The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-11
FAIR EASTER lilies
VIII Deck All the churches on Baster
sunday.
(CoDyriqhtl

! NtOubFtYtt.l
| NEW YORK, April 9.-It will not be long
before the churches will be deoked in all
their Easter glory. At present, during this
Lenten season. they present rather somber
| appearance, as one drops in of an early
morning. There are only few stray
kneelers to be seen, many of the affairs and
| fonts are covered, aud the effect upon the
mind is-properly no doubt-somhsr aud
subduing. But the mourning will shortly
| be laid away and the churches will put on
! their brightest garb.
The proruslon of decoration in some
churches and the meagerness in others led
me to wonder whether it cost very much to
! decorate for this particular day. For in~
! formation on this score | wsnded my way TO
a prominent florist IN this city. who does "a
number Of the big churches every year
"Of COURSE he said In response to my
| inquiries, church decoration is confined
for the most part TO Episcopal and Catholic
churches. The other denominations, for
some reason, do not go into ID very elabo-
rately. This Is no doubb partly because
they believe in simplicity where all matters
| Of religion are concerned, but more think
because OF the construction Of their affairs
Very little can be done with a church that
has no chancel. All we can do is to fill the
altar vases with loose cut flowers and place
plants and palms around the altar.
"Easter decorations differ materially
from those of other festive occasions. In
the first place, the chancel only is adorned
On Christmas and THANKSGIVING the
churches are hung with greens and autumn
| nal fruits, and wherever tho eye rests one
| sees rich greens, red berries or soma brill
| liant dec orations. But at Easter all thought
and care is lavished upon the altar. To be
| sure, we did one year fill the windows OF
! one church with tall lilies, growing out of
a wire framework which we constructed
for the purpose, but this was an excep~
tion.
Another characteristic of Easter adorn-
| ing Is the coloring. Most of the flowers
used are white Occasionally a bright
| color is introduced, but it ia the exception.
The pure white and green seems to be fi5-
| ting representation OF whnt the day COM
| memorates.
ave try TO be quite original each year In
the case OF each church. For instance,
Trinity chapel has generally been decorated
quite simply, with nothing but blooming
| Plants on either side of the chancel steps
and around tue altar and font But this
year It is TO be quite elaborate. Immense
azaleas, about 516 feet in diameter, will be
/ placed on either side OF the altar. They
| will be like huge umbrellas, and will be
| very striking and effective. A large vase,
| filled with choice flowers, will stand in front
| of the altar. and the altar itself will have a
solid mass of lilies, about six inches thick,
| banked up against the font. On the chancel
steps lilies will bloom and plants will be
placed all around the choir stalls and the
font Tropical palms will rise from each
side OF the chanCel.
''St. Thomas church is a very effective
one to decorate You will remember that
1t is blilt in the form of cross and that
the chancel forms the top of the cross tt
being rather low in churchmanship, the
table stands out and admits Of decoration
behind it. We intend to place at the back
| tall tropical plants in rich profusioD. On
either side of the chancel will rise a tall
| pyramid-s.arting at the top with a slender,
graceful palm and gradually widening out
as il nears the bottom. 1t will be composed,
with the exception Of the palm. OF different
| varieties of white flowers, lilies, azaleas,
| white lilac white clematis Nine. Planter
roses and white stocks. These pyramids
will stand 30 feet high. Then, of course, on
the chancel steps will stand numerous plants
| to give full effect. Ha
Calvary church has high rail, which
can be decorated with good results. It will
be entwIned with lilies, and behind will
| stand white cross on either side of the
steps composed entirely Of white roses. We
propose TO cover the front with close
| fitting wire arrangement in which lilies will
| be closely placed, 80 that the front will be
converted into blooming lily bed. Tower
ing palms will rise on each side of the
| chancel.
"The Church OF the TRANSPORTATION, or,
as it is usually called, The Littl& Church
Around the Corner, is an exquisite little
| ohurcn 20 decorate. Its beautiful windows,
| its magnificent paintings, its subdued light,
| all teud TO enhance the fine effects chat are
produced by the green and white floral
| RroupS The ohancel, however is almost
too small to admit of any elaborate pieces,
but we shall place a small screen Of white
lilies on either side of the altaFf Loose
| flowers will fill the altar vases and a few
palms will rise on both sides of theehancel.
| THE decorations for Grace church have
| not yet been settled upon. They were ex-
tremely beautiful and original last year.
The back wall Of the chancel was COM
pletely covered with a rare, fine variety OF
| tropical palm. Under the palms wer
placed Reneista plants, hydrangess and
lilies, with a garland Of roses thrown across
it. A wreath of roses adorned the pulpit.
| The chancel rail was covered with hyacinths
and the font was almost lost beneath the
lilies that clung closely to it.
| Trinity is never very gay, but clothes
| itself more somberly in palms and a few
| lilies, as befitting its rather somber archi-
lecture. Last year DR.. Morgan Dix wore
| white linen vestmenus which were embroid-
! cred in grapes and wheat, all Ia white silk.
! Talmags also does very little on Easter, re-
| serving bis splendor for Thanksgiving day.
"St. Bartholothew's was very elaborate
last year. The chancel was profusely dec
GRATED with different pieces-twenty in ell.
| There we're pillars. anchors and crosses. One
| piece, a solid mass of lilies, roses and violets,
| bore the word Easter wrought in bright
colored flowers. In the background were
palms and plants rising TO the hight OF
| fifteen feet.
"The cost for decorating churches runs all
the way from $50 or $50 TO s70o or $500.
| We would not do any Episcopal church for
| laau fhnn hn ffnp
would be rather slim. We might fill q
couple Of VASES and supply few potted
! palms for $50. but that would be about all.
| For these elaborate designs and tropical
palms, however, we charge at least $500, and
ofton more. Even the spring flowers that
grow in the fields at Easter-t tide almost
double their actual value. Lilies are ex-
tremely dear then. and, indeed, all the flow
ers that are used to any extent in the
churches"
B.AzE AT AMERICU5.
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