SPECIAL PRIZE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1920, Page 1 (Supplement)

SPECIAL PRIZE.

"SPIRIT FLOWERS." (M. C. Bavak, Warea). I wrote last night in a garden of flowers, far away in the Island of Dreams. This beautiful island must lie I think, in another world than ours, for not on this storm beaten earth could such a lovely place-'be seen. The garden slopes in a baud of brightness from the hills right down to the white shelled beach of an ever gentle sea, across which indulgently smiles the Eastern sun. Iluman minds cannot picture the beauties of this garden, for we can hardly comprehend the loveliness of our own bright flowers—but those on this wonderful island are more perfect far than they. And nature who painted the tulip and tipped with red the daisy, has with the same taste harmoniously arranged the various colored flowers 'as in one setting that the eil'eet is as though the whole garden was one bright flower. In this island it is always Spring, for the chrysanthemum drops its dew on the snow-drop, and the rose shelters the cowslip, and the daffodils. As 1 gazed with rapt eyes at the beauties around me, I saw approaching tiic spirit who tended the flowers! Abashed at the glory of his laee, I lowered my eyes, but his voice confronted me as he said:—"Be not afraid, for this i 9 the island of rest, peace, and meditation. All the flowers you see ■around you once hud human forms like yon, and lived (heir lives upon earth, but now -they are here to be "corrected of their imperfections, to make them utter for another, venture there. You have been brought' hither to learn from them your guidance upon the earth, in order that you may understand what they tell you, I pliall make von a flower like one of them.''

then with a smile he asked me what flower I should like to be, and I fresh from a world of pride answered, "A Sunflower," for I thought how noble it would be to gaze like an eagle in the face of the sun and rise bold and stron» over the lowly flowers about me ° _ But the flower spirit said, "Xot to increase your pride are you here, but to conquer it. If I , ve re to grant your wish could you in your pride, give heed to the flowers at your feet? Xo no your first thought must be humility! and as he ceased- speaking I found myself tying on the ground a lovely bramble. At this indignity my wrath convulsed me so much that I writhed and twisted on the ground. My thorns muse surely have hurt something, for I heard a soft cry, and then a gentle voice saying, "It is wrong of you to be so angry."

"I'looked for (he speaker, and saw next to me a little violet with its head almost hidden among its green leaves this tiny flower rebuked me saving \ou were wrong to want to be a "sunbower „, order to boast your pride" Jhe motives and feelings of flowers must .be. like their faces; pore and without stain. A sunflower lifts its face to tie skies ,n glorious adoration, and in thankfulness to the sun from whence jt draws its life, would your feeling have been ono of these?"

1 was sient and the mild voice eon-,nue,V:-"l will tell y oll my storv . ln,!l S u ,CC , \ hl,lMn hein " on ™ r t' l Hke yourself, but a great -braggart and boaster. To hear me speak (Vaa liU] .ensure, for I spoke onl of ]f it 1 joined with others in oames I could noisily recite all that I did, but of others' deeds I was silent. I took no in crest in anything but what coneerned me, despised all men as inferior in some way to myself, and proclaimed a oiid my every act to othe s as selfabsorbed as myself.

And haying thus been a burden to all who knew me, T die.l from the earth ami was placed here to meditate on m foohslmess, and to lean, „ little modesty."

deVr kWI a Vi' o HtUp flo ™ r . and deeply concealed amongst the v «reen leaves was the sky,blue head that had spoken so gently to me. There fn becoming beauty, the violet hid a beauty surpassing the courts of'kings For Us sweet innocence is this little flower esteemed. I trust its lesson may ever remain wil, me, not indeed to earn esteem, but that I may share its innocence.

While I was flunking over the little story I ha,] j ll4 heard. „ fl| „ flowprp(] 'lock in front of me ben-ail-— "1 nUo have a lesson set me. patience and endurance Tn the world left -behind me. ruined my life and lives of others dear to me by a want of patience and trust J'-very little mishap worried me, and delay tn my hopes brought despair. I was not content like wiser men to provide as well ns I could for emergencies »»'' bave fait), in the result, but at every set-haul;. I made my friends miserable with complaints and railed j at fate as conspiring against me. But ! now 1 know better, and see that all'j things work together for the o- 00 d of those that have faith.

A ft or T camp hero for manv months my root Iny deep iiirnVrajrouiul wnitin" flay after day to tie bidden to seek the lijrlit, and when the message came it was not hurriedly I was allowed to emerge from darkness. Blind like a mole I was made to feel the gliding hand of kind nature who forgets not one of kas oiiliTiß, tkotufe »t tlmt ttiagi

are dark and dreary to them. The flowers you see on me now in a few weeks will be gone, and again I shall be lovely aDd dark underground, but. by my faith, I can await the result in patience.

As-1 turned my eyes away from the dock to the sea, I saw before me, the spirit who had so wonderfully changed my nature. He was gently touching the leaves of the sweetbriar, which clung to a.stone.

This plant was a mother upon earth, with a son too fondly loved. In the time when the child needed correction her love was too fond and foolish to punish him. So the mother ruined his life and she herself died sorrowing, and now by these spikes she closely clinga to the stone, saying "I wound to heal.''' It seemed to me as the spirit uttered these words, I was a man again, upon the earth, and it was morning. But it could not have been only a dream that had happened to me," my spirit must surely have been communing with (he flowers, for now I seem to understand all they say. Out in the garden this morning, the ivy on the wall whispered to me, "Cherish your friends," and the rose said, "Fill your heart deep with love." Away out in the fields tlie gum trees murmured their pity over the shelterless sheep, wlJile the daisies and lmttereups spoke to me of childhood days gone by. Can it be true that on this earth, as in the Islands of Dreams, that the flowers are the souls of human beings preparing for better lives in the future?