of cut flowers to friend
who had been forced to remain IN town
through even the fiery heat OF July 1he
lady, as she uncovered the basket oil pansleS
and roses, heavy with fragrance and still wet
with dew, stood by an open window, ana,
glancing out careessly, saw two wretched
little street Arabs dragging their barrow Oh
old rags along through the dust. Without
Thought she threw them two or three OF the
roses She quite expected their astonlshed
yell of delight, and the quick "Saddee'
1ma,am.D The native American rough in his
cradle thanks you for a kindness. But
she hardly anticipated the sudden halt
which they made, the delicate care with
which they handled the flowers, looking at and
smelling of them gently as though a priceless
treasure had fallen into their hands Presently
the two roses were put together, bit OF paper
wrapped about the stems, and one boy ran oil
with them while the other took up the heavy
harrow TO 90 on alone "Where is he going
"with them ~ she asked. "Home, maam. 1t
"you put them pOsies in water, you kin keep
Gem two or three days." with a nod, as one
who imparts useful information.
Two newsboys with the evening papers un-
der their arms had stopped and were
looking hungriy up to tho open window (;
il was not in wOmans nature to shut it
without throwing them some of the flowers.
But tho consequences were appalling
Have any of our readers seen how boys, at the
cry of " Fire. or Fight" grow out of nothing
How the street, which so utterly vacant TINS
moment, the next swarms with them-in hats
in caps, bareheaded, in fine sailor rig, or IN
rags-but all together in white heat OF ex-
citement, and yelling in cOncerti Now
this phenomenon suddenly overwhelmed our
friend with the roses. The street was one of
O quiet, decent quarter, where the class called
gutter boys were unfrequent visitors; but here
they were dirty ill-smellng, wan-faced, an
army of them, before her, as though her scat
tored leaves had been dragons teeth, and
brought forth this crop Of miniature savages
out of the pavement. NewsbOys, bootblacks
with their boxes strapped on their backs, mis-
crable little organ grinders, still more misera-
BILE beggars artstically gotten up for effect, In
dirt and nakedness, all mere children together
for the moment whine, slang, petty rascality
forgotten. their little hands held up, and their
eyes sparkling at the sight of flower! You
care not going to give your lovely roses to
&c these creatures7n demonstrated somebody
inside The lady had no fancy for playing
Bountiful on the street; but the evening was
darkening and the window low; besidss, she
had babies of her own, and no mothers heart
could stand those pleading, dirty little faces.
So the flowers were dOled out carefully at
last. for the crowd without gathered fast, and
when the last leaf was gone there was still an
unsatsfied row of upturned, eager faces. The
lady had in her time assisted to distribute
songs or clothes to crowds of the poor, and
observed the callous indifference with which
they took both as their right; but for these
flowers she was repaid by breathless graft
tude, joyous little cackles of laughter, and in
every instance by the same tender handling
which the first boys had given, most of the
children running home with their treasures
Until late that night the door-bell did not
cease to ring, dirty little applicants coming to
know if this "was the house where posies
"was Civ for nothing"
Now there was nothing In this story worth
the telling; the lady herself only recollected
it afterward when she would pass garden
full of imperial lilies or rich-hued roses fall
ing from their stems unnoticed in the wanton
abundance of Summer, and thought how. in
the city there were countless sitting alleys
and courts TO whose wretched inhabitants the
wonder Of a single rose wasS unknown
year after year. . Another lady, however,
in Boston had similar experience six
years ago, and out of her thoughts about
it grew the Flower Mission in that city, which
has every Summer since 1868 suppledr the
prisons, hospitals, asylums, and thousands of
poor homes with weekly fair and fragrant
messages Of the fields, and the loving God
who made them. This Flower Mission has
extended to several churches of this city, and
to the Children's Aid Society. If any of our
readers doubt its utility lot them take a
few flowers into any of the wretched purlieus
of the city, and they will find these messen-
gers from Heaven have more sacred meanings
and uses than to serve rs button hole bou-
quet or fade in the heated air of o ball ROOM
-
NJ PIGEON, whose speech at Nice we published on
Wednesday, is likely to get into serious trouble