The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-04-29

come prudence, frivolity will pe turned
into practically.
There has been many an aged wild
owed soul who had carefully-locked
bureau, and in the bureau box, and ;p
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
tear will drop upon the flower, and sud-
denly It is TRANSPORTED, and there is
stir in the dust of the anther, 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
a manly voice promises: IL 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. I'm
der the deep-fetched breath the altar,
the flowers, the congratulating groups
are. scattered, and there is nothing left
but trembling hand holding a 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?" 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
cruel, it is so incurable, that it needs
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 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 all
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 "A 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 if
there be instantaneous and constant
communication between this world and
the better world, do you not suppose
your departed friends know what you
do with their bodies? Why has God
planted golden-rod and wild flowers in
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 al
the wild flowers of the woods and the
table lands, will they not make excur
sion and see the flowers which YOU
have planted in affection and remem
brance of them?
When / am dead would like to have
a handful of violets-anyone coult
pluck them out of the grass, or some
one could lift from the edge of the pont
a water lily-nothing rarely expensive
no insane display, as sometimes at flu
neral rites, where the display takes the
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 czar, l ask some on,
whom may have helped by Gospe
sermon or Christian deed to bring
sprig of arbutus or handful of Chin,
aSters.
1t was left for modern times to spell
respect for the departed and comfor
for the living in letters of floral Cos
pei. Pillow of flowers, meaning res
for the pilgrim who has got to the enc
of his journey. Anchor of flowers, sug
gesting the Christian hope which w,
must have as ali anchor of the soul, sur,
and steadfast. Cross of flowers, sug
costing the tree on which our sins wer,
slain. If had my way, / would cover
up all the dreamles' sleepers, whether
in golden-handled casket or pine box
whether kings mausoleum or pot
ter's field, with radiant or aromatic ar
borescence. The Bible says: "In tn,
midst of the garden there was sepul
, cher" / wish that every sepulchel
might be in the midst of a garden.
If you asked me the question: "Wha