The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-08
AGAssIz MUSEUM.
A Wonderful Glass Flower Garden in
Cambridge.

There is a whole conservatory of wild
and cultivated flowers from all parts OF
the American continent and twlgs, stems,
leaves, blossoms, fruits and even the
slender, clinging tendris are all repro
drced in the most natural and lifelike
way from 10 other material than blown
glass.
1t is impossible to comprehend the
great beauty and delicacy of the exhibit
unless one has actually seen it. Words
cannot reproduce the coloring and group
ing of these crystal blossoms and even
with the direct evidence of the eye ana
in spite Of the explanatory placar1 on the
door, one will be almost tempted to ask,
with the children, Are they really glass?
No explanation of the process can be
given with accuracy, as the secret OF
their making is known only to the
brothers Blasohka Of Germany. 1t Is safe
to say, however, that these wonderful ar
fists. Rudolph and Leopold, must be men
of uncommon fineness of perception, COM
bined with unusual power of imitation
and great Originality of invention. More
over, they are accurate scientists, repro
ducing the essential organs of the plant,
the sells OF the seed-vessel, and even the
minute ami intricate arrangement of the
spores of ferns and mosses, with such
absolute fidelity that those models are
used for the purpose of study among
the botanists of the university.
1t is their great natural beauty and
variety which appeals most to the ord-
nary visitor. The largest single blossom
in the collection is, think, the magnolia
of the South. The glossy green leaves at
tached to these are nearly a foot in
length, with the mid-rib and regular par
allel veining defined as in nature, while
the splendid, creamy, cup-shaped blossom
lies there in all its natural perfection.
Close by is spray of the tulip tree,
with its peculiar yellow-green flower per-
fectly initiated, while across the aisle is a
specimen of the blue-stemmed cereus. A
glance is enough to prove its close rela-
tionship to the night-blooming cereus,
as such is one of natures particular beau
ties. This blue-stemmed cousin has a
white cone-spoked blossom, perhaps seven
inches across, and made up Of many con-
centric rows of waXy petals. Yet all
are given their true position, shape and
tinting by these wonderful glass artists.
Close by Is a spray OF the century
Plant, with its thick, spiky foliage and its
deep CORY Blossom. The lovelest part OF
lbt hNlHfIg WHICH 10 lllC HtdNy lllnbt VI
soft, white filaments, has been repro
duced in al its delicate beauty. over this
are a couple of sprays of the passion vine
and each of the circlet of fringe is
separate thread of blown glass. The deep
purple and the white varieties are well
known, while the thiclc.y spotted passion
flower of Jamaica Is a new spe,i nen
to many visitors.
A Onct intarpStinp paCn COntliDe t1p
orchids from Panama and the West In
dies. Their wierd color and form was
never seen to greater advantage, and
they afford sn opportunity to study
specimens which could not be proemred
here. Many of these plants are unknown
to the ordinary observer, but case OF
home favorites on the other side holds
specimens which are dear to ALL The
bright blossoms of New England's
rocks and fields and pastures are ALI
together and the mind of itself goss back
to tho Llunts of childhood. The purple
hepatica, that earliest little Blossom, the
cowslip, buttercup, red colum5ine, ane-
none, blue vioet all lie side by side, and
keep the freshness OF their spring color
ing the whole year through.
But beauty does not hold IhsDlute
sway even here. The plain, sensible po-
tato is shown in "a cluster of pink
and white flowers, with bunch of the
green bais which I'VE used long ago, as
buiiets to be fired from the end of
long, sharp stick. The rather coarse BIOS
SONS had certainly undergone !delll2a-
tion, and pleasantly lacked the strong
and penetrating odor of the 1ightshade
family. In another case a long spray of
the homely pokeweed was faithfully rep
resented, though it probably lacked the
sticky juice of the real plant.
There is whole tribe of the asters,
ranging in colorlng from the delicate
star through all the shades
of light blue to the big, deep purp.e
flower growing three or four feet high.
There vas the beautiful blue sage of Mex
leo, with all its scarlet cousins of Cen
trail and south America. There was the
eucalyptus of California, with its long
feathery blossoms as delicate as dande-
zion Down, and of about the same color.
A group OF four-o'c,ocks, in three colors,
red, white ard yellow, was almost enough
to deceive the most experienced. The
buds in clusters, the ive-parted calyX,
the tubular carol.a, with the five radlat-
ihg ribs and the projecting stamens, were
most remarkably life-,ike. On the other
hand, the trailing arbutus was bit dis
appointing, being too branched and
stoclxy and almosl lacking color.
Emersons Rhodora blooms in this won
derful flower garden in all its beauty,
but the vines with tendrils are the best
of the care and deiicacy of
the manufacturers. box Of Virginia
riematis shows how the specimens are
to this country. The spray
Is placed in a box which is first lined
with tissue paper. Each separate twlg,
leaf, bud or tendrii is also securely twist
ed about with d bit of tissue and then
all the spaces are hliel with the same
soft material untt the cover rests upon
4 compact mass. OF all the hundreds OF
specimens shown only one was broken
or seemed damaged In any way.
Hours could be spent In other parts
Of this great museum. Saturday and Sun
day finds 1t thronged with children, all
eagerly observing and comparing similar
tiles and differences. | heard many intel
Iigent comments from the lltt.e folks, and
knew by what they saw that they had
heard statements made at school and had
come to verify them. How much more
intelligent a child must be after seeing
the sprays of Indian corn in the whole
great case, filled with Jars like a drug
shop, of productions from this pne plant
alone Many older peop.e could observe
with profit the exhibit of products from
the palm, In almost endless variety, CT
the coca-tree, of hemp, OF coffee, or rice,
or sl-ne other great staple.
When parents and children come to-
gether to see and tax about the syste-
matte collections of mammals, fishes,
birds, mollusks and poiyps, there cannot
fail to be a great increase in the seie1tlhc
intelligence OF all. SO long as the litt.e
people spent part Of their holidays wan
1ering about. wondering and commenting,
the work Of the great Agasstz is so'ng on
and the museum founded in his zane IS
doing as much for their childish powers
as II Is for the trained abilities e. the
men and women who stuly
there.
The constitutional convention cf South
Carolina, which Is to meet next month.
Is controlled by the TETamanite wing OF
Inc Democratic party. Its main purpose
s to devise some legal way OF limiting
he right Of Suffrage so as to leave the
state in the control OF the whites. who
ire in the minority. An educational
qualification would hardy do. for III
would disfranchise as large asportion Of