The times., 1899-03-26
FRAUD FLOWERS.
They Are InsoIent Aspirnnts for
Natures RightfuI HOnors.

They Are InsoIent Aspirnnts for
Natures RightfuI Honors.
Art doesn't stop at painting lilies. Not
she. She manufactures them from the
whole cloth with no end of buds and stems
thrown in, and then sells them for table
decorations. Ugh To the ordinary man
or woman an artificial flower is an abomi-
nation when set in the middle of festive
board to be looked at and presumably a1
mired. But there must be others. for there
is a store in New York where a nice, stiff
lot of water lilies and pads-aimost as
true as nature-so true that they can even
be sprinkled when dusty. sell for eight
dollars the set piece. They are sprink ell
with cologne and suggestion goes with
each purchase that it will be Just too love-
ly for anything if in the heart of each bios
som is placed a small electric light. To
the average taste a dock leaf or bunch
of grass in tumbler of water would be
an addition to feast IL there were no flow
ers to be had. They would at least set one
to thinking Of streams and meadows. VIII .ch
are fresh and wholesome thoughts to have
but a clump of rag limitations smelling
of extract and glaring with lights-oh. the
sparseness of words when one wants to
put unspeakable language into gen,eel
print.
However. to go on with the centrepiece,
it is considered extra desirable because OF
its economy. 1t never fades, and variety
can always be obtained by adding care
lessly graceful buds, which, incidentally,
are only 50 cents each-without the per-
fume. Some of the lilies have candle
pockets-whatever they are-rising throug
the heart OF the flower and they are 30
cents also. And then they can be busted
and perfumed and used over and over
again, and loaned, II the hostess be an ac-
cOmmodating neighbor. to her admiring
friends. Nobody seems to give the first
thought to the injured feelings of the
guests who have to sit before the thing.
Think of the dreary monotony of encoun-
tering 1t every time one had to dine or
high tea" at the house of the hostess who
owned it. Think of the worry of calculat-
ing how many extra 50-cent additions had
been annexed to the centrepiece since the
last junket. Think, too, of the wear and
tear on ones immortal soul. il each oc-
casion was expected to bring forth an ex-
clamation of delightful surprise.
The artificial flower hostess possibly pre-
fers her art posies to natural ones for the
same reason that Washington woman
dislikes Dickens. She got set for a gift
last Christmas and in showing off her 9TH
er presents failed to say word about the
books. Her visitor, who happens to be
newspaper woman and loyal lover of the
author, asked her IL she were not delight
ed to be 50 beautifully remembered. And
the lady said:
"Of course I always appreciate gift on
account of the sender, but / certainly
would have preferred something less COM
mon. You see Dickens works in the most
ordinary homes. Now il it had been some
thing that was not so plentiful among
we'll, everybody would have been better
pleased
The visitor said something about the
Bible being a common book and then the
other woman went into a gushing eulogy
over a black spangled fan.
Give her a choice between artificial pond
lilies and bunch of grass in a tumbler of
water and nature would stand no chance.
And there are other women as bad