Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-08

w IAo4AA ~ " Il OAs LIZ Nss
| FLOWERS OF THE SPRING.
How They Carry Joy Into the Wards Of
the Hospitals.
THE WORK OF THE FLOWER MIssIoN-scENEs
| IN THE CITY HoSPITALS-YOUNG LADIES
| AND GIRLS ENGAGED IN A LABOR OF LOVE
WHERE THE FLOWERS COME FROM.
The flowers don't bloom in the spring for
| everybody. The Capitol park is luxuriant with
spring blossoms, the Botanic garden is q glory
| to look upon, and all the other parks are fresh
| and green. The woods about the city are car
peted with white and blue and delicate pink
flowers. The air is fragrant With all these
about them, 1t does not always occur to every
day folks that there are people in this city who
| may never see blossom, nor learn that the
| air outside Is laden with fragrance. Within the
| city hospitals there are many children and
grown people, too, who never breathe the
breath OF spring. 1t is tor the sake of these poor
creatures that the flower mission has been
FORMED. 1t Is mere matter of sympathy and
sentiment, but 1t is the one thing that brings a
moment of brightness and JOY into a sick
BEDS, the polished, stainless floors, the white
walls of hospital look clean and fresh and
orderly to visitor. But to the patient who has
stared at them and been stared back at by
them TOR weeks and months, they look blood
less, cold and severe: A bunch of fresh fragrant
howers In a room like this brings a JOY to the
heart of the invalid, which none but that in
valid can appreciate.
Flower missions have been in vogue in New
YORK and Philadelphia for some years. A year
or SO ago some ladies and young girls Of ST.
Johns parish began in a desultory way to send
from this has grown flower mission here 1t
is only this spring that there has been an effort
towards anything like general mission.
THE MISSION
consists of ladies' and vouny ofrc-on 1vbo 1yt11
take part They have rooms in the Young
Mems Christian association building, on New
York avenue, near 18th street. and every Mon
day, Thursday and Saturday they have as
OF love. laden with sweet flowers. They have
now found, however, that it is better to have
thursday, though any day flowers sent to the
rooms will be received and delivered. The
sight of the flower girls is Joy to the sick folks
In the hospitals, and they look for them with
great eagerness. They like particularly to have
.ne mowers brought by young school girls who
are bright ;., and merry, ana come into the sick
rooms ike fresh sunshine. A great many of
these merry little maidens are engaged in the
work, and tier presence is almost as
flowers. The flowers are sept to the mis-
sion by people who have private gardens or
eo.nseryatories, by the florists throughout the
CITY, VINO have been very generous, and partic-
ulary by the market people. Those who have
hover stands in the market and some VINO have
wlid flowers for sale are very liberal with their
DONATIONS Just say it's tor the MISSION" said
one of the ladies to a STAR reporter, "and the
market people will load you down. IL is a
pretty sight when the young ladies and little
misses start out their rounds laden with
flowers. ut Is lots of fun said one OIL them to
then the flowers make the sick people SO
happy
THE START.
They go off by two's generaly-two to each
hospita-loaded with big boxes of flowers. The
whole party will come out OF their rooms with
q aS nf in, fha
they will divide Off, each couple going their
way, SO that not hospital is neglected. The
iorty tickets month, and with these they pay
their 1are, aud sometimes Mr.. Clarke, the lv-
cry stable man, furnish hes them with; carriage.
Ihey are always received with great demon
stratlons OF joy at the hospitals, particularly by
the old people. The invalids seem to think
more OF the flowers than OF anything else that
can be given them. They nearly always find
when they come with fresh flowers, that the
bunch they left before is still there, aud the pa
II they were very dear to them. The patients
at the hospitals that receive less attention from
the public are particularly appreciative OF these
favors. AT the Freedman's hospital they are
always received with delight.
SCENES IN THE HOSPITAL.
On Emancipation day they went there with q
load of flowers. One old colored woman,
to whom they handed big bunch of flowers
Rugged them close up in her arms, as delighted
as u child. g! didn't thunk 'inans'patin day
would get out here she said, but here 1t am
10 shO." She smiled and chuclled to herself
with delight. Another Old woman said it re-
minded her Of her old home In "Virginny' to
see the flowers at her window, and it made her
happy.
A very beautiful box of flowers was sent to q
lady at one OF the hospitals who dying
with consumption. Her feeble hands caressed
the flowers when the box opened, a smile
for u moment lighted her face, and she wnis-
pcred to herself will L see anything as beau
tiful in Heavcn:'
sometimes, but rarely, their flowers will give
Out before they get through all the wards, and
the disappointment of those VINO are not served
is quite pLifu. Some OF the elderly inyalds
ask that the little school girls bring their
flowers, for "they are SO sweet and happy" In
going about with Hover, they frequently see
where they can do some other good, and they
do many other little acts of Kindness. Ere
quently the young ladies stay and read to the
lnvailds. sometimes they make them presents
OF things they think they want. Not long ago
one OF the little girls got up great bag full OF
nice things, which she called
GRAB BAG,
into which the patients were to put their hands
and take whatever they got hold Of This was
done as a diversion for them. The first old lady
the bag was handed to looked at 1t for a
moment and asked ii there We're flowers In it,
When the little girl told her there were none
she shook her head and said she didn't want
anything else. TO miss getting the flowers is a
terrible disappointment. The mission visit all
the hospitals, without exception, from Proyi-
dence, Freedmans, to the allnsAouse and the
rest, aud they are always gladly received. AT
the Freednans they say they find the most
appreciation.
At Providence the sisters are very cordial
and seem delighted at their attention to the
patients.
Flowers for distribution are sent by any one
SO disposed TO the Flower Mission rooms, Young
Mems Christian association building The
ladies want now to get the boys VINO go out in
the woods to bring wild flowers home to give TO
the mission.
Protection Of Trees and Shrubbery.
COMPLAINTS OF THE PARKING COMMISSION OF
DEPREDATIoNs BY MEN, BOYS AND HORSES
WHERE ARE THE POLICE?
Complaints continually being made by
the officers of the parking commission OF the
great destruction OF shade trees on the streets
They say there appears to be very little attempt
on the part of the police to protect the trees
from the depredations of horses; that the driv-
ers OF vehicles, and especially country men,
almost invariably tie their horses to tree-boxes
and leave the animals while the drivers are
transacting their business. The horses thus
hitched bite the branches and nibbe at the
bark of the young trees. The limbs of young
shade trees upon the streets are broken down
bOVS W. no eli n