Evening star., 1909-05-21
Approval of Flower Carnival
Project Is General.
children ALL WANT 1t
Superintendent Stuart Sees Great Op
portunity for His Wards.
HELPS TO ADVERTISE CAPITAL
Chamber of Commerce Committe
Favors Idea as Exploiting
Washington.

| With rain coming down from a sky
which seemed to be banked miles deer
with leaden gray clouds, the thought ol
the floral fete probably did not occur tC
you today. Did it?
| With the street sloppy and uninvitins
with the water running in streaks upon
the window, 1t would take very en-
thusastic lover of flowers and carnivals
coming fete. And yet there was one OF
the most active men in the Chamber
of Commerce and the Board of Trade
working today to get on record the senti-
ment OF the two bodies and who took Ii
upon himself to carry q paper to many
members of the executive committees OF
| the organizations.
! The paper lacked merely signatures
Hearty approval and support of the fete
has been given by representative men OF
each body time and again.
Therefore. the rain did double service
freshening up the flowers for the fete ana
reminding some ardent supporters Of the
fete that NOW Is the time to become
active, because this little sprinklng is
going to put the gardens in Splendid
shape.
Let it be understood that 1t is not neces-
sary to go into a carnival Of this kind
with the idea Of great extravagance. As
an illustration, there was fete in New
Orleans once where the first prize was
taken by an old-fashioned ox-cart. In
which were half dozen little pichanin-
nies and the floral decoration was made
up entirely of sul1fiowers.
/ M -
With that in mind. there is q splendid
chance for the school children and the
people with gardens around their houses
to enter the fete with just the spirit which
will make 1t a success. The school gar
dens will undoubtedly have hundreds of
plants and flowers that will beautify the
procession if taStefully arranged.
| And there is always the great tangle OF
wild flowers and branches of green and
nearly every other color that make the
woods of Virginia and Maryland SO beau
tiful.
This carnival can be made an affair OF
the people. 1t is unnecessary to confine 1t
| to those who can have the expensive hot
house plants. At least, that is the opinion
of more than one person who has seen
similar fetes.
| The committee on advertising Washing
| ton. organized by the Chamber Of Com
merce several weeks ago. to find the best
lumbia to the world, will give the floral
fete strong support. This was promised
by one OF the leading workers of the
committee. who knows the sentiment OF
an advertising method has not been
broached by any of the committee men,
bers, it is agreed that there is no one
scheme that will bring as many visitors
to Washington.
ton is one OF the strongest committees In
the entire Chamber Of Commerce, and the
members are intensely in earnest in bring
] ing good to the city cut of their meet
ings. Every one Of them who has been
ly in favor of It.
Children's Opportunity.
/ Just a suggestion Of the interest and the
personnel of the public school system
would take in the floral fete was made
yesterday in brief conversation with A.
T. Stuart. superintendent OF schools.
1T is a splendid idea-this floral fete.
II will help raise the ideals of beauty
which we always want to place before
the children of the schools. Somehow
children and flowers seem to have a
! place side by side in the world, anyway,
and I would be very glad to see this
carnival in Washington.
I'm addition, there would be. I think,
chance to make splendid use OF our
school gardens in showing the young
flower culturists to what wonderful and
/ beautiful uses flowers can be put. just
put me down as an ardent supporter
of the fete."
| Another expression of favor from the
schools came from Mrs. Ellen Spencer
Mussey. member of the board Of educa-
| tion and chairman of the Fairgrounds
committee of that body:
"A floral fete in Washington will be
splendid. I am strongly impressed with
<hn md hnr fhn nnr rr{1 {1,ol rs,jn ia
q splendid and beautiful success"
Press Gives Support.
The Washington Herald has this to say
about the fete:
washington will soon have an annual
floral fete that will surpass anything of
| the kind ever attempted in this country,
| IL the approval of officials, beginning with
| Mrs. Taft, wife of the President, and
prominent business men count for any
thing.
THE floral festival was proposed by
Philandef johnson, who Is we'll known
in dramatic circles. His plan met with
instant favor in the District.
1T is proposed to have the fete or
| festival on Potomac Park every spring.
| 1t is pointed out that Mrs. Taft signified
| her desire to make this particular portion
of Washington beautiful and popular by
| having 1t named the esplanade, or prom
eflade and arranging to have popular
| band concerts held once a week.
Every spring. according to the con-
sensus of opinion, the various nags and
| carriages of the Capital city should be
decorated with profusion of roses, snow
balls or other seasonable flowers and
| driven in a grand parade through the
streets of the city to the Potomac drive.
| there to pass before reviewing stand
occupied by the President and his family
and a board of Judges. Beautifully dec
nra cd floats also Cn0Oocfnd
"In short, it is planned to have an occa-
sion similar to the great floral display of
the California cities-smilar in general
plans, but different inasmuch as the cap
| ital is to have show that will surpass
anything of the kind ever attempted"
Flowers.