The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-04-07

correspondence, recklessness Will be-
come prudence, frivolity will be turned
into practically.
There has been many an aged wild
owed soul who had carefully locked
bureau, and in the bureau a box, and in
the box Il folded paper, and in the
folded paper half-blown rose, slight
ly fragrant. discolored, carefully
pressed. She put it there 10 or 80 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-bown bud, and the memories
of the past will rush upon her, and
tear will drop upon the flower, and sud
denly il is TRANSPORTED, and there is
stir i'm the dust of the anther, and it
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
half century ago comes throbbing
through the air and vanished faces re-
appear, and right hands are joined. and
II manly voice promises: "l will, for
better or for worse" and the wedding
llluItU lllUlttlN u NtilNb VI ,lON slA wv
departing crowd, but a sigh on that
anniversary day statters the scene. I'M
der the dCpp-fetched breath the altar,
the flowers. the congratulating groups
are scattered, and there is nothing left
but trembling hand 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 he
false prophecies. BE blind to each 9TH
cr's faults Make the most of each 9th
er's rNcellencics. 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
scquics 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
cruel. it is so incurable. that il needs
something to cover it up. Flowers for
the caskct. flowers for the hcarse,
flowers for the cemetery. What a con
trast between q 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 June morning in Greenwood, the
wave of roseate bloom rolling to the
top of the mounds and then breaking
into foaming crcsts of white flowers all
around the pillows of dust. II is the
difference between sleeping under rags
and under an embroidered blanket. We
want old Mortality with his chisel to &c
through all the graycyards in Christen-
dom, and while he carries chsel in
one hand we want old Mortality to have
some flower seed in the palm of the
other hand.
oh you say, "thc dead don't know;
it makes no difference to them"
think you are mistaken. There are not
so many steamers and trains coming tC
any living city as there are conveys
coming from Heaven to earth, and il
there be instantaneous and constant
communication between this world ano
the better world, do you not suppos,
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 nj
human eye ever sees them? lie planted
them there for invisible intelligence.
to look at and admire, and when in
visible intelligences come to look a
the wild flowers of the woods and tn,
table lands, will they not make eXcur
sion and see the flowers which yol
have planted in affection and remem
brance of them?
When ! am dead would like to hav,
a handful of violets-anyone coulC
pluck them out of the grass, or som,
one could lift from the edge of the ponC
"A water lily-nothing rarely expensive
, no insane display, as sometimes at fu
neral rites, where the display takes tn,
bread from the children's mouths ant
the clothes from their backs, but some
+ thing from the great democracy o
flowers. Rather than imperial cata
falque of Russian ear, ask some ON
whom | may have helped by II Gospe
sermon or Christian deed to bring
sprig Of arbutus or handful of China
asters.
1t was left for modern times to spell
T respect for the departed and comfor
{ for the living in letters of floral gos
pei. Pillow of flowers, meaning res
= for the pilgrim who has got to the en-,
of his journey, Anchor of flowers, sug
! gcstiag the Christian hope which W
must have as an anchor of the soul, sur
and stcadiast. Cross of flowers, sug
, gestng the tree on which our sins wer
slain. If had my way, would cove
up all the Greamless sleepers, whethe
in golden-handled casket or pine box
: whether kings mausoleum or pot
, ter's field, with radiant or aromatic M
! borescence, The Bible says; I'm tn
a midst of the garden there was a sepul
, cher" | wish that every sepulche
might be in the midst of garden.