The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-16

delicate feathery tops rise plume-like
above the general level: their dense mass
es of long, hair-like stems dip their tops
in graceful curves, and through
all the entangled sunlight play. and the
south wind whispers ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
mysteriously. Over yonder a single rose
bush lifts its constellation of red blossoms;
no hand can ever gather them, no foot can
ever come near. sbut from afar they de-
liver their message 10 the human spirit,
and their highest mission is fulfilled
over the face OF the water, spreading
from side to side Of the little cove, are the
lily pads, one expanse of silvered green
that gently heaves and undulates with the
incoming wavelets. and studding this. thick
as the stars OF heaven. are the great snowy
lilies. each with its wealth of unfurled Pc
tails reaching upward into the sunshine.
and with the sunshine caught and held in
each golden heart. How peacefully hey
rest upon their lowly couch, seeming to
speak of an all-complete content. How
the beauty of them bears in upon the
spirit. so delicate. so pure, so exalted.
above the environment that gives them
birth. Peeping down into the spaces be-
tween the cleft and futed discs of green
we look into a neither world that hints not
Of purity and beauty, but of tragic ugli-
ness. where dense growths of aquatic
plants contend for space TO exist in, and
the lily leaves, dragged down and drowned,
as it seems. lie rotting. filling the water
with impure notes. and death and decay
mingle with life in it's struggling, unlovely
forms. Under all lie untold depths of foul
slime, where the lilies strike their roots.
RIIt I'm ahOVa hahoId the lnV nerfQCt and
uncontaminated. every spotless petal. lifted
clear of the impurities. reaching upward
toward the sunshine. and with the sun
shine in its heart
Down there in dim grottos fieeting forms
of the pursuer and the pursued tell of the
small monsters of the deep. and the ever
recurring sharp. quick snap apo the lily
pad from beneath reminds one of the uni
versal ravening fang. Not a wandering
insect alights upon an upturned edge Of
these broad resting places but risks a fate
as sudden and terrible as ever befell the
victim of dragon. Little wot they. one and
all. of peace and beauty, for here RACES in
small that cruel conflict that puzzles the
intellect and cleaves scimetar-like through
our finest feelings and feeds the heart with
doubts.
Out, titH, pcIolu III N.Y. bcdutilul duu
untroubled amid the game of life and
death. and wondrous MISUNDERSTANDING
its being from the death and ooze of the
neither world.
Oh, modest, immaculate flower, what un-
~speakable message is thine? As one medi-
tates upon thy loneliness he feels that
yearning. that passionate out-reaching
toward chastity of soul, which lies so near
the fount of tears. And the heart-the
heart of it, See those many tiny, delicate
fingers of palest gold all trembling
ecstatically as the caressing bee from
fondling them comes forth laden with a
wealth which leaves the lily no poorer.
Breathe upon them ever so lightly and see
how they respond. Is it not meet that the
flower that symbolizes all virginity should
have a quivering heart? Do not touch it
rudely. See, the bee has left no trace of
devastation.
And this from the midst of slime, Of
death and decay. and of cruel conflict. Oh,
we makers of ermons. who at this hour
are instructing the world with much learn
ing, how is it with you? Are you weaving
a spell In the hearts of men as this simple
lily weaves in mine?
GEORGE S. COTTMAN.
Tippecanoe Lake, August.