The Junior Historian, Volume 15, Number 6, May 1955 Page: 25
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THE JUNIOR HISTORIAN
but Clements' speech was the main one we had
to answer.
On our side we boldly took up the gage
of battle thrown down by Mr. Clements, and
met him on his own premises. The argument
was made that the basic idea for having a
state flower was sentiment; that there was no
utility in it, no commerce, no money. That the
very conception of a state flower was aloof
and apart from such grossness as advertising
it as one of our resources; that as a money
crop and a great commercial staple, cotton
was all right, and we 'yielded to no man in
our admiration for it as such,' but that as a
state flower we wanted something that grew
wild and free--especially free-on our hill-
sides and broad prairies; something that did
not suggest toil and grime and sweat and
gains and losses. We said a great deal more
to the same general tenor and effect; not
neglecting to comment relative to the disin-
terested patriotism of these Dallas ladies, rep-
resenting the Colonial Dames and sitting in
the rear of the Legislative Chambers.
The final vote was taken; the open Cotton
Boll lost and thus the Bluebonnet became the
State Flower of Texas. The late Barry Mil-
ler carried the Bluebonnet bill through the
Senate in a mere breeze.
It is interesting to note that even
Mr. Clements had been won over in
favor of the bluebonnet. Although he
had made such a valiant fight for his
favorite, the cotton boll, he became in-
spired and wrote an ode, composed of
several stanzas, to the bluebonnet. This
helped him out of an embarrassing
situation. These lines of Clements' have
gone down in history as the first blue-
bonnet sonnet.
An old newspaper article gives my
grandfather the credit of the author-
ship of the House Bill making the
bluebonnet the state flower and gives
other details of the "fight to the last
ditch in great oratory between John
M. Green and John N. Garner," saying
"The Green-Garner forensic struggle
proved a real classic in the annals of the
Texas House of Representatives, but
when the smoke cleared and the vote
was announced, Garner had to 'bite the
dust.' "
Bluebonnets have inspired the poet's
pen, the artist's brush, the cowboy's
dream, as well as the legislator's elo-
quence throughout the broad spaces ofTexas. Their royal beauty and en-
chanting fragrance have a particular
message which speaks to the emotions
with compelling directness.
There are many varieties of the blue-
bonnet, the West being especially fa-
vored by them. They grow as far north
as the Canadian border and west to the
Pacific coast. The Texas variety is said
by botanists to be a great home lover.
Some authorities claim that it never
crosses the border into Mexico. Con-
sidering the size of Texas it evidently
has sufficient range. The plant is an
annual and propagates its seed from
pods formed from the flowers. The seeds
of the bluebonnet live for years. All do
not germinate in the season following
their growth. The plant flourishes on
barren soil quite as well as on richer
ground and it is now known to be a
soil builder.
There are many traditional legends
concerning the origin of the bluebon-
net. My grandfather used some of these
legends, in his historical appeal on
March 5, 190I, which won many votes
in its favor and made it our state
flower.
In the glorious springtime, during
the peak of the bluebonnet season when
the meadows become blue carpets and
the hillsides are as blue as the skies
above, and alongside the highway and
the brook I see the fragile little wild
blue flower, I think of my grandfather
and am proud that sentiment over-
ruled commercial value, and that our
state flower is the beautiful Texas
bluebonnet.
* * *
WARESVILLE CEMETERY
[continued from page 181
one of the mysteries of the cemetery.
A visit to the old Waresville Cem-
etery, or any of the countless others
like it in the state, is well worth the
time of any one interested in the his-
tory of Texas or of the pioneers who
blazed the trails through the wilderness
making it possible for us to live today
in safety and comfort.25
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Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 15, Number 6, May 1955, periodical, May 1955; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391315/m1/27/?rotate=90: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.