The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-04-03

and then breaking into foaming crests Of
whits flowers all around the pillows Of
dust. Il 10 the difference between sleep
ing under rags and sleeping under an en-
brOidered blanket We want old Mortality
with his ohisel to go through all the grave
yards In Christendom, and while he car
ries . ohisel in one hand we want old
Mortality to have some flower seed in the
palm Of the other hand.
Mission Of Wild Flowers.
"Oh," You say, "the dead don't know;
1t 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 II there be instan-
taneous and constant communication be-
tween this world and the better world, do
you not suppose your departed friends
know what you do with their bodiesP Why
has God planted goldcnrod and wild flow
ers in the forest and on the prairie, where
no human eye ever sees themp He planted
them there for invisible intelligences to
look at and admire, and when invisible
intelligences come to look at the wild
flowers Of the woods and the table lands,
will they not make excursion and see the
flowers which you have planted in affeo-
ton remembrance Of themS
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 water lily
nothing rarely expensive, no insane dis
play, as sometimes at funeral rites, where
the display takes the bread from the chill
drens' mouths and the clothes from their
backs, but something from the great de-
mocracy of flowers. Rather than imperial
catafalque Of Russian ozar, I ask Some one
whom may have helped by gospel sermon
or Christian deed, to bring a sprig Of ar
butus or handful Of China asters.
1t was left for modern times to spell re-
spect for the departed and comfort for the
living in letters Of floral gospel. Pillow
of flowers, meaning rest for the pilgrim
who has got to the end Of his journey.
Anchor Of flowers, suggesting the Chris
tian hope which we have as an anchor Of
the soul, sure and steadfast. Cross Of
flowers, suggesting the tree on which our
sins were slain If I had my way, would
cover up all the dreamless sleepers, wheth-
or in golden handled casket or pine box
whether kings mausoleum or potter .
field, with radiant or aromatic arbores-
cence. The Bible says "In the midst Of
the garden there WAS sepulcher. wish
that every sepulcher might be in the midst
Of garden.
Symbols of Religion.
If you asked me the question, what arc
flowers good for?" answer, " For religious
symbolism. Have you ever st udied Scrip
tural nora9 The Bible is an arboretum, 1t
is IL divine conservatory, it is a herbarium
of exquisite beauty II you want to illus
tRte tho brevity Of the brightest human
life, you will quote from Job, MAN
cometh forth as flower and is cut down"
Or you will quote from tho psalmist ''As
the flower OF the field, so he perisheth; the
wind passeth over it, aud it is gone" Or
you will quote from Isaiah, IAN flesh is
grass, and the goodness thereof is as the
flower of the field" Or you will quote
from James the apostle, AS tho flower Of
the grass, SO he passeth away" What
graphic Bible sy!nDolsm
All tho cut flowers will soon be dead,
whatever care you take of them. Though
morning and night you baptize them in
the name of the shower, the baptism will
not be to them saving ordinance. They
have boon fatally wounded with the knife
that cut them. They are bleeding their
life away; they are dying low The fra
GRANGE in the ait is their departing and
ascending spirits oh, yes Flowers are
almost human Botahists tell us that
flowers breathe, they take nourishlnent,
they eat, they drink They are sensitive.
They have their likes and Iislikes. They
sleep, they wake They live in families.
They have their ancestors and their de-
scendants, their birth, their burial, their
cradle, their grave, The zephyr rocks the
one, and the storm digs the trench for the
other The cowslip must leave Its gold,
the lily must leave Its silver, the rose must
leave Its diamond necklace of morning
dew. Dust to dust So VIC come up, we
prosper, we spread abroad, we die. us the
1ower-as the 1ower
Change and decay in all around see;
o thou who changest not. abide with mel
Flowers also afford mighty symbolism
Of Christ. who compared himself to the
ancient queen, the lily, and the modern
queen, tile rose. when he sad, IL am tho
rose of Sharon, and the lily uf the valley.
Redolcnt like the one, humble like the
other Like both, appropriate for the sad
who want symrathizers and for tho rejoic
Ing who want hInglleters lowering over
the marriage ceremony like II wedding bell
or folded like Il chalet on the pu!s1Iess
heart Of the dead 0 Christ, let the ""r
fuine of thy game be waited al sround
h I- ,,1 IL, 4
til the WILDERNESS crllns0n into q garden
and the round "arth turn inc one great
bud of immortal beauty laid against the
warm heart Of God Snatch down from
the worlds banners eagle AIT lion and
put Oh lily and rose, lily and use
Flowers ut Easter.
But, my friends, flowers have 10 grander
use than when on Easter morning We
celebrate the termination OF Christ from
the cataconbs The flowers spell resur-
rection There is not nook or corner in
all the building but Is touched with the
incense. The women carried spices to the
tomb of Christ, and they dropped spices
all around about the tomb, and from these
spices have grown all The flowers Of Easter
morn. The two white robcd angels tllat
hurled the stone away from the door OF
the tomb hurled IL with such violence
down the hill that it crushed in the dool
of the worlds scpulchcr, and millions OF
dead shall come forth.
However labyrinthine tho mausoleum,
however costly the sarcophagus, however
arhitecturally grand the metropolis, how
ever beautifully parterrcd the family
grounds, we want them all broken up by
the Lord Of the resurrection, The forms
that we laid away with our broken hearts
must rise again Father and mother, they
must come out Husband and wife, they
must come out Brothers and sisters
they must come out. Our darling chill
dren, they must come out, Tho eyes that
with trembling fingers we closed must
open in the lustcr of resurrection morn
The arms that we folded in death mus
join ours in embrace of reunion. The be
loved voice that was hushed must be re
tuned The beloved form must come W
without its inllrmities, without its ia
tigues 1t must como up. oh, how long
1t seems for some Of you'll Waiting, wait
Ing for the resurrection! How long, how