The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-01


 idea of making over Birmingham?'
 I'd give every person in this town a Tower box" said the Lover of Flowers. instantly. This would provide for the City Beautiful idea during the dull. gray winter months as well as for the beauti- ful Spring and Summer time. They might put the box in window if they chose, or cut on the verandah, or any where around the place they liked. If {. free gift, I'd just sit back and await re- sults..
 Then we'd be City of Flowers" l suggested, delighted with the pretty idea.
 And city much benefited by such surroundings" said he Aside from the actual beautification of a house, or a yard, or 8 city, by flowers. there's the in fuenee of flowers on the individual Flow CTS are real missionaries. Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought of the real good they do?"
 "Yes, I replied" have. I've seen i.,- stances of it.''
 q have in mind," said the Lover of Flowers case that may illustrate more clearly than anything else. just what I mean. In a certain prison which visited lr days g me by, very often among the number of convicts there was one more depraved, more hopeless than all the lest. One whom the authoritie declared had defied all their efforts to reach hinl. A change ir the prison officials led to the conviet's duties being changed somewhat. Among other things that he was called upon to attend to, was a window full of flowers. For the first time during hia incarceration he began to show an inter. est in his work. The flowers began to Improve wonderfully under his care--also the man. Some one remarked upon it to the Prison official, and related the his tory of tho prisoner 1t set the man in authority to thinking If a simple box of flowers had humanized and softened such a supposedly depraved criminal why couldn't the good work be continued by carrymg it further?"
 The matter ended" the Lover of Flow cls continued, "by the prisoner being given other flowers to look after. Final ly he was given garden. In two years he was 0 reformed man. He had added beautiful garden to the penitentiary and he was considered one of the 'trus- ties about the place. The whole trans formation had been brought about by the little accident that placed the first box of flowers in his care"
 That's my idea" said the Lover of Flowers as he finished his story "I think flowers reform street. a home. a city. If youll notice, there's always a certain gentleness, a certain humanity, about people who associate with flowers. Men as well as women who grow flowers always have a kinder and more tender at- titude towards the world than those in other lines Of gardening.
 When I've made trips to and from savannah to New York by water,' I oB- served apropos of our subject, I've often heard the Northern travellers speak of the beautiful flowers in Savannah. one charming old gentleman l met on one of these trips expressed it so beautifully when he said that ths the quaint South- ern city was very riot of bloom. " Wasn't that attratcive?"
 Funny" said the Lover of Flowers, but l was just about 10 speak of that myself. Of course, Florida has achieved the name, and rightly, too, of The Land of Flowers, but there isn't place in the South where the flowers simply inundate the streets as they do in Savannah In the poorest alleys there are old tomato cans filled to overflowlng with brilliant red Gerariuuns and famboyant Nastur- tiums. There are voritable curtains of Wandering Jew from every window ledge, no matter how humble, and the Morning Glory ana the Honeysuckle fairly en- shl oud the board fences, which other wise would present q very homely ap- pearanee
 Why couion't Birmingham follow Sa- vannah's example in this?'' l suggested.
 We coul1 easily do it. The time is here, the season just beginning, when ev- erything is ready and willing to sprout ana grow and there's no place so humble that flowers refuse tC do this if they are given any sort of care and attention."
 Birmingham is geographically one of the most beautiful cities in the South said the Lover of Flowers" and 1t could te made even more beautiful. It's just the nick of time for the City Beautiful idea to be launched and with flowers as cheap as they are, there's no reason why the pooress shouldn't have an occasional rot of growing things, to brighten and beautify their surroundings. Let's push this City Beautiful idea along and mako Birmingham the prcttlest place in tho country this Spring and summer.'