The Washington times., 1907-06-10
Gardening Fashionable

a number OF women, blessed with
leisure and opportunity, have succumbed
TO the fascinations of gardening, and
the present is just the time when
Mother Earth proves irresistible to her
votaries, and interest in 1.-The purest OF
human pleasures" revives after its win
ter nap. Gardening as a hobby pos
sesses the great advantage OF cOmbin-
Ing all the qualities Of the ideal form Of
exercise, as it not only cOnduces to
healthy movement, but is an absorbing
pursuit as well. The countrywOman,
when no longer young enough to play
any game more violent than croQuet.
and condemned 10 live as she is where
there are no shops to tempt her from
her own fireside, often obHges herself
TO take that Objectionable thing known
az a constitutional" Its very name
reminiscent Of Cornelia Blimber-is
enough to bring on an attack of the
''blues;" and 20 go out for a walk with
no other object but the uninspiring one
that II is supposed to do one good, is
as depressing as the breathing exer-
cises or the daily skipping for twenty
minutes. recommended by health fad
dists to poor afflicted mortals. Truly,
our desire for health, and incidentally
for a good complexion. has to answer
for much patiently-endured boredom.
The latest horticultural fancy is to
have a Shakespeare garden in which
are grown all the fiowers-a goodly list
mentioned in the plays Of the great
Elizabethan. This Is decidedly more ro-
mantle than the culture Of sweet herbs.
and much easier for the amateur 20
manage than an alpine border The
idea could be extended according TO
ones personal taste, and the fair gar
dener might choose her own favorite
poet or author and study his works
while she cherished her plants. A Ten
nySon garden, a Wordsworth garden
or a Meredith garden would each and
all be charming. Poetry and botany
seem. indeed, to have an unexplained
affinity; and in most instances the plot
of earth consecrated to ones chosen
bard could not be a particularly small
one.
Probably this idea for poetical gar
den is the direct result OF the boom In
intellectuality-if one may coin such
an expression-which at present has in
vaded womankind. Instead of going to
card parties in the afternoon, 1T Is now
fashionable to attend lectures, and
pretty mondaines become as excited
over the abstruse theories Of dry-as-
dust Greek and German philosophers as
they used to do over their neighbors
shortcomings. or the latest novel by
well. everyone knows by whom, Blue,
according to the prophets. is to be the
fsvorite color OF the coming seasonal
subtle tribute. II is limited. to the pUpu-
lation Of Nthe all-conquering Blue
stocking" 7 have often wondered why
all the world likes TO do the same thing
at the same time. as IL there we're truth
in the remark that most people arc
other people" Thus a little while ago
every second woman one met was ath-
letic. and only lived 10 play golf or to
20 out hunting. For a short time sweet
domesticity had its vogue. then spir-
itualism then the simple life (probably
reign of bridge has been long and Sc
we're. / should like to know who is
really responsible for the prevailing
craze: or II. like influenza and whoop-
ingcough, one catches it in the afr one
breathes.