THE Dandelion is not the only flower that dies to live again. The lowly Daisy is, as we remember, another member of the composite order. It again raises its head, and seems to whisper of life on the other side of death; resurrection life. But the Daisy has another lesson to teach; The French call it “Marguerite,"this name comes from a word meaning “a pearl." If we open our Bibles at Matthew 13:45, 4645Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matthew 13:45‑46), "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls; Who, when he had found one pearl of great price went and sold ALL THAT HE HAD and bought it.”
Well do we know the “Merchantman” of the parable was the Lord Himself, Who laid aside His glory "Emptied Himself of all but love,”
Why? Again the Written Word of God shall answer our question. “Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it.... That He might present it to Himself, a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."(Eph. 5:25, 2725Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Ephesians 5:25)
27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27).) His church is to Christ, the “Pearl of great price." But to secure it for Himself, He must go beneath the dark waters of death and judgment. The pearl is, we know, the treasure of the sea, found within the shell of a certain kind of oyster. Most of us have, I think, heard or read about pearl fisheries. The oysters are brought up by divers. Long ago, a great number of slaves were employed in fishing for pearls. To encourage them to look carefully, and to bring up as many pearl oysters as they possibly could, the hope of a possible reward was held out; the one who found a pearl of more than usual beauty and value received his freedom.
But oh, how deep and dark were the waters the Savior passed through, when, upon the cross, the question of sin was gone into and settled between a sin-hating God, and a sin-bearing Savior.
“Lord, e'en to death Thy love could go,
A death of shame and loss,
To vanquish for us every foe,
And break the strong man's force.
Oh what a load was Thine to bear
Alone in that dark hour;
Our sins in all their terror there,
God's wrath, and Satan's power.”
His cup of joy will not be full till His return to claim His blood-bought church. Do not let us forget that that moment may be very near.
“There made ready are the mansions,
Radiant, bright and fair,
But the Bride the rather gave Him
Still is wanting there.”
Our little friend, the humble Daisy, has not lived and bloomed in vain, if the precious, though unseen things, of which we have spoken have been brought freshly to our minds by the wee, modest flower.
But October mornings are apt to be chilly, and the shortening days remind us that winter will soon be here; though some of the trees retain the beauty of their many-colored leaves till the late autumn, others are leafless and bare. The Swallows have gone! No one saw them go, or knew the exact moment of their departure. For days past they had been observed collecting in flocks; perching upon telegraph wires, church steeples, and other high buildings; perhaps, some of us had said, “The swallows are getting ready for their long journey over land and sea, to warmer lands than ours." But no one saw, no one heard them go. May not this bring to our minds an event that is really going to happen, the taking away of the Church to meet her Lord in the air, when those who sleep in Christ will be raised, and living believers changed at the coming of the Lord. (1 Thes 4:13, 18; 1 Cor. 15:51, 5251Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51‑52).)
Nuts and blackberries are ripe! Well do the children know it. And the hedgerows are bright with hips and haws, the ruddy fruit of hawthorn and dog-rose. On opening the haw you will find that it contains a stony seed, called a “drupe." It belongs to the same family as all stone fruits, the cherry, peach, plum and many others; even the blackberry is included in this family circle. “But the blackberry is surely not a stone fruit” Nora is saying. Look closely at it, and you will notice that each berry contains a number of very small stony seeds.
Half hidden among withered leaves, a lovely bunch of coral-like berries often peeps out at the root of some old trees, or among a thick growth of brushwood. It is the fruit of the Wake-Robin, or Arum, often called by children, “lords and ladies." It is really a lovely plant, and has a very curious floral arrangement. In April or May a broad green leaf, something like that of the lily of the valley, is all that meets the eye; it enfolds the spedia, beautifully colored, and not unlike a very small bulrush; at its base are seed-vessels, also higher still are the stamens forming a circle, and, higher still, a tiny coronet or crown, which may have suggested the strange name given to it by the children. Wrapped in its mantle of green, its beautiful colors unseen by any eye but His who made it; and often hidden by the common weeds of the hedge-bank, it stands erect and alone. But wait till the autumn; pistils and stamens will each have done their appointed work; the green wrapping falls off, and a cluster of beautiful red berries will for some weeks-remain to gladden the eye of any who love to wander through the forest glade and note the beauty of the many-tinted woods.
Many of the arums grow in out-of-the way nooks and corners, but is their beauty wasted? Surely not, for He who formed them with such skill knew exactly where to place them. Perhaps what I am writing may be read by just one of the Lord's hidden ones; someone who is often sick, and lonely, and who is sometimes tempted to wonder if such a very quiet life can be of any possible use? Look up in faith and hope, dear, much-tried one; for you the Wild Arum has a very distinct message. The Lord has need of His hidden ones; it is for His eye, and heart that you are just where you are. In Old Testament times, we read of those who “stood by night in the house of the Lord." It is quite likely that very little was thought or known about their service; they served while others slept. But God had appointed their temple services, and we may be sure that their ministry of prayer and praise was precious in His sight. Who shall say how many blessings were outpoured on the slumbering Israel around in answer to the prayers of those who, unnoticed, and perhaps unknown, served through the long, dark night. And yours, dear suffering one, in the quiet-it may be of a sickroom, is a service not less blessed and holy. Yours is a MINISTRY OF INTERCESSION. There are so many for whom you need to pray. Busy workers; who often long for the quiet times alone with the Lord, they find it so difficult to get. Some of these work at home, and sometimes get discouraged and depressed; others have gone at the Master's call to the far-off mission-field, their message must be given to a people of strange language who often do not want—however much they need—the Gospel.
“The weary ones had rest, the sad had joy
That day!—I wondered how?
A plowman singing at his work had prayed
‘Lord, help them now.'
Away in foreign lands they wondered how
Their simple word had power;
At home the Christians 'two or three' had met
To pray an hour.
Yes, we are always wondering, wondering ‘how,'
Because we do not see
Some one, unknown perhaps, and far away,
On bended knee.”
Along the hedge-tops and twining in and out among the branches, you may often see a something that looks very much like a string of cornelian-like beads, somewhat withered it is true, but still very pretty to look at. Try to trace its windings. No root can be found, and it seems to have no object in its wanderings; it almost might have been flung among the brambles by some passing gust of wind. It is the WHITE BRYONY, the only British plant which belongs to the gourd family. It is a poisonous plant, though in the summer months. its palm-shaped leaves and green-veined flowers were pleasant to look at, as its trailing stem worked its way upwards, clinging to every object within its reach, until it gained the very top-most place, and seemed to look proudly down. But autumn soon robbed it of its short-lived glory, the stem withered, and the berries hung loosely down, or fell to the ground.
May it not remind us of the men and women of the world, who live and toil with no higher object in life than themselves, their pleasure, fame or riches. They die, and leave no fruit. “Verily, every man at his best estate is altogether vanity. Surely, every man walketh in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain; he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.”
The hips and haws will supply food to countless flocks of wild birds during the winter months. Truly “The Lord is good to all and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
Listen! There is the strong, clear note of the Thrush. Yes, and the little songster is one of the cleverest of nest builders. The outside of a thrush's nest is thick and is made of grasses, moss and fine twigs, all neatly woven together. The inside is a firm wall of clay, beautifully round, and as smooth as the wall of a house. The plaster required for this is formed of clay and wet mud, held together by scraps of decayed wood. While building, the female bird molds it into a cup-like shape by moving round and round in it, and pressing her breast against its damp sides. When dry this wall is so strong that it often lasts long after the outside has fallen to decay.
The favorite building-place is in some thick bush or hedge, sometimes in ivy growing against a wall. From four to six eggs are laid, they are of a bright blue, spotted with black. The first brood is hatched about the end of April, and there are generally two or three broods during the season.
The Blackbird builds in much the same way as the Thrush, and uses the same kind of materials, but the inside of the nest has a soft lining of feathers and horse-hair. The Blackbirds begin to build in March, the first brood being out of the nest by the end of May; a new nest is then built, in which eggs are again laid. The eggs are of a blue green color, marked and speckled with brown. A third brood is often reared by the end of the summer.
The Finches are a large family of birds, few are perhaps better known than the Chaffinch. It loves to build in the forked branch of some tree or bush; a snug little nest with a rather deep hollow is built among sheltering leaves; green grasses and moss only are used, and the nest is so cleverly hidden that it is by no means easy to find. In April or May, four or five bluish-white eggs are laid; often spotted with light and dark shades of reddish brown. Like other members of the Finch family, the Chaffinch rears only two broods during the season.