Plattsmouth weekly herald. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1882-1892, April 05, 1888, Image 8

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    lie 1-1bcuc the I tn
th l)u Tuiight 1
ItlocHom fur the
Vlolt for the Tomb.
Brooklyn, April 1. platform
and galleries of tho Tabornaclo wre this
morning profusely decorated with
flowi'iH. On the previous evenifjg I ho
church hud heeu oioii to prepare the
decorations, fur which (ho congregation
had Ix-en invited to hrin llower.H.
The iniiTiense audienco room is not
lai'e enough to contain the people on
ordinary occasion; it must he 1. ft to Ihe
imagination to surest the throngs, 1kUi
inside and outside the church, on thU
great festal day.
The Iiev. T. Do Witt Tulmagc, D. D.,
took for his text Luke xii, 23: "If then
(Jod ko clothe the grass, which is today
in the field, ami to-morrow i.s ca-st into
the oven, how much more will he clothe
" 1 f. w;i lit
The lily is the queen of the Bihle flow
ers. The rose may have disputed her
throne in modern times, aid won it; but
the rose originally had only live petals.
It was under the long continued and in
tense gaze of the world that the rose
blushed into its present beauty. In the
Bible train, cassia ami hyssop and
frankincense and myrrh and spikenard
and camphire and the rose follow the
lily. Fourteen times in the Bible is the
lily mentioned; only twice the rose.
The rose may now have wider empire,
but the lily reigned in the time of Esther,
in the time of Solomon, in the time of
Christ.
CiX'sar had his throne on the hills. The
lily had her throne in the valley. In the
greatest sermon that was ever preached,
there was only one flower, and that a
lily. The Bedford dreamer, John Bun
yan, entered the house of the interpreter,
and was shown a cluster of flowers, and
was told to "consider the lilies."
Wo may study and reject other sciences
at our option. It is so with astronomy,
it is so with chemistry, it is so with juris
prudence, it is so with physiology, it is so
with geology; but the science of botany
Christ commands us to study when he
says: "Consider the lilies." Measure
them from root to tip of petal.' Inhale
their breath. Notice the gracefulness
of their poise. Hear the whisper of the
white lips of the eastern and of the red
lips of the American lily.
Belonging to this royal family of lilies
is the lily of the Nile, the Japan lily, the
Lady Washington lily of tho Sierras, the
Lroiuvn liana niv, tne uianc my or ise-
paul, the Turk's Cap lily, tho African
lily from the Capo of Good Hope. All
these lilies have the royal blood in their
veins. Biiy I take the lilies of my text
this morning as typical of all flowers,
and this Easter day, garlanded with all
this opulence of floral beauty, seems to
address lis. saying: "Consider the lilies,
consider the a.alias, consider the fuch
3ias, consider the geraniums, consider the
ivies, consider the hyacinths, consider
5, hi heliotropes, consider the oleanders."
With differential and grateful and intel
ligent and worshipful souls, consider
them. Not with insipid sentimcntalism
or with sophomoric vaporing, but for
grand and practical and everyday, and,
if need le, homely uses, consider them,
The flowers are the angels of the grass.
They all have voices. When the cloud,
speak, they thunder; when the whirl
winds speak, they scream; when the cat
aracts speak, they roar; but when the
Cowers speak, they always whisper. I
stand here to interpret their message.
What have you to say. oh ye angels of
the grass, to this worshipful multitude?
This morning I mean to discuss what
flowers are good for. That is my sub
ject: What are flowers good for?
1. I remark, in the first place, they
are good for lessons of God's providential
care. That was Christ's first thought.
All these flowers seem to address us to
day, saying: "God will give you apparel
and food. We have no wheel with which
to spin, no loom with which to weave,
no sickle with which to harvest, no well
sweep with which to draw water; but
God slakes our thirst with the dew, and
God feeds us with the bread of the sun
Ehine, and God has appareled us with
more than Solomonic regality. We are
prophetesses of adequate wardrobe. If
God so clothed us, the grass of the field,
will he not much ruoro clothe you, oh
ye of little faith?"
Men and women of worldly anxieties,
take this message home with you. How
long has God taken care of you? Quar
ter of the journey of life? half the jour
ney of life? Three-quarters the journey
of life? Can you not trust him the rest
of the way? God does not promise you
anything like thaMfwhich the Roman
emperor had on his table at vast expense
500 nightingales' tongues but he has
promised to take care of j"OU. He has
promised you the necessities, not tho
luxuries bread, not cake. If God so
luxuriantly clothes the grass of the field,
will he not provide for you, his living
and immortal children? He will.
No we-nder Martin Luther always had
a flower on his writing desk for inspira
tion. Through tho cracks of tho prison
floor a flower grew up to cheer Picciola.
Jlungo Park, the great traveler and ex
plorer, had his life saved by a "flower.
Ho sank down in the desert to die, but,
peeing a flower near ky suggested
God's merciful care, and he got up with
new courage and traveled on to safety. I
paid the Cowers are the angels of the
grass. I add now they are the evangels
of the sky.
2. If you insist on asking me the ques
tion: What are flowers good for? I re
SjMDnd, they are good for the bridal day.
The bride must have them on her brow,
and she must have them in her hand.
The marriage altar must be covered with
them. - .A wedding without flowers
would be as inappropriate as a wedding
without music. At such a time they are
for congratulation and prophecies of
good. So much of the pathway of life is
covered up with thorns, we ought to
cover the beginning with, orange blos
soms. Flowers are appropriate on sucn occa
sions, for in 99 out of 100 cases it is tLe
v-ry best tiling that could have hap
lncf. The world may criticise and pro
nounce it an inaptitude, and may lift its
eyebrows in surprise and think it might
t i to
id in the bi
A folded paper, and i .
half blown rose, t!
colored, carefully ;
there forty or f II y
anniversary day ; L .
go to the bureau, t,.c
she will unfold the pajier, and to In r
fvca will 1k evnosed th half blown bud. !
j - i - - '
and the memories of the past will rush
upon her, and a tear will drop .ujion tho
flower; and suddenly it is transfigured,
and there is a stir in the dust of tho
anther, and it rounds out, and it is full
of life, and it legins to tremble in the
procession up tho church aisle, and the
dead music of a half century ago
comes throbbing through the air; and
vanished faces reapjear, and right hands
are joined, and a manly voice Tromises:
"I will for better or for worse," and the
wedding march thunders a salvo of joy
at the departing crowd; but a sigh on
that anniversary day scatters the scene.
Under tho deep fetched breath, the altar,
tho flowers, the congratulating groups
are scattered, and there is nothing left
but a trembling hand holding a faded
rosebud, which is put into the paper, and
then into the liox, and the box carefully
placed in the bureau, and, with a sharp,
sudden click of the lock, tho scene is
over.
Ah, my friends, let" not the prophecies
of the flowers on your wedding day be
false prophecies. Be blind to each other's
faults. Make the most of each other's
excellences. Alove all, do not loth get
mad at once! Remember the vows, the
ring on the third finger of the left hand,
and th benediction of the calla lilies.
3. If j'ou insist on asking mo the ques
tion, what are flowers good for? I an
swer, they are good to honor and com
fort the obsequies. The worst gash ever
made into the side of our poor earth is
the gash of the grave. It 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 a contrast between a grave in a
country churchyard, with the fence
broken down and the tombstone aslant,
and the neighboring cattle browsing amid
the mullein 6talks and the Canada
thistles, and a June morning in Green
wood, 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.
It is the difference between sleeping un
der rags and sleeping under an
embroidered blanket. We want
Old Mortality with his chisel to go
through all the graveyards "of 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. " I think
you' are mistaken. There are not so
many steamers and rail trains coining to
any living city as there are convoys com
ing from heaven to earth; and if there
be instantaneous and constant communi
cation between this world and the better
world, do you not suppose your departed
friends know what you do with their
Imdies? Why has God planted "golden
rod" and wild flowers in the forest and
on the prairie where no human eye ever
sees them? He planted them there for
invisible intelligences to look at and ad
mire, and when invisible intelligences
come to look at the wild flowers of the
woods and the table lands, will they not
make excursions and see tho flowers
which you have planted in affectionate
remembrance of them?
When I am dead, I would like to have
a handful of violets any one could pluck
them out of the grass, or some one could
lift from the edge of the pond a water
lily nothing rarely expensive or insane
display, as sometimes at funeral rites
where the display takes the bread from
the children's mouths, and the clothes
from their backs, but something from
the great democracy of flowers. Rather
ihan imperial catafalque of Russian czar,
I ask some one whom I may have helped
by gospel sermon or Christian deed to
bring a sprig of arbutus or a handful of
china asters.
It was left for modern times to spell ro
Fpect for the departed and comfort for
the living in letters of floral gospel. Pil
low of flowers, meaning rest for the pil
grim who has got to the end of his jour-nej-.
Anchor of flowers, suggesting the
Christian hope which we have as an
anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast.
Cross of flowers, suggesting the tree on
which our sins were slain.
If I had my way, I would cover up all
tho dreamless sleepers, whether in golden
handled casket or pine box, whether a
king's mausoleum or Potter's Field, with
radiant and aromatic arboreseuce. Tho
Bible 6ays, in the midst of the garden
there was a scpulcher. I wish that
every sepulcher might be in the midst of
a garden.
1. If you insist on asking mc the
question: What are flowers good for?
I answer for religious symbolism. Have
you ever studied Scriptural flora? Tho
Bible is an arbetum, it is a divine con
servatory, it is a herbarium of exquisite
beauty. If you want to illustrate the
brevity of the brightest human life, you
will quote from Job: "A man cometh
forth as a flower and is cut down." Or
you will quote from the Psalmist: "As
the flower of the field, so he perisheth;
the wind passeth over it, and it is gone."
Or you will quote from Isaiah: "All
flesh is grass, and the goodliness thereof
is as the flower of the field." Or you
will quote from James the apostle: "As
the flower of thj grass, bo he passeth
away." What graphic Bible symbolism 1
All the cut flowers this Easter day will
soon be dead, whatever care you take of j
them. Though morning and night you j
baptize them in the name of the shower, j
the baptism will not be to them a saving
ordinance. They have been fatally
wounded with the knife that cut them.
Th?y are bleeding their life away; they
are dyiug now. The fragrance in the
air is their departing and ascending
spirits.
Oh, yes! flowers are almost human. (
. 'mo roe, when lie t-..
the rose of Sharon and the i.
valleys." ISedolent like the.oneT t
like the other. Like both, appr
for the sad, who want sympathiwir""'-
for the rejoicing, who want banqueters.
Hovering over the marriage ceremony
like a wedding bell, or folded like a
chaplet on the pulseless heart of the
dead.
Oh, Christ! let tho ierfume of thy
name Iks wafted all around the earth
lily and rose, lily and rose until the
wilderness crimson into a garden, and
the round earth turn into one green bud
of immortal beauty laid against the
warm heart of God. Snatch down from
the world's banners eagle and lion, and
put on lily and rose, lily and rose.
But, my friends, flowers have no
grander use than when on Easter morn
ing wo celebrate tho reanimation of
Christ from the catacombs. All the
flowers of today spell resurrection.
There is not a nook or corner in all the
building but is touched with the incense.
The women carried spices to the tomb
of Christ, and they dropjied spices all
around about the tomb, and from those
spices have grown all tho flowers of
Easter morn. The two white rolx?d
angels that hurled the stone away from
the door of tho tomb, hurled it with such
violence down the hill that it crashed in
the door of the world's sepulcher, and
millions of the stark and dead shall come
forth.
However labyrinth ian the mausoleum,
however costly the sarcophagus, howevei
architecturally grand the necropolis,
however beautifully parterred the family
grounds, we want them all broken up by
the lord of the resurrection. The forms
that we laid away with our broken hearts
must rise again. Father and mother
theyr must come out. Husband and wife
they must come out. Brothers and
sisters they must come out. Our darling
children they must come out. The eyes
that with trembling fingers we closed
must open in the luster of resurrection
morn. The arms that we folded in death
must join ours in embrace of reunion.
The beloved voice that was hushed must
bo returned. The beloved form must
come up without its infirmities, without
its fatigues it must come up.
Oh, how long it seems for some of you.
Waiting waiting for the resurrection.
How long! how long! I make for your
broken hearts today a cool, soft bandage
of Easter lilies. Last night we had come in
the mails a beautiful Easter card on the
top of it a representation of that exquis
ite flower called the "trumpet creeper,"
and under it the inscription: "Tho
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall
be raised." I comfort you this day with
the thought of resurrection.
When Lord Nelson was buried in St.
Paul's cathedral in London, the heart ci
all England was stirred. The procession
passed on amid the sobbing of a nation.
There were thirty trumpeters stationed
at the door of the cathedral, with instru
ments of music in hand, waiting for the
fcignal, and when the illustrious dead
arrived at the gates of St. Paul's cathe
dral these thirty trumpeters gave oik
united blast, and then all was silent.
Yet the trumpets did not wake the dead,
lie slept right on.
But I have to tell you what thirty
trumpeters could not do for one man
one trumpeter will do for all nations.
Tho ages have rolled on. and the clock
of the world's destiny strikes nine, ten,
eleven, twelve, and time shall be no
longer !
Behold the archangel hovering. lie
takes the trumpet, points it this way,
puts its lip3 to his lips, and then blows
one long, loud, terrific, thunderous,
reverberating and resurrectionary blast.
Look! Look! They rise! The dead!
The dead! Some coming forth from tho
family vault. Some from the city cem
etery. Some from the country grave
yard. Here a spirit is joined to its body,
and there another spirit is joined to an
other body, and millions of departed
spirits are assorting the bodies and then
reclothing themselves in forms now
radiant for ascension.
The earth begins to burn the bonfire
of a great victory. All ready now for
the procession of reconstructed humanity!
Upward and away! Christ leads and all
the Christian dead follow, battalion after
battalion, nation after nation. Up, up!
On, on! Forward, ye ranks of God Al
mighty ! Lift up jour heads, yo ever
lasting gates, and let the conquerors
come in! Resurrection! Resurrection!
And so I twist all the festal flowers of
this church with all the festal flowers of
chapels and cathedrals of all Christen
dom into one great chain, and with that
chain I bind the Easter morning of 1833
with the closing Easter of the world's
history Resurrection! May the God of
peace that brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of
sheep, through the blood of the everlast
ing covenant, make you perfect in every
good work to do his will.
Hags Spreading Diseases.
The state board of health of Massachu
setts reports, through Dr. Withington,
the spread of infectious diseases by means
of rags. Small pox is proved to
have been, in some cases, thus trans
mitted; and more frequently by domes
tic than by foreign rags. Cholera, es
pecially, has been traced to the samo
source. "There is evidence that cloth
ing from cholera patients, and, possibly,
clothing merely packed in an infected
locality, has, when transported to a dis
tance.and there unpacked, caused the
disease, thus starting a fresh cholera
focus." Danger is also averred to exist
in the cases of phthisis, consumption and "Women desiring to enter the London So
other diseases; as the dust rising from . ciety'of Lady Dressmakers have to .furnish
rags may convey to the lungs the germs
of euch diseases. Globe-Democrat. I
or tj.i
lentii oi i. a .-1 . i ... .
times for the viu.i ary puvson to tiuie o-it,
unless-he has a watch or is surrounded witly
landmarks with which he ia perfectly fanulL
iur.
Tho average- person, if cast adrift in a
Email boat on tbo ocean or on any of the
lare lakes, would discover it to bo very
nearly as difficult to tell which point of the
horizon was north, or east, or south, or west,
even though the suu was shilling, as ho
would during the night. Tho sumo remark
is true of the average jierson traveling on the
prairio or the desert.
SCXFLOWEK AND MARIGOLD.
Several sjiecies of flowers may bo said to bo
guides, in a general way, to the points of the
compass. That is to say, they a (lord a hint
as to tho direction which the sun u in when
tliat orb may be hidden from view by any ob
ject. Among these are the sunflower and the
marigold. These flowers generally kep their
faces toward the suu wheu it is visible, turn
ing toward it when it rises, and following its
movements as it sweeps across tho horizon
until it disappears belo the western horizon.
If the direction in which these flowers' faces
JK)int ue followed by the oye the sun will
often Ihj seen if the time be during the day
light hours. To be sure, that lummury,
when it is in tho immediate vicinity, usually
makes its presence manifest without the aid
of the sunflower, the marigold, or any other
member of the vegetable or animal kingdom.
There are occasions, however, when a knowl
edge of these qualities of tho plants named
may possibly bo useful in giving a hint tut to
the direction tho sun is in from the observer.
Tho possession of these attributes cei tainly
gives these pluiits an interest and importance
which they would not otherwise command.
Of course, when the sun is found tho direc
tion may be traced as before indicated. To
this extent, therefore, the sunflower and the
marigold may bo fairly included among the
guides to the points of the compass.
The sunflower, tho marigold, and plants of
their class, it may bo said, are, in a negative
sense only, guide to direction. They simply
lead the eye to the point whoro tho sun is
when that luminary may be temporarily
hidden from view by an intervening build
ing, tree, hill or other object, and the sun's
position being known, it becomes possible to
"liguro out" the pointy There is a certain
llower, however, which is a iositive guide to
the cardinal points. This is tho compass
plant. Most persons who have traveled for
any considerable distance in Illinois. Mis
souri, Iowa or Kansas, have noticed a plant
producing several stems from a single root,
the two or three central stems ranging from
four to six feet in height, bearing upon their
upper extremity bright yellow flowers. The
u pi Kir leaves of this plant are erect, and usu
ally stand with their edges pointing north
and south. This peculiarity gives it the name
of polar plant, pilot weed, or compass plant.
Locally, however, it is given the less poetical
designation of "rosin weed," on account of
tho juico which exudes from it. Its botani
cal name is silphium laciniatum. Although
most numerous in the states mentioned, the
compass plant is seen as far east as Ohio and
Michigan, and as far west as the stales lor
doring on the Pacific ocean. Wherever fcind
it may be relied on as a trustworthy guide in
locating the points of the compass.
TREES AND ROCKS AS GUIDES.
Trees and rocks are also useful in indica
ting the cardinal points. Lichens anil mosses,
when found on trees or rocks, are densest on
the north side. When tree or rock stand s
that the sun strikes them during a larger pa s
of the day, neither lichen nor moss, generally
speaking, will be found on the south side.
The tendency of these growths to cling to the
south side increases in the proportion with
which the sun is obstructed from shining on
iheai. Trees or rocks in a dense forest may
have moss on all sides of them, but even
there the thickest growth is on the north
side. Of course the principal cause of this
peculiarity is thut the sun rarely strikes the
north side of any large object, and then only
for a short time in the morning and evening.
Mosses and lichens thrive best in the shade
When a tree stands in a position in which
the sunlight can reach it through most of the
day the limbs on one side of it will usually
be much heavier than those on the other.
Tho side upon which the heavy growth is on
is the south side. A rock in a similar position
will be darker on one side than the other.
The dark side is on the south. In connection
with the rock it should be understood that it
is the rock itself and not any of the growths
upon it, which is considered here. The
mosses which, as teforo stated, are thickest
on the north side, may be, when viewed at a
distance, as dark or darker than the bare
face of the south side will le. But the stone
ca the north side will be comparatively light
colored. Tho branches on the south side of a
tree are heaviest and tho south side of a rock
ij darkest for the same reason that moss is
absent on the same side of both. The sun
shines on that side longer than any other.
This is true of the region north of tho equa
tor all over the globe, but especially in the
north temperate zone. South of the equator
tho opposite conditions prevail. St. Louis
Globe-Democrat.
Cremation Making Headway.
Cremation is making more headway on the
continent and in this country than in Eng
land. Italy for ten years Has had on aver
age of seventy-five incinerations, Germany
an average of fifty annually for the same
time; but England has only had ten per an
num. The expense is not so much in the
way, the cost being but ten guineas; but
English sentiment is bluishly conservative.
People don't like the idea of being put in the
fire, even when dead. Very many have an
idea that it will some way hinder the resur
rection of the body, which to the masses is a
literal affair. But as a matter of health tho
advantages of cremation are certainly very
great. It also does away with the vulgar
parade of an ordinary funeral, and that, unfortunate-,
is precisely what is not desired
by the classes most to be benefited by
economy. Globe-Democrat.
testimonials of their "social position" as well j
as of character. '
. i Cass
th., I.it..t ...!..
vii. Liini mi ir ui mucninery, such hp: j. ew ue-t
n ;t(oie, l.uckcye and Minnonjiolis Hinders and Moweri,
vv and thu cclfl.rated Lister mil 'Drill; Shuttier and
u ii4Uii5jrIIe al.su has cultivators irom $10.00 up to $20.00;
Harrows and -j'1ovs in 8ani.; proportion. IIo Inn a branch Louee at
Weeping Water. lie Mire and call on Fred before jou buj, either at
Plattfcinouth or Weeping Water.
3lattiiiontIi and VV pin- Water, Ncbruufcn.
h. D. 13 E JST JST E T T.
JUST RECEIVED.
I have just received Neufchated Cheeae,
Edam Cheese.
Boauia Prunes, Macedonia Prunea, Callfor
nia and Turkish Prunes.
Celery Relish; Clam Chowder; Beef Tea--very
fine.
Fresh Dates and Figs; Oranges, Bananas,
cheap.
3. D. BEKNET T.
SOER STABLES
ive anything yon wane Jr. in a
passenger wagon.
CARRIAGE FOR PLEASURE AND
SHORT DRI'i".
always kept ready. Ciihs or tilit c-inages, pall-bearer -wagon
and everything for funeral sliirnihed ..r :diort notice. Terra f cas
Plt3 la 13 II n Han.l8oo Bwk OtUi pp., wtth buW U iIVm-
EMU Uafe W'sttyni
Bulbs, PlRBt. and viu2A v... Je To,!-, WiZ
scrib8 ft nr
valae.
on a postal for
W, ATLEE BURPEE & CO., PHILADELPHIA. PAi
IMPORTERS
s SPENGER, Brt
i lj a nr.A a rrr
nMnu
4mm&?& Iff
22, 24, 26, 23, 30 & 32 Lake Street,
Earthquake Sh cks In Arizona.
Hoi.erook. Ariz., April 1. At 10:30
last night a fcliglit shock of earthquake
was felt lasting ten seconds. Th yHih
tions were from ea?t to ;v.'t. nml quite
perceptible. Houses trenihU'd. A strt n-,r
wind from the south was Ijlowin.i: .it t!u
time. WMolsa? Robbery Ey Young' Iris.
CARTIIGE, III. April l.-A ncci.krl
sensation has been unearthed at K irpe,
iu this connty, ti.e d;s overy ti;:-.t the
daughters o severil re titt'.!- c'l'z u
hare been cna-d in a system of whole
County. .
. . C 1 I l
two wlicc-Ud go cart to a twenty fevr
1
FARM ANNUAL FOR 1888
Will bo iHWit FU W to ill Kn w. it tel..
NoTdtin in TEO RTA ud FlToWSMM.
wluch cannot ba oltau4 aWotutra - 1 '
the moM complete Ca.tnlflnn pnbtlaksal, to
JOBBERS
vv -vii l-
Ct
C7TLX2T,
nssnra
TACXLI
SPC27D73
QXZZ.
i -.
CHICAGO. ILLS.
sale robbfiy of millinery and dry goot'i
stores in that citr for ov?r two weeks
past. Goods amounting in value to a
lar:- sum of money were found screted
in barns, outhouses, under the- sidewalks
nnd clsuwhere. Four of the girls aro
from ti-ii to thirteen yean old. The
parents are overwhelmed with ifTicf nnd
off t te m-ikt? all amends. It is intimated
that there is something behind this sys
t. in of r-.ibt-ry, ,-oid that possibly other
and ol-.b-r culprit may Ijk found.
City nroj.rrty of all kinds in exchange
fori itid-improved or nniniprov d. Apply
to Windham :u.a Duvics. w-Ot.
r