The Anaconda standard., 1896-01-31
SOME CHRYS SANTHEMUMS
Remarkable Exhibit ION of the Flowers In
the Land of Their Birth.


From the Boston Transcript.
We had arrived too late in Japan for
the cherry blossom season, and we
were beginning to fear as our stay
was limited, we should see none of the
fetes connected with their charming
horticultural divisions of the year.
when Tan-San arrived to reassure us.
The chrysanthemum show was still
in bloom" and he would take us to see
1t that very afternoon; he said, in his
anxiety, mo native custom" should be
lost to the visiting American. And so
we went. Along the broad, smooth
roads, innocent of an erring leaf, over
the moats like ribbon boundary lines,
past the bird-cage houses, our jinrik-
ishas flew through a delicately tinted
geometrical figure. We never made
that figure out, though we tried all the
six months we were in Toxic. Like
everything else Japanese, II looked so
simple. so direct, and. when you tried
to comprehend II, so inexplicable.
The chrysanthemum show was not
held in a garden or a crystal market,
but in a long line of japanese rooms
on either side of the roadway. These
were as temptingly mysterious as the
tents I'm a western circus: each had its
own little particular exhibition and its
own particular entrance fee. When we
had entered half a dozen we discover
ed there was a practical as well as an
artistic side to the Japanese charac-
ter; but who could have criticised such
an arrangement, when IL was so osten-
sibly in the cause of beauty?
The flowers were in groups, white
and pink and yellow. with the dignity
and pretty consciousness of mondaines
at a ball. There was no crushing or
crowding: you felt the individuality of
each. The japanese have examined IL
scientifically and praised II at the
shows; but of its dainty majesty, the
subtle, strange capacity to invest flow
ers and inanimate things with a sort
of little personality infinitely. we can
feel nothing unless we have seen II in
the land where roses are considered
vulgar in comparison.
For in the West II is a queen in ex-
lie. We give IL a habitation and write
leaderettes about IL. but of its royalty
we have no inkling until we know II
glorified as an emperor's crest: the
delicacy of it's color and cobweb line:
we realize but poorly until the Japan
ese artist interprets them for US as ht
interprets them only at home; and o.
the allegiance IL can inspire we ar'
unaware until we have seen II holdinG
undisputed sway upon lacque
throne.
But IL to the chysanthemum tn
Japanese offer all honor. even as hi
gods must serve his fantastic humor
In each of the little rooms there ar
two. sometimes three, elaborate tab
leaux entirely of flowers. The seem
was taken from the most animate
parts of history and from daily life
and the merest detail OF the mis-en
scene. the figures. everything but IN
faces. were of chrysanthemum. ] r.
member a house. life size. Of whit
aovars a Drev TO red ones and flow
cry firemen scrambling over IL an
bringing water in buckets. Then ther
was a duel fought with chrysanthe
mum swords: a murder that had jus
been committed with a chrysanthe
mum dagger: and there was a winter
tale charmingly told in the langua (
Of this fantastic fairyland-