Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-25

people who cheer as the tots go by. Mark
Twain said on one occasion: we haven't
all had the good fortune to be ladies, but
we've all been babies The Baby parade
at Asbury park Is indeed a great event.
an occasion when all grown-ups are merely
wal flowers
The lower festival has reached even
Jones street. Probably Jones street has an
unfamiliar sound, but, situated between
Fourth and Blocker streets, west OF Sixth
avenue, In New York City, It houses seven
teen hundred souls and bears the reputa-
ton Of having but two seasons-winter and
summer. But last year a new order was
ushered In, and in the middle OF May a
Spring festival was held. Here Robin Hood
and his merry men held sway, the brown
drones cavorted to their hearts content
and the daffodils and fairies danced and
wound the May pole. And above all there
were actual flowers. wreaths and wands.
Besides the festivals Of California it might
fade into insignificanoe, but to Jones street
is was as magnificent as a carnival Of the
gods.
Japan with its flower calendar is always
observing some festival or other. The com
ing of the cherry blossom is the call for
ode-writing and the carnival spirit. The
chrysanthemum is the national emblem,
The dango-zake in Toxic is the florists
SECTION and there the annual c~hrysanthe-
mum show Is held. This usually consists
Of acres Of magnificent blossoms, but after
the Russo-Japanese war all this was
changed, and the show ground assumed the
aspect Of a huge battlefield. Everywhere
were set pieces showing life-sized soldiers
in mortal combat, with their enemies. The
show continued for two months, the flowers
being kept in a perfect condition by being
planted in bamboo skeletons and watered
each night.
While It was not exactly a flower festival,
the Feast of Liberty held in Beirut and
other cities in Turkey in 1905, was the most
remarkable demonstration in the history
Of that country. For three days the people
Of the cities went wild. Freedom was
the cry on every lip, the streets and houses
were gayly decorated with bunting and
flowers and inscriptions Of a startling
character were to be seen in CONSPICUOUS
places. For the first time In thirty-one
years public gatherings were permitted,
and ~.everywher there were to be found
groups Of Turks, each with its own speech
maker. Enemy Toasted with enemy and
the freedmen was hurled about as If 1t
had been just coined.
In the province of Quebec, and in Mon
treai especially, the procession of Corpus
Christi is an event Of considerable i'm
portance. This was first begun by Pops
Urban in Italy about 1859, because OF q
miracle that was performed. Since that
time 1t has become the great open-aiI
celebration of the Roman Catholic church
The parade is made up of the various con.
~gregations, religious societies, children from
the orphan asylums, little girls dressed fol
their first communion, nuns, theologian:
and monks. The highest dignataries OF the
church, one of whom carries the colder
ostensorium containing the host, wall
under a gorgeous canopy. At the end Of
the march is a reposoir EMPOWERED in q
mass of flowers and green.
Hawaii is a land Of fair skies and gor-
geous flowers, It is, 50 favored in this
respect that Honolulu may be said to have
a perpetual flower Festival, The visitor
upon arriving or departing is decorated
with wreaths of brilliant blossoms. The
native dancing girls wear garlands in.
stead of Jewels. The landscape, sometimes
hidden behind a veil OF clouds, flashes with
many-hued re~splendence when the view Is
cleared. Some day, when the paths OF the
ocean became more f%requented by those ii
quest OF a novel and the beautiful, It will
not be surprising If Honolulu becomes the
scene of the greatest flower carnival il
the world. 1t has only to realize upon it,
natural advantages to produce the premier
celebration Of this kind.
ny FBEDERIc j. HAsKIN.
Tomorrow-The Circus Is Coming.