The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1899-04-07


may criticise and pronounce 1t an IN
aptitude and may lift Mgyebrows in
surprise and think 1t might suggest
something better, but the God who
sees the 20. 40, SO years OF welded life
before they have begun arranges for
the best.
There has been many an aged wild
owed soul who had a carefully locked
bureau, and in the bureau box. anf
in the box a folded paper, and in tho
folded paper a half blown rose. slight
ly fragrant. discolored. carefully press
ed. She put it there forty or fifty years
ago On the anniversary day Of her
wedding she will go to the bureau. she
will lift the box. she will unfold the
paper. and to her eyes will be exposed
the half blown bud. and the memories
of the past will rush upon her, and
tear will drop upon the flower and
suddenly it is TRANSPORTED. and there
is a stir in the dust of the anther, and
1t rounds out, and it is full of life, and
it begins to tremble in the procession
up the church aisle, and the dead
music of a half century ago comes
throbbing through the air, and van
ished faces reappear, and right hands
are Joined, and manly voice promises,
"I will, for better or for worse" and
the wedding march thunders salvo
of joy at the departing crowd but a
sigh on that anniversary day scatters
the scene. Under the deep fetched
breath the altar, the flowers, the con-
graduating groups are scattered, and
there is nothing left but a trembling
hand holding a faded rosebud, which
is put into the paper and then into the
box, and the box carefully placed in
the bureau, and with sharp, sudden
click of the lock the scene is over.
All, my friends, let not the 'proph-
ecies of the flowers on your wedding
day be false prophecies. Be blind to
each others faults. Make the most OF
each others excellences. Remember
the vows. the ring on the third finger
of the left hand, and the benediction
of the Gala lilies.
If you ask me the question, What
are, flowers good for?" | answer they
are good to honor and comfort the OBJ
sequies. The worst cash ever made
into the side of our poor earth is the
cash of the grave. It is so deep, 1t is
so cruel, it is so incurable, that 1t
needs something to cover it up. Flow
ers for the casket, flowers for the
hearse, flowers for the cemetery. What
a contrast between a grave in a coun-
try churchyard, with the fence broken
down and the tombstone aslant and
the neighboring cattle browsing amid
the mullen stalks and the Canadian
thistles, and a June morning in Green
wood, the wave of roseate bloom roll
ing to the top of the mounds and then
breaking into foaming crests of white
flowers all around the pillows of dust.
It is the difference between sleeping
under rags and sleeping under an en-
broidered blanket. We want old Nor
tality with his chisel to go through all
the graveyards in Christendom, and
while he carries a chisel in one hand
we want old Mortality to have some
flower seed in the palm of the other
hand.
"Oh," youu say, 'the dead don't
know; it makes no difference to them. >
I think you are mistaken. There are
not so many steamers and trains COM
ing to any living city as there are con-
voys coming from heaven to earth and
If there be instantaneous and constant
communication between this world
and the better world, do you not sup
pose your departed friends know what
you do with their bodies? Why has
God planted goldenrod and wild flow.
ers in the forest and on the prairie,
where no human eye ever sees them?
He planted them there for Invisible
intelligences to look at and admire,
and when invisible intelligences come
to look at the wild flowers uf the
woods and the table lands, will they
not make excursion and see the how-
ers which you have planted in affec
ton remembrance of them?
When am dead would like to have
a handful of violets-any one could
pluck them out of the grass, or some
one could lift from the edge of the
pond a water lily-nothing rarely ex-
pensive, no insane display, as some
times at funeral rites, when the dis
play takes the bread from the children's
mouths and the clothes from their
backs, but something from the great
democracy Of flowers. Rather than
imperial catafalque of Russian car. l
ask some one whom l may have help
ed by gospel sermon or Christian deed.
to bring a sprig of arbutus or a hand
full of China asters.
1t was left for modern times to spell
respect for the departed and comfort
for the living in letters of floral gos
pei. PILLOW of flowers, meaning rest
for the pilgrim who has got to the end
of his journey. Anchor of flowers,
suggesting the Christian hope which
we have as an anchor of the soul, sure
and steadfast. Cross Of flowers, sug-
costing the tree on which our sins
were slain. If had my way I would
cover up all the dreamless sleepers,
whether in golden handled caskets or
pine box, whether kings mausoTeum
or potter's field, with radient or aro-
matte arborcscence. The Bible says.
''Tn the midst of the garden there was