Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-28
FLOWER IDEA
DEEPLY ROOTED
ALL OVER CITY
Decorating to Begin
Monday
Arthur Let's Offers silver Cups as
Prizes to Merchants Making the
Best Floral Display
for Fiesta

One week ago The Herald proposed
using as Fiesta decorations the city's
marvellous floral wealth instead of
conventional bunting, and almost
every merchant in the downtown dis
trict has become enthused with the
wonderful possibilities of the scheme.
Artist, merchant city official, hard
headed business man, all have added
their enthusiastic assent to The Her
AIDS scheme of showing the entire
country Los Angeles choicest products
the carnation rose and flaring
poppy. From present Indications
when the city gates are thrown open
to the weary Arabs who have crossed
the hot sands in their pilgrimage to
the city of the Angels the streets will
be one gorgeous mass of bloom and
light.
From the largest department stores
in the city to the humble street VEN
dors the bewildering profusion Of
flowers will rest and delight the eyes
of the tired strangers.
The scheme, proposed through an
editorial in last Sundays Herald,
struck a popular chord, and in two
days outran the dreams of the most
hopeful. And why shouldn't 1t? In
the first place-and this reason alone
was enough to commend II to every
loyal Los Angelan-the idea was dis
tinctively Californian.
Display Purely Californian
Throughout the east California, and
especially Los Angeles, is considered
a synonym for flowers and beauty.
Other cities are able to hang their
buildings with bunting. Other eastern
metropolitan centerS could furnish
electrical displays on an equal with
the efforts of the Angel city; but not
another city in the world is able, by
any means or devising, to hide the
buildings beneath a mass of flowers
and verdure. Herein California and
her resources stand out prominently:
herein Los Angeles is able to lead the
world; and herein, manifestly, was the
opportunity the city needed and de-
sired to impress on the thousands of
Fiesta visitors her rights to the claim
of the most beautiful city in the world.
Then, too, the scheme is novel.
Hitherto the Fiesta decorations have
consisted of lights and green, yellow
and red bunting. Although the colors
added a bright touch to the streets
and gave a carnival air to the city,
few supporters of the bunting decora-
tions claimed for them any real beauty.
At best the colors were rather start
ling and, be it said, a trihe painful
to the eye. Besides, Fiesta bunting
had been used for years, and one
Fiesta was much like another.
Every Detail Perfected
The plan of decking the streets with
flowers was novel. The Herald'S plan
was comprehensive; not even the art
of professional decorators has added
thereto. For time it was feared that
the scheme was too broad, but the
week has proved that it can be worked
out in almost every particular. The
idea embraced the use of flowers in
o1,. vnIo As,,r
was formerly used. Street electroliers
covered with green's baskets or vases
of flowers pendant from the globes or
attached to the posts; balconies of
business houses decked with flowers,
palms and ferns; buildings covered
with palm branches, peppers and other
foliage-ideaS which have been adopt
ed as they were originally conceived.
1t took one day for the entire city
to awaken to the wonderful posSibili-
ties of floral decoration. Then from
every quarter of the city came one
enthusiastic shout of assent. Acting
Mayor Niles Pease lent the weight of
his official approval to the scheme.
+. w. Blanchard of the Municipal Art
league hailed it as a relief from the
interminable yards of bunting of past
years, and promised his advice and
assistance. Eastern visitors at the
local hotels expressed their delight.
EVen secretary ZeenanQelaar OF the
Merchants and Manufacturers asso-
citation saw in the scheme a grand
advertisement of the city.
City Absorbs Idea
In another day the entire city had
taken hold of the idea. F. w. Blan-
chard, Notwithstanding the burdens
imposed upon him by the coming flower
show, accepted the craftsmanship of a
decorative committee and entered into
the work zealously. Enthusiasm was
rife, but ideas were rather in a neb-
ulous state. The adoption of the
project by Arthur Let's of the Broad
way department store assured the CO.
operation of the business men, who.
with one of their most prominent
business associates favoring it, felt
convinced of the merit of the scheme.
In the few days Chairman Blanchard
has been working with his committee
wonders have been accomplished, and
present Indications are that this week
will be but an advancement of the
great progress made during the last
few days
The first consideration was to take
care of the electroliers and street dis
play. The Merchants and Manufac-
turers' association was appealed to
for the necessary funds, but Secretary
Zeehandelaar declared that the asso-
citation had already appropriated as
much toward the Fiesta as it could.
and no funds remained for flowers.
THIS looked like a serious obstacle to
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