Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-05-29
Letters TO the Children..-No. 9.

ny REV. j.. A. BATKs.
Bright birds and bright flowers all around
us-that is what we all expect to see in any
tropic land, but especially in that island of
which our good old missionary hymn says,
%every prospect pleases." And so it is truly,
but not quite as we expected to see it. There
is beauty all around us. But | think there
is too much of it. Why, Tom, it is just like
these Vermont sugar parties. ! heard of
some one the other day who did wish he had
a pickle to eat. So it is in Ceylon in the
spring-time after the rains have covered
everything with beauty. You sometimes
feel as if the sight of New England hill
all covered over with rocks would be a real
rest for you. But we shall not have to go
very far to get a nice bouquet of wild flowers
for little Nellie to-day. Before the rain the
yard was almost like a bed of hard, dry clay.
The sun and wind had cracked the surface
Of the ground and driven the dry dust in
your eyes when you. came out here. But
now the grass is green and high, and there
are great many little flowers growing in it.
No violets, Nellie. We miss them. If we
had a peck of violet seed we would SOW
them all around. No dandelions or butter
cups, either. No, not any of our old Ver-
mont friends. You may find few in the
missionaries garden that remind you of
home. But the seed came from America
and they hardly ever ripen seed here. Oh
yes, there is one old friend, Let me tell you
little story.
Some years ago there were two men liv-
ing near each other in Ceylon village
One Of them was called rich man. He
lived in grand house for this country. He
was an old man, and nobody seemed to love
him at all. Indeed, he never did anything
to lead others to love him. He was dis
honest, and selfish and misery. think he
would not go across the road to help little
child out of the cistern, even if he knew it
would drown before any one else could help
it, | suppose he gave great deal of money
to the priests at the idol temple, and pre-
sumo he had in his house somewhere an
idol. perhaps made of gold, to which he
prayed every day. But when the missionary
came to see him, he would either be too
sleepy to talk with him, or else would an
swer the visitors questions very roughly.
In the garden around his house there was a
coarse weed.ike plant that seemed to be
cultivated very carefully. 1t was what is
called Indian hemp Its leaves are used for
smoking, aud it is one of the worst of all
sorts of intoxicating things. That was the
reason why this old rich man had his gar.
den full of it, and that old useless, vile, ugly
weed was a good illustration of the mans
character. The other man was not so rich
but the missionary did love to visit him
How glad he was to see us, and what nice
delicious fruit he always used to get for us
when we came. His neighbors all respected
| him. Even the worst of them all would &c
TO him for help if they needed it. If they
wanted any one to keep their money fol-
them, they would carry it to this man, anC
trust him for its payment even without any
notes or securities. And how the children
all loved him. But what do you sup
pose he had growing in his garden, neal
the door of his house Oh, you nevei
could guess. 1t was beautiful rose-bush
that grew and blossomed, and grew ant
blossomed, almost all the year round. i
came from slip of bush that one of thu
missionary ladies carried in pot all thu
way from America. And in its beauty anC
fragrance it is, think, like the life of tn,
good man who lived in that house. Blu
children, what do you suppose made thu
difference between those two men ? It wa.
not money or learning, or civilization, tina
planted and cared for the beautiful rose-busl
in place of the old opium plant. What wa
itP Suppose you take your fathers Bibl'
concordance, and look in it for the wore
rose, and what the Bible says about it, ant
see if you cannot find out what made tn,
difference. But the rose is not a nativ,
born. Let us look at some of the wilC
flowers around us. What beauties thos,
climbing vines are, at each end of our yer
andah. One is called the Horse Tai
Creeper." 1t has long white streamers o
flowers that hang down like the tail of
white horse. The other is the RangooI
Creeper." 1t has clusters of bright pinl
flowers. They are all shut up now perhaps
but at sunset they will come open with
snap. Little Nellie will think some one il
popping corn out here when she hears them
| wish we had some of those climbers NJ
here in Vermont, to take the place of som'
of our morning glories and woodbines.
Tom has already found out the orang,
tree and brought us in some blossoms from
it. But we are disappointed in them; the!
are smaller, and not so sweet as those from
the greenhouses at home. | think they ar
of different species. But you can Away
have orange blossoms here, if you wan
them, for that tree blossoms all the time
Tom has come in, too, all wild with deligh
over what is called the fire tree in the yard
II is the hambeaux tree. Ii does look lik
| u great LOICH al III u IL OOu bO Ou
to it, you will find no leaves on it, only on
great mass of bright flowers.
Yes, the hedges are full of flowers. Tn
trees all are bright, and the grass is on
great flower bed, In the right season of tn
year, Ceylon is one splendid flower garden
cannot try to name hundredth part o
tho beauties among them All here is Al
old friend, mother says, as she picks fowe
from some tall bushes by the roadside. Ye'
that is the oleander, such as you have see
in large tubs up in Vermont. They gro,
Just like alder bushes here, Here they ar
on both sides of the road for some distano,
Now you will have enough of them. Tn
air is so loaded with their fragrance tina
you are almost suffocated. And before W
II