The times., 1898-09-20
THE NATIONAL FLOWER.
something Is Said in Favor of Max
ing the COIumbine ssItv

something Is Said in Favor of Max
ing the COIumbine sIt.v
pamphlet on the National Flower
Movement has been written by Fred
er1ck lie Roy Sargent of Cambridge.
Mass, the president of the Columbine As
soc!ation. It's purpose is TO have the COL
umbine adopted as the national flower
Among other things the pamphlet says:
The territory throughout which these
natives columbines range embraces every
State in the Union. except, perhaps, those
which border on the lower Mississippi
This remarkably wide distribution Is al
mos without parallel among our native
plants, If we except certain weeds. The
time of Towering for the whole country
extends through the Spring and early
Summer. Thus, as will be seen. column
bnes are available on our only national
holiday. the Fourth of July, which is
celebrated in every State. and are at their
best on Memorial Day, when we have
most use for a national flower.
1T was felt that from the point of view
OF decorative design the columbine must
possess great advantages from the fact
that its national associations were ex-
pressed not only in its name, but in the
form and colors assumed by the various
parts. Accordingly. this aspect of the
Hover was brought to the attention Of
the professional designers and search was
made for actual examples of its use in
decoration. c. Howard Walker. lecturer
on architecture, Boston Museum of Fine
arts. and on the history of ornament
massachusetts Institute of Technology
wrote US as follows: The coIumbine is
the only one OF the competitive flowers
Which IS symbolic and can be used deco
iauNeiy IN all It's parts | wish that the
puollc could appreciate the advantage of
a choice of a flower which frankly shows
rs arrangement upon a geometric scheme
anu OF which the parts are sufficiently
siHipie 10 be clearly defined and which
aiso is 10 be found in more than one
color
e were interested in having our at
.eH'ioh called 10 the fact that John Rus
h'h' IN MS Elements of Drawing chose
.iie iedt Oh tAe combine as an especially
happy illustration of the organic beauty
which is attained through a weIl-ordered
suoordnation of parts. His drawing of
the plan of the leaf is significant also as
snow nS that the terminal segment is
composed typicaily Of thirteen lobes Thus
we see that the leaf as a whole with its
many leaflets of many forms harmonious
ly related would remind US of our motto.
II PiCribus Unum, while the terminal
group, the leader of them ALL would sug-
gest by its subdivision the thirteen orig
lEaI States, whose pre-eminence in the
Union symoOiize by the thirteen stripes
of our flag. An examination of designs
taken from Illuminated MANUSCRIPTS
showed US that both the leaf and the
HOVER of the cOlumbine have long been IA
Vorite motives with designers In the dec
oratlYe work of William Morris. that
prince Of modern designers. Ne have
found repeated examples OF the colurn-
pine hSur ng as leading element Amer
lcah designers are just beginning 10 real
ize what treasure of decorative Dossi-
Dliltles they nave in the American forms
Of this flower.''
organization of the CoIumbine Associa-
tion was effected in Boston and BY Spring
the association was fully established.
Since then its affairs have been managed
py governing board of three officers
and council of twenty-one members
In this council are men and women com
petent to advise in the various artistic
literary. horticultural, botanical. educa-
tional, and other questions touching the
special work of the association. Tie
are about 1900 members. representing
nearly every State in the Union.
The national flower movement was ad-
vanced by the deliberations of the Ma
tional Flower Convention. held at Asha-
vile. n. c.. in October, 1896. and it is
expected that President Mckinley will
soon call a second National Flower Con
gress at Washington
Before closing" adds Mr. Sargent. '.Iet
me briefly summarize. OF all the flowers
mentioned at the AshevilIe convention.
only one-the coiumbine-couId meet the
requirements which the convention deem
ed indispensable in a national flower
Hence-and the conclusion is Inevitable
the equal or the superior of the columbine
for Columbias emblem does not exist
Each of the columbine's rivals. though
absolutely precluded by fatal objections
from serving as such. nevertheless Of
| fered, some most valuable qualifications
Thus, as the cOlumbine connects itself By
name historically with Columbus and tha
Columbian Exposition so the Mayffower.
by its name. recalls the good ship of the
| Pilgrims For the widespread DIST ibutfon.
golden rods. asters and sunfiowers are re-
markable, as well as the clumbine The
golden or the purple tints of these flow
ers at their best match the columbine's 5
pure yellow and purple, while the Iatters
near relative, the larksour Includes
among its coiors the co.umbine red, white
and blue. For inoffensiveness charm and
ease of cultivation. the pansy and many
of the old-fashioned garden flowers have
endeared themselves as much as the col
umbine, and for availability in decorative
designs it may be Claimed that such flow
ers the mountain laurel and the mag
nolia are in form hardly less exquisite
and distinctive.
THE valuable suggestion which keeps
in view our dependence upon the trees of
the country would be expressed with
scarcely less appropriateness by any one
of them than the columbine their cOmpan-
ion, which owes so much 10 their protect
ing care. So in the matter of agricultu-
raj supremacy, corn. cotton, and tobacco.
as sample products raised on American
soil. suggest the same abundance which
of plenty. But the great merit of the
columbine is that ii combines within itself
the highest merits of all rivals Accord
ingly, ii has come as the peacemaker
among the flowers. The advocates of
other flowers are ceasing to contend with
one another and are rallying to the
| cause, since in the triumph of this they
see the realization of more than the high
| est promise of their former hopes
Gen. Wheeler.
(From Earpers Weekly)
4 ~ II.