Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-02-27
A UNCONVENTIONAL GARDEN.
Being a Partial account Of LoYeY Mary's
Sunday Visit TO Miss Why
February Century.

Sunday visit 10 MISS why
February Century.
Lovey Mary is sent on Sunday trip
to Miss Why for some yellow roots,
and Miss Why tells her all about her
'denOminational garden"
This here is UNCONVENTIONAL gar
den, an got every congregation l
ever heared of planted in it. l amt
got no favorlte bed. | keer fer 'en all
IS alike. When you come to think of
it, the same rule holds good in startin
a garden as does in startin' church.
You first got to steddy what sort of
soil you goin to work with, then you
have to sum up all the things you haye
to fight g'Inst. Next you choose what
flowers are goin' to hold the best places.
That's mighty important question in
churches, too, amt it? Then you go
to plaintin', the thicker the better, fer
in both you got to allow fer d mighty
fallin' off. After that you must take
good keer of what you got. an be sure
to plant something new each year.
Once in while some of the old grow
this has to be thinned out, an the new
upstairs an suckers has to be pulled
up. Now, if yov'll come out here I'll
show you round.'
"These here are the Baptists, I" said
Miss Why, waving her hand toward
bed of heliotrope and flags. '.They
want lots OF water ike to be wet clean
through. They sorter set off to they
selves an tend to their own business !;
don't keer much bout minglin' with
the other flowers y
''These is geranlums, amt they I?
One OF the girls bad one, once, In a
flower pot when she was SICK"
"Y es.'' said Miss Why ;''thy're Met
hodlst. They fall from grace an has
to be revived they like lots of encour
agement in the way of sun an water.
These phlox are Methodist, too no
set color, easy to grow, hardy an Wig
orous. Pincnin' an cuttin' back the
shoots makes it flower all the better
needs new soil every few years. Now,
ain't that Methodist down to the
ground ?"
Are there any Presbyterians p ask
ed Lovey Mary, beginning to grasp
Miss Why's meaning.
Yes, indeed; they are a good, old,
reliable bed. Look at all these roses
an tiger-lilie an dahlas they all knew
what they was goin' to be afore they
started to grow. They was elected to
it, an they ii keep on bein' what they
started out to be clean to the very end"
Miss Why crossed the garden, and
stopped before bed of stately lilies
and azaleas. ''These are 'Piscopals," !"
she explained. "Ain't they tony? !?
Jes look like they thought their bed
was the only one in the garden. Some.
body said that a lilly didn't have no
pore kin among the flowers. 1t ain t
no wonder they most die of dignity
They re like the 'Piscopals in more
ways n one; both hates to the disturb
ed, both likes some shade, an '-con-
fidentially-"both air preety pernick-
ity. But to tell you the truth, ain t
nothin' kin touch 'em when it come 8
to beauty. l think all the other beds
is proud of 'em, if you d come to look
into it. Why, look at weddln's an
funerals ! Don't all the churches call
in the 'Piscopals an the lilies on both
them occasions p
An here, continued Miss Why,
''are the Unitarians. You may be
'jprised at me for havin' 'em in here.
long with the orthodox churches but
If the sun an the rain don't make no
distinction. l don't see what right l
got to put 'em on the other side of the
fence. These first is sweet liam, as
rich in bloom as the Unitarians is in
good works, a sown' theyselves con-
slant, an every little plant a-puttin' |
out a. fower.7
"Ain't there are Catholic ?' asked |
Lovey Mary.
Don't you see them hollyhawks an |
snOwballs an laylacs? All of them |
are Catholics, take up lots of room an |
needin' the prumin' knife pretty often,
but bringin' cheer an brightness to
the whole garden when it needs it
most. Yes, guess you'd have trou.
BILE thinkin' of any sect l ONT got
planted. Them ferns over in the
corner is Quakers. 1 amt never seen
no Quakers, but they tell me that they
don't b'lieve in fowerin out; that they
like GOODNESS an shade an quiet, an
are jest the same the year round.
These cOlea plants are the apes; they
are all things to all men, take on any
color that's round 'em, kin be the
worst kind of Baptists of Presbyuer-
ians. but if left to theyselves they run
back to good-for nothin's, This here
everlastin is one of these here Christ.
ians that's so busy thinkin' bout dyin
that be fergits to live"
Miss Why chuckled as she crumbled
the dry flower in her fingers.
"Se how different this is," she said,
plucking a sprig of lemon yer bena.
"This an the mint an the sage an the
lavender is all true Christians; jas by
bein' touched they give out a influence
that makes the whole world sweeter
place to live in. But, after all, they
can't all be alike. There's all sorts of
Christians; some stands for sunshine,
some fer shade; some fer beauty, some
fer use; some up high, some down low.
There's jes one things all the flowers has
to unite in fghtin' ag'inst-that's the
canker worm, Hate. If it once gi in
a plant, no matter how good an strong
| hot n inf mo, ho -