virtues of purity modesty and innocence heres a nice story to help explain the virtues of purity innocence and modesty and their importance the most beautiful virtues this story is an excerpt taken from the basket of flowers by johann christoph von schmid in a certain little market town over a hundred years ago there lived an upright and intelligent man named jacob rede he was married to a most virtuous young woman and they lived happily in a humble home which was in the midst of a large beautiful val ley after living many happy years together jacob s wife died leaving him alone with only one friend his daughter mary even as a child mary was uncommonly pretty but as she grew in years her piety her innocence her modesty and her unfeigned kindne ss towards all she came in contact with gave to her beauty a rare and peculiar charm her face was lighted up with a look of such indescribable goodness that it seemed almost as though one looked upon an angel mary s greatest delight was the beautiful garden and her favour ite flowers were the violet the lily and the rose jacob loved to point to them as emblems of the virtues most becoming to her gender when she once early in march brought the first violet to him and joyfully called upon him to admire it he said let the modest violet my dear mary be to you an image of humil ity and of the benevolence that does good in secret it clothes itself in the tender colours of modesty it prefers to bloom in retired grots it fills the air with its fragrance while remain ing hidden beneath the leaves may you also my dear mary be like the retiring violet avoiding vain display not seeking to attract the public eye but preferring ever to do good in quietude and peace one morning when the roses and lilies were in full bloom and the garden appeared in its richest array jacob said to his daughter as he pointed out a beautiful lily which was beaming in the morning sun let the lily my dear child be to you the emblem of purity look how beautiful how pure and fair it is the whi test linen is as nothing compared with the purity of its petals they are like the snow happy the maiden whose heart is as pure and as free from stain but the purest of all colours is also the hardest to preserve pure easily is the petal of the lily soiled touch it but carelessly or roughly and a stain is left behind in the same way a word or a thought may stain the purity of innocence then pointing to a rose he said let the rose my dear mary be to you an emblem of modesty more beautiful than the colour of the rose is the blush that rises to the cheek of a modest girl it is a sign that she is still pure of heart and innocent in thought happy is the maiden whom the suggestion of a thought that is indelicate will cause to blush as she is thus put on her guard against the approach of danger the cheeks which readily blush will remain for a long time with their roseate hue while those which fail to blush at the least indelicacy of thought will soon become pale and wan and go before their time to the grave among the many fruit trees that adorned the garden there was one that was prized above all the others it was an apple tree not much larger than a rose bush and stood by itself in the middle of the garden mary s father had planted it the day that she was born and every year it bore a number of beautiful apples once it blossomed earlier than usual and with unusual luxuriance the tree was one mass of blossom mary was so delighted with it that she went every morning as soon as she was dressed to look at it once when it was in full bloom she called to her father and said look father how beautiful was there ever such a lovely mingling of red and white the whole tree looks like one huge bunch of flowers the next morning she hastened into the garden to feast her eyes once more upon the tree but what was her grief to see that the frost had nipped it and destroyed all its flowers they were all become brown and yellow and when the sun came forth in its strength they withered and fell to the ground mary wept bitter tears at the sight then said the father thus does sinful pleasure destroy the bloom of youth oh my child never cease to remember how dreadful it is to be seduced from the path of right behold in the example of the apple tree an image of what would happen if you were to wander from the way if the hopes your conduct hitherto has raised in my heart should vanish not merely for a day or year but for life ah then how much more bitter would be the tears which i would shed over your lapse from virtue than those which now course down your cheeks life would have no joys for me with tears in my eyes i should go down sorrowfully to my grave as he spoke the tears stood in his eyes mary was deeply moved and the words he uttered made so profound an impression upon her mind that she never forgot them under the eyes of a father so loving and wise and amid the flowers of her garden mary grew daily in stature and intelli gence blooming as a rose pure as a lily and retiring as a violet and as full of promise as a tree laden with blossom happy was the old man at all times to behold how plenteously the fruits of his garden rewarded his diligent toil but with how much more happiness and content did he mark the gracious effect produced upon the heart and mind of his beloved daughter by his pious teaching and example jacob plucked several roses and lilies tied them together in a bunch and gave them to mary with the words the lily and the rose sister flowers as they are belong the one to the other both incomparable in their beauty they are ren dered still more lovely by being together in the same way my dear child are innocence and modesty twin sisters of virtue and cannot be separated the greatest and most powerful guardian of purity is the thought of the presence of god internet simon giaeb cc monash edu au viva cristo rey long live christ the king
