The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-10-08
WEDDINGS, FUNERALS Courses of Flowers at Rus sian Dinners; Supper
 of Roses y

spent $S,5OO for an orchid as a center piece and grouped around it four oth- CTS at s1,200 apiece.
 There Is also a legend of an Aus tralian of vast wealth who spent s8,- 900 on basket of orchids and pinks Tor his engagement gift, and another Of girl of the Hungarian nobility who received a bouquet made up en- tirely of Alpine flowers which cost S4,OOO. One flower in It had cost a search of five weeks through the higher valleys of the mountains.
 After the introductory corbeille, the engaged man must send bouquet ev- cry day. These bouquets are suppos- ed to be more modest. The devotion of the sender Is to be expressed rath- CT in rarity and beauty than in cost. Or he may fall back on the language flowers and send orchids to express romance, narcissus blooms, white li- laos and jasmine for tenderness, white carnations for innocence or crimson ones to typify his own ardent pas sion.
 It is obligatory that the wedding bouquet shall be of white roses and orchids, with the traditional orange blossoms, and It must be framed with myrtle leaves. It is not necessarily expensive, but of course Q man may go as far as he likes in the decoration of the church,
 In this item 1t Is doubtful If Flu ropean extravaganza comes anywhere near that of fashionable American marriages. There was marriage in Marseilles In 1897, though, which made a record.
 It was in the height of the. bicycle craze and bridegroom and bride and all their attendants rode to and from the church on wheels completely hid den with flowers. The brides wheel was all In orange blossoms with white ribbons. The bridegrooms was en- twined with greenery brightened up with crimson roses and pinks.
 The cycles of the bridesmaids matched their dresses. The men rode on wheels rigged like the bride groom's but less elaborately. The whole show cost S2,500.
 Enormous sums are spent on the floral decorations for the presidential feasts at the Palace of the Elysee. Fe- lix Faure invariably had the tables at his State dinners decorated with or- chids.
 It Is in Russia that the dinner table decorations reach their climax. There ig O 1ifforAnf krnv f1- cry course. Beginning with violets with the soup, they will change to H. lies of the valley with the fish. Then come bouchees or pates with hya- cinths, a relieve with cornflowers, pinks with the sherbet, roses with the roast and orchids or sweet peas with the sweets.
 A favorable decoration of the table in Paris is serpentine mirror, which meanders about the table like a river between banks of moss through which wild flowers are dotted Clusters of orchids suspended over the table are reflected in the glass
 At one floral dinner, the bill for which ran into five figures, screens of vines, apparently growing, surrounded the table and formed a canopy over it on wire trelllswork dotted over with tiny electric lamps of every imagina- ble hue. Miniature fruit trees were grouped on the tables about fish ponds full of real water with real live gold fish swimming about.
 Then there was famous enter tainment given at noted restaurant in Paris by a London man in 1899 to forty of his friends. It lives in local tradition as the supper of roses. The florists bill was 75,OOO francs, or $15,- 900.
 An American is said to have spent $4,OOO on huge chrysanthemums, which suspended singly from the ceiling, were the decoration of sup per room. To this Hollander countered with tulips imported from Amsterdam to decorate banquet hall.
 A Parisian woman entertaining fashionably will have to set aside at least $5,O00 for flowers for the dec oratlon of her table and her drawing rooms during the three months of the Paris season, In England much greater sums are spent. It is said that the Duke of Portland spent s14.- 900 on draperies and s10, 900 on flow CTS for ball which he gave in honor of the Duke of York in 1898.
 The bouquet that is passed over the footllghts to the theatrical star at great profit to the florist has an odd sort of parallel in the bunch of flow CTS which it is now the custom for some pretty child or blooming girl to present to the President of the Re- public or any member of the ministry who happens to make an official visit to provincial town or village. This tribute is usually made up in red, white and blue to display the nation al colors.
 Enormous sums are spent on the flower festivals, which are now feat ure of the summer gayety in every European city and pleasure resort The simplest decoration of a victoria costs from $40 to $6O. Those on which @ couple of hundred dollars have been spent are not rare.
 In 1904 in Paris, the carriages of Mime. du Cast was hidden under S6OO worth of orchids. At Luchon, in 1903. the hit was made with an oxcart hid