St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-05-06

the gcraniums, consider the iyies, coif-
slider the hyacinths, consider the hello
tropes, consider the oleanders." With
deferential and grateful and intelligent
and worshipful souls, consider them.
Not with insipid sentimentalism or
with sophomore vaporing, but for
grand and practical and everyday, and,
if need be, homely uses, consider them.
The flowers are the angels of the
grass. They all have voices. When the
clouds speak they thunder, when the
whirlwinds speak they scream, when
the cataracts speak they always whis-
per. / stand here to intrcpet their mes
sage. What have you to say to us, o We
angels of the grass? This morning /
mean to discuss what flowers are good
for. That is my subject: What are
flowers good for?
remark, in the first place, they are
good for lessons of Gods prosidential
care. That was Christ's first thought.
All these flowers seem to address us to-
day, saying: God will give you ap-
pareland food" We have no wheel with
which to spin, no loom with which to
weave, no sickle with which to harvest,
no well sweep with which TO draw
water, but God feeds us with the bread
of the sunshine, and God has apparelcd
us with more than Solomonic regality.
We are prophetesses cf adequate ward
robe. '.If God SO clothed us, the grass
of the field, will He not much more
clothe you, o ye of little faith?" Men
and women of worldly anxieties. take
this message home with you! How long
has God taken care of you? Quarter of
the journey of life? Half the journey
of life? Three-quarters the journey of
life? Can you not trust Him the rest
of the way? God does not promise You
anything like that which the Roman
emperor had on his table at vast ex-
pense-50O nightingales' tongues but
He has promised to take care of you.
He has promised you the necessities,
not the luxuries-bread. not cake. If
God SO luxuriantly clothes the grass CT
the field. will He not provide for you,
His living and immortal children? He
will.
No wonder Martin Luther always had
u flower on his writing desk for in
spiration. Through the cracks of the
prison door flower grew up to cheer
Picciola. Mungo Park the great trav-
eler and explorer. had his life saved by
a flower. He sank down in the desert
to die, but, seeing flower near by, it
suggested Gods merciful care, and he
got up with new courage and Travelled
on to safety. / said the flowers are the
angels of the grass. Iadd now they are
the evangels of the sky.
II you ask me the question: "What
are flowers for?" I respond, they are
good for the bridal day. The bride
must have them on her brow. and she
must have them in her hand. The mar
riage altar must be covered with them.
4 wedding without flowers would be as
as wedding without
music. At such time they are for cen
graduation and prophecies of good. So
much of the pathway of life is covered
ur with thorns. we ought to cover the
with orange blossoms.
Flowers are appropriate on such oc-
for in ninety-ninc out of hum
dred cases it is the very best thing that
rould have happened. The world may
criticise and pronounce it an inapti-
tude and may lift its 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
thoy have begun arranges for the best.
So that flowers in almost all cases are
appropriate for the marriage day. The
OF disposition will become
recklessness will be-
come prudence, frivolity will be turned
into practicality.
There has been many an aged wid-
owed soul who had q carefully ly-locked
bureau, and in the bureau box, and in |
The box q folded paper. and IN the
folded paper : half-blown rose, slight |
" fragrant discolored, carefully |
pressed. She put il there 10 or so years
lgo. On the anniversary day Of her
Tedd;-e she Eill 60 TO the bureau. she