Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-07-18
NATIVE FLOWERS.

Let the Children Learn to Know and
Love and Nurture.
A woodsy looking bunch of wild flowers,
interspersed with feathery fir tips and With
ferns and brake and grasses for foliage,
sent to The Santa Cruz Surf, led to the
offer of prize to the county school out.
side of the cities of Santa Cruz and Wat
sonville which shall send in the largest
variety of wild flowers grown in the
county.
The bunch of flowers mentioned above
came from Laurel school, and contained
the following varieties: Eschscholtzia col
umbine, iris, lady's slipper, dog roses, elm
tonia, wild saliva, Indian pink, buttercup,
painted buttercup, Mariposa lily or ''hare
bell,' Solomon's seal and thimble berry
blossoms.
In connection with the subject of wild
flowers, adds The Surf, it may be mentioned
that San Francisco has had severe attack
of admiration for the country beauties
amounting to a fashionable craze. The
origin of this new born admiration for the
more delicate and ephemeral beauty of the
wood blossoms and field flowers is really
due to the work of that pioneer floral ar
tiste, Miss Mary D. Bates, who has for a
number of years been educating the Four
Hundred up to this point of appreciation.
Only few years ago San Francisco soci-
ETY. still chung for its decoration to the
hearts and darts and wreaths and Tyres
made of stiff wire and stuffed heterogene-
ously with the most expensive conservatory
blossoms. Then there wandered into some
body's house quiet but exceedingly deter
mined little maiden, who had started to
get her living honestly, with a certain
toll t1,otc no roccacCad Sha
startled the guests at the next entertain
ment by making of the house a symphony
in wild flowers. Great masses of glowing
eschscholtzias for one room, studies in but
tercups and ferns for another, palest Mari
posa lilies nodding out of cool green cor
ners-and so on, making a revelation that
created revolution, and was liberal edu-
cation to Mary Bates patrons.
The successful artistic, learned in the lore
of the woods and dearly loving the flower
tapestried fields of California spring, is
glad to acknowledge that she has found the
Santa Cruz mountains school of art for
herself-a storehouse whence she has
drawn not only her inspiration but much
of the material with which she has wrought
out her finest fancies. For several years
she has passed her vacations camping near
this city with a company of congenial
friends and relatives. They have gathered
stores for winter use, and have sent car
loads Of comfort to the sick and poor Of
San Francisco in the shape of flowers,
ferns and wildwood treasures for the Flow
er mission, the Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION and other helpful organizations.
Now the demand for wild flowers in San
Francisco is SO great that from the time
the first wild 'poppies" flame out their
gold in January in sheltered fence corners
till the last azalea hides its blossoms away
from September dust and sunshine two or
three establishments in the city have all
they can do to supply the demand, and
many a country maiden and farmers boy
has earned coveted new gown or yearned
for book by gathering and sending the once
half despised blossoms.
Let the children learn to know and love
and care for the native flowers Of their ma
tive state. It will elevate and refine them
more than any other thing.