Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1885 — “Fashionable Flowers.” [ARTICLE]

“Fashionable Flowers.”

Vick, the celebrated florist, has these sensible remarks in reference to “fashionable flowers:” Of all personal brna- c ments flowers are the most preciousfar too valuable and everlasting to bo spoken of in the same breath with the productions of the jeweler or. the milliner, and yet we are told that orchids are the fashionable bridal bouquets, because some one or two daughters of millionaires carry them. Very often nothing less graceful or more inappropriate could be chosen. The idea with many seems to be simply to find the

most rare and unique species of natural flowers, independent of beauty; if they * cost much and are rare, that is j quite sufficient. The overstrained effort always betrays itself, and orchids were never yet more highly valued by people - of refined tastes than were the wild violet, or the hedge rose. No Chaucer, no Herrick, no Wordsworth, has sung of the orchids as they have sung of daisies, of daffodils, or of the modest snowdrop, but they have often been exhibited as the flaunting decorations of those who have no higher appreciation of them than that they were costly, and so, to some extent, the ensign of wealth. What a pity it is that anyone class Of flowers should become fashionable, just as if all flowers were not beautiful in their own way, and far above the mere chattering patronage of any particular set. An Incident of the Revolutionary War. After the defeat of the American troops at Oriskany, St. Leger and his Indian allies advanced against Fort Schuyler. Benedict Arnold was immediately sent forward with a division to the relief of the fort. He was to wait at Fort Larned for reinforcements advancing by another route, before marching upon the enemy; but,hearing upon his arrival there that Fort SchuyleS* was already besieged, he planned to scatter the Indian allies of the British by a strategein. He had recently captured a notorious Tory, Walter Butler, who was supposed to be a spy, and with .him several other Tories. Among them was a nephew of General Herkimer, named Hon-Yost Schuyler, a loutish young fellow, supposed to be dull of intellect. Butler had been sent as a prisoner on to Albany, but young Schuyler had been tried in the camp and condemned to be shot. His mother came to Arnold to intercede for her son’s life, and the General agreed to spare him on condition that he would go forward and endeavor, by extravagant reports, to create a stampede among tne Indian allies of the British. This Hon-Yost promised to do, and, having a number of bullet holes shot through his clothes, set out with a friendly Oneida Indian for the British camp. Every Indian they chanced, to meet they assured that the Americans w’ere coming with a countless array of men and guns. The two parted some distance from tlie camp, approaching it by different roads. Hon-Yost then ran in among the Indians, all out of breath, apparently very much frightened, gasping that a great army of Americans was coming, and that he had been obliged to flee lor his life. When asked the number of the troops he pointed to the leaves on the trees, to indicate that they were beyond his power to compute. The Indians were greatly alarmed, and, when the Oneida came in by another road with the same story, and others, who had become terrified by the rumors spread by HonYost and his companion on their approach, came straggling in to repeat the same tale, amplified by their imagination, declaring that the whole valley was swarming with warriors, the alarm became terror. The manitow of the tribes was consulted, and flight was agreed upon. Nothing that George St. Leger could door say made any impression on the panic-stricken tribes, who precipitately left the camp, scarcely pausing to carry with them their accoutrements of war. The British General, finding himself nearly deserted, was forced to raise the siege and retreat northward into Canada before Arnold appeared on the scene.— Inter-Ocean.