The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-11-10

People at home would come from far
aud near to see it, and it cost us jusT
| 10 SEM
| You can easily understand that for
making the house beautiful, and especial
| IL for adjoining the table for Il dinner.
Japan is a paradise. You can go out
to the market, and for dollar or two
lat the most buy stock of chrysanthe-
NUNS that will make the room blaze
| of color and will last for a week. Ii
lis this profuseness and this cheapness
Of pleasure that makes the real charm
of the flowers in Japan. With us, the
lchrysanthomum is a casual luxury; ana
only by journeyng to the horticultural
show can we ever see any quantity or
variety of the blossoms. But in Japan
one can make the home beautiful every
day in the season with display almost
rs handsome as the horticultural show,
and for about as much per day as the
price of street-car fares to Battery ID.
RARE SKILL IN SPECIAL Gull
TURE.
There is another kind Of chrysanthe-
mum show in Toxic which illustrates the
marvellous skill of the japanese garden
er and the variety of his products. Ii
is Mrs. Jarley's wax-works shoW-Dut
with chrysanthemums as the materials.
Here is an extract from diary telling
Of it: yesterday we went to inquire
show of dhrysanthemums at Danko-
zaka. Imagine an extensive garden, cut
I'D by little hedges into compartments
of a rod or two square, and IN each
compartment a little bamboo shed or
tent, with separate show III each one.
The show consits of a sort of tableau,
with various figures, representing some
scene of history or fable, or some cur
rent event. The figures are made out
of papier mache, in that skillful styie
of the japanese. But only the faces
and hands show in this material; all
the rest is of chrysanthemums. All the
clothing Of the figures and all the rest
of the scene is made of the blossoms.
Of the small chrysanthemum Qike an as
teri, massed together in every imagin-
able shape and color, so as to repre-
sent whatever is wanted. You will ask
bow these can be kept fresh and living
for three weeks-the time of the show.
Why, that is where the marvellous skill
comes in. These shows are planned
out and worked over for whole year
preceding; and each piece is made up Of
one or more living plants, rooted in the
ground and trained into the necessary
outlines and masses. That graceful
feminine dress, in many colors, is made
of the blossoms of half dozen plants
all blended and shaped into the figure
that you see. That enormous startling
dra gon. with red jaws and yellow eyes
and striped, scaly back, is made of sew
eral skillfully trained bushes, whose
roots and stems are dPftly concealed
The various subjects of these grOupes
you would hardly understand, without
knowing all about Japanese history.
But | can explain them to you by sup
posing that the show was in Chicago.
Then. perhaps, you would see. in the
first tent. group representing Wash
ington crossing the Delaware, with great
blocks of white chrysanthPmum ice. and
red-conted and yellow-trimme soldiers.
and black cannon, and green water In
the next tent Won would see a NINA
ture sea fight between the frigate Con-
sfitution and the British warship Guer-
riere, with masts and sails and porth-
oles and sailors all complete Then Won
might find next a representation of Lin
coin signing the proclamation of eman-
cination. or Tn Sale landing on the
shore Of lake Michigan: and. of course.
Won would find a picture of the Chicago
fire, with chrysanthemum flames and
ruins. And 7 dare say there would be
some nn-to-date picture of President
MCKINLEY making speech. or of
AdOlnh Tmotgert in the dock. There
are no limits TO the fertility Of these
designs. nor to the skill in carrying
them out"