Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-05-26
NEW YORK LETTER

wooing the country, and being wooed
by it. The two are carrying on. their
love making with the springs choicest
presents-the flowers. Nothing is more
common than to see a commuter or n
city gentleman or young lady trudging
along with a full load of flowers
brought from the gardens and lanes
and woods of the country. The troll.
ley cars coming to the city, the ferry.
boats, the trains and the boats are full
of flower bearing passengers, who dis.
tribute their loads in the Offices ana
homes Some take the sweet things to
the hospitals, the asylums. the schools
the Jails and police cells. Everywhere
they are welcome. The cultivated
flowers on the florists stands are com.
paratively neglected; one would give
more for one little blossom picked in
its country home than for dozen of
the professional variety. Honeysuckles
are pltny in Brooklyn and the Bronx
and the dogwood affords great bunches
of fragrant white blooms on single
branch. The pendant wisters are also
brought in by the armful. The passer
by always turns and takes second
look at the man who carries the bunch
Violets are here, and lilaes in great
profusion, but the robins still stay by
the nests in the country side, and the
woodchucks do not invade Broadway
or Fifth avenue. They are said to be
averse to trolleys and autos. Cherry
blossoms have been holding sway for
some time. and the boys and the girls
bring in ferns of great beauty. Amid
all its hustle and hustle the city will
find time to look at them all, if they
| come in its way.
The Flower mission has already gone
to work, and the news from other cit.
les is that the good ladies are hard
at work in this benefeient method of
conveying pleasure to the unfortunate.
One needs no better argument as TO
the progress of humanity than to see
this mission at work. Ladies in high
society spend large portion of their.
time every day of every week in this
administering to the aesthetic desires
of the inmates of institutions that have
to deal with the weak ones in the
walks Of life, who cannot get out to
gather in the blossoms themselves.
Compared with quarter of a century
ago, the distribution Of flowers has
assumed immense proportions.
Mr.. Andrew Carnegie has astonished
people by a decision he has made as
to Libraries. No one would have sup.
posed that he would make any dis.
tinetion as to the classes he would dis.
tribute his money among in the spread
ing of intelligence by way of Libraries;
but he has done so and he has dis.
criminated against policemen the last
class one would have supposed he
would have put aside in his gifts
They are very worthy set of men
and the request for $4,000 TO supply
every station house in the city with
a few books, magazines and newspapers
seemed a very modest one, indeed
but the great millionaire rejected it
and eurtly at that. No reason is Civ
en-, but it probably lies in misappre
hension as to Mr.. Carnegie's style of
giving. He gives the building. not the
books. The police already have Ii.
brary building in the station houses
which the city supplies, so they have
no use for Carnegie building for them.
Mr.. Carnegie puts up his Libraries, but
he let's other people 6ll them. That
is very well, but he might well have
made an exception for the policemen
Time must hang heavily on their hands
when in the station houses, and books
and magazines 10 enliven the idle hours
would certainly be a God send TO
them.
More than so families are eultivat-
ing their plots on the Burke farm in
the Bronx, made available for the use
Of the unemployed by the Astor es'
tate. This admirable philanthropy
will lprove helping hand to many men
with large families who are unable 20
pay high rents in this city, as there are
yet available for hundred poor fam
lies plots as good as those which have
been taken up and cultivated. The
recipients are very grateful. One Of
the men who received a plot wrote TO
the superintendent, 81 have often
prayed for just such an opportunity, as
/ was brought up in the country, and
know that l can earn a living for my