"The Two Roses"
Being with my friend in a garden, we gathered each of us
a rose. he handled his tenderly smelt it but seldom and
Sparingly. I always kept mine to my nose or squeezed it in my
hand; whereby in a very short time it lost both its color and
sweetness. but his still remained as sweet and fragrant as
if it had been growing on its own root. The roses said I, are true
emblems of the best and sweetest enjoyments in the world,
which being moderately and cautiously used and enjoyed,
May for a long time yield sweetness to the possessor of
them; but if once the affections seize too greedily upon
them, and squeeze them too hard, they quickly wither
in our hands, and we lose the comfort of them. It is a
point of excellent wisdom to keep the golden bridle of
moderatiom upon the affections."
signed "J.S. Potter / Providence Aug. 29th 1843"
