The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-05-11

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much of the pathway of life is covered
up with thorns, we ought to cover the
beginning with orange blossoms.
Flowers are appropriate on such oc-
casions, for in ninety-nine out of hun
dred cases it is the very best thing that
could have happened. The world may
and pronounce it an inapti-
tude and may lift it's eyebrows in sur
prise and think it might suggest some
thing better, but the God who sees the
20, 40, so years of welded life before
they have begun arranges for the best.
So that flowers in almost all cases are
for the marriage day. The
of disposition will become
recklessness will be-
come prudence, frivolity will be turned
into practically.
There has been many an aged wild
owed soul who had a carefully-locked
bureau, and in the bureau box. and in
the box folded paper, and in the
folded paper half-blown rose, slight
ly fragrant, discolored, carefully
pressed. She put it there 40 or so 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 a
tear will drop upon the flower, and sud-
denly it is transfgured, and there is
- md
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 vanished faces re-
appear, and right hands are joined, and
manly voice promises: Il will, for
better or for worse" and the wedding
march thunders salvo of joy at the
departing crowd, but sigh on that
anniversary day scatters the scene. I'm
der the deep-fetched breath the altar,
the flowers, the congratulating groups
are scattered. and there is nothing left
but trembling hard holding faded
rosebud, which is put into the paper
and then into the box, and the box care
fully placed in the bureau, and with a
sharp, sudden click of the lock the scene
is over.
All, my friends, let not the prophecies
of the flowers on your wedding day be
false prophecies. Be blind to each 9TH
er's faults. Make the most of each 9TH
er's excellencies. 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?' I 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. 1t is so deep, it is so
something to cover it up. Flowers for
the casket, flowers for the hearse,
flowers for the cemetery. What con-
trast between a grave in country
churchyard, with the fence broken
down and the tombstone aslant and the
neighboring cattle browsing amid the
MULLEN stalks and the Canada thistles,
and q June morning in Greenwood. the
wave of roseate bloom rolling to the
top of the mounds and then breaking
into foaming crests of white flowers al
around the pillows of dust. 1t is the
difference between sleeping under rags
and under an embroidered blanket. We
| want old Mortality with his chisel to go
through all the graveyards in Christen-
! dom, and while he carries chisel in
one hand we want old Mortality to have
| some flower seed in the palm of the
other hand.
| "Oh,'' you say. ''the dead don't know:
it makes no difference to them"
think you are mistaken. There are not
so many steamers and trains coming to
any living city as there are conveys
coming from Heaven to earth, and il
there be instantaneous and constant
| communication between this world and
the better world, do you not suppose
YOUR departed friends know what yor
do with their bodies? Why has God
planted golden-rod and wild flowers il
the forest and on the prairie, where nc
human eye ever sees them? He planted
them there for invisible intelligences
| to look at and admire, and when in
visible intelligences come to look N
the wild flowers of the woods and TIL,
table lands, will they not make excur
sion and see the flowers which yc,
have planted in affection and remem
brance of them:
When I am dead would like to hay,
handful of violets-anyone coult
pluck them out of the grass, or SOM
one could lift from the edge of the pom,
a water lily--nothing rarely expensive
no insane display, as sometimes at fu
ineral rites, where the display takes tb
bread from the children's mouths an,
the clothes from their backs, but some
thing from the great democracy o
flowers. Rather than imperial cata
falque of Russian czar, ask some on
whom l may have helped by a Gospe
sermon or Christian deed to bring
sprig Of arbutus or handful of Chin
asters.
i 1t was left for modern times to spe