Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-06-19
BOuquets, BrItI.h aud American.

Bouquets, british and American.
Flowers in all the variety of their
grace and beauty serve many pur-
poses of showing love and honor,
and of ministering comfort and de-
light. Flowers are strewed before
the bride; they are put in the path
way to give an added charm to
welcome; they are used as decora-
tions; they are presented as the
most pleasant of gifts; and to the
actor or actress nothing is more
grateful than the flowers thrown on
the stage by their admirers among
the audience. So desirous, indeed,
are the personages OF the stage Of
receiving these tributes that they
are accused of having them made
to- order and presented to them
selves by their own agents.
The bouquets given at the thea
ters here are of moderate dimen-
sions as a rule compared with those
which are offered at dramatic
shrines on the other side of the
Channel. Some of them in cir
cumference are almost as large as
cart wheels, and are rendered ugly
by their mere size. The recipients
are in the proud but uncomfortable
position Of having honors thrust
upon them which are greater than
| they well know how to encounter
The bouquet of private life is
generally, however, as we are ac-
customed to see it, a manageable
affair, and a lady to whom two bou-
quets are presented would hardly
take more than one with her into
the company which she meant to
| honor with her presence. In such
case of an embarras de richesseS
she would consult her convenience
and her inclination-would choose
either the bouquet which best
suited her dress, Or that whose
donor she specially desired to favor
and the other flowers would be rele
gated to the decoration Of her room
or kept, for consideration, till some
more convenient season arrived.
1t appears, however, that Ameri
can practice with regard to bou
quets differs considerably from oul
own. The Americans are lavish in
their use of even costly flowers
We have heard of the flower
bells" (canopies of howersl unde
; which it was, not very long ago
the fashion for newly married
couples to stand on the occasion
when they were first " at home" t,
their friends. American ladies hay
told us that it is the custom t,
send large baskets of flowers ol
board the steamers which are +
! convey ladies from the States t
Europe, and that the lady who re
ceives the greatest number of thes
! floral tributes is considered to b
specially distinguished. The state
rooms of a large steamer leayin
!. New York will be crowded to ex
cess and inconvenience with thes
fleeting tokens of what we ma
hope is lasting regard.
We have also recently learne
i that in some towns of the States
D Philadelphia for example, th
If number of bouquets carried by
: lady at a ball is considered to /
indicative Of the number of he
:, actual admirers of the other SCI
: A lady without a bouquet confess
herself without an admirer suff
GENTLY interested in her to hay
given her even simple flower. 0
the other hand, il a lady has sever
admirers and each has sent her
bouquet, she appears with the who
number. No donor is more faVorC
than another. ThiSmay give rise
Z sense of equality, and Of leyellir
Of the claims of the admirers, b.
: it is, to say the least, inconveniel
j to the lady and her partners. v
/ have heard OF a lady who appear'
at a ball with ten huge bunches
flowers, some Of which she had
trust to her partner, while $.
carried the remainder herself. v
. are told that "the whole OF the
would have filed q wheelbarRo
and the effect was awkward in t
y extreme" THIS is easily to be t
r.. !ieved.
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