Evening star., 1901-04-02

The Peony, Lotus and Cherry Are of
Royal Rank.
From the Kansas City Star.

From the Kansas City Star
With such titles as ten thousand times
sprnkled with gold, and disheyeled hair in
morning Sleep fresh in his memory, and
coming from land where the arrange
ment of flowers is part of the education,
it must be something of shock to the
Japanese visiting this country to hear The
prosaic names we bestOw on our chrysan-
themums and to find how recklessly Amer
leans arrange bouquets. He appreciates
that as a nation We are much less fond
of flowers than are his people, and how
little they mean to us in life beyond the
pleasing sensations produced by their beau
ty. In Japan the arrangement of them
is pursued as an art. being profoundly
studied by men Of rank philosophers and
priests, besides learned and literary men,
and ladies of the ariStOcracy are allowed to
practice the art as being likely to in
spire such estimabie virtues as gentleness,
self-denial, forgetfulness Of care and
spirituality. lifetime is indeed not too
long for the japanese, either man or WO-
man, to devote to an understanding of the
subtle meaning conveyed by flowers, and
the rigorous rules necessary to observe in
producing with them the best artistic re-
suits.
In Japan the peony, although acknowl-
edged to be the royal flower of China, is
still the favorite of the upper classes. 1t
Is given on occasions of Importance the
cipal recess never is it placed in the cen
ter of the room, nor on q shelf, and no
other flower is allowed to come near Its
royal presence. Sometimes art dictates
that two black tWigS shall be grouped be-
hind it, the thought being to enhance by
contrast its abundant life and beauty. The
lotus flower also is conceded to have royal
national rank and is called the king Of
Indian flowers.
On festive days the japanese never use
It. as they associate 1t entirely with the
spirit of the dead. The royal flower of
Japan. of course is the cherry blossom.
The idea of floral rank is one to which the
japanese are very sensitive, and the estab-
lished laws Of precedence must be closely
adhered to in the arrangement Of their
flowers To an American il seems perhaps
inexplicable that they should have placed
the purple wistaria high above the white,
which they mostly exclude from their COM
positions
Irises stand very high in rank but are
regarded difficult of arrangement, and
therefore the most arbitrary rules have
been evolved for their composition. With
one large flower but three leaves are al
lowed with two flowers seven or fifteen
leaves are used, three flowers are given
thirteen leaves and five flowers are fur
nished with eleven leaves.
SO deftly are thoughts conveyed by the
arrangement of flowers in Japan that often
verbal messages are unnecessary. In No
vembcr the cOquette sends to her lover a
leaf, or branch of maple. Like 1t. he
translates her love has changed
On farewell occasions those called ''re-
turning flowers because they bloom twice
q year, are used to Subtly express the hone
of a safe return. Before people that are
i'll blossoms Of sturdy, vigorous growth
are placed that health and strength may
be suggested. Only very gay flowers are
strewn in profusiOn when supplications are
made for those In affiiction. Prayers for
| rain are accompanied by large floral pieces
| so arranged as to point from right to left
| that the east wind bringing rain may be
| hOnOred. and very naturally the reverse or
der typifying the west wind is employ yed
when fair wea ather Is desired.
| Border of the thin mist, shades of the
evening sun, waves in the morning sun,
| companion of the moon, snow on the leaf
| of the bamboo, moons halo, spray-capped
| wave, starlit night, beacon light. the sky
| at dawn. first snow, and golden dew are
| among the many imaginative and pretty
| names the japanese bestow on their chrys-
| anthemumS, these flowers which appeal SO
| strongly to their poetic natures. In the
| arrangement of them they are very careful
/ and guard against seven faults-their stems
| must not be of the same length a single
| blossom must not turn it's back, nor pre-
| sent It's full face; three flowers must not
| appear TO form a triangle, they must not
| be hidden by leaves, nor must they be ar
| ranged in the way of steps; an open full
| blossom should never be placed at the
| base Of the composition, and one odd one
| should not fall between two others alike in
| color.