The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-08
FLORAL ART DATES
BACK TO ANC|EhTS
DRIED GARLAvD'S FREQUENTLY
ARE FOUND IN THE TONES
or THE EGYPTIANS.

Flower making and the use Of nat
urai and artificial flowers for deccra-
tive purposes IL an art Of great anti
guilty. In tho Egyptian tombs dried
xariands Of flowers have been found
ana antiquarians have learned from
the old coptic books that flowers we're
used for decorating banquet cham
bers. The Greeks have left indispu-
table evidence that the art Of dover
decoration was practiced by them.
White the power Of Rome Was 1t its
zenith the citixen Of that empire was
not considered dressed unless wreath.
ed in garland OF sweet smelling bios
SONS. Even At the amphithsstre the
stadia and the boxes were gorgeousiy
decorated with rich silks and nowers.
whiis on gala days the streets were \
mass OF Siciiian blooms and grssnery.
Al their banQuets IN elaborate system
Of flower decoration was one OF the
chiof points Of interest and Seneca
tells Us that at Nero's wonderful
floating raft banquet flowers were
used In the ornamentation Of the raft.
With the decline OF the Roman EN-.
pire history does not give many de-
tails - to the flower decorative art.
Medieval chroniclers tell u that
the decoration Of churches and
shrines on feast days used 70 astound
the populAce with ats maGnihcence
and beauty, and flowers played q large
part In various religious professions.
A new usage crept into existence. that
Of using flowers In nuptiAi and pre-.
nuptiai banquets and tsasts, and finally
invaded the precincts Of the Shurch
whenever = marriage was celebrated.
though for centuries past Il had been
the custom for gariands to be show
cred on the happy bride and BRIDE
groom returning from tho temple.
After all the biz battles Of the MID.
die Ages Il was the custom for tho
victorious nation to decorate tho
streets and churches in honor OF tho
victory. In the Eastern world the
Chinese and japanese have for thou.
sands Of years been proficient In the
flower decorative are and ito tenets
have been handed down TO this day
through tho centuries without any
radical change from s'iat practiced by
their fo~efathers. Japanese and Chi
nese art has . niche BY itself In the
hall Of fame. and Their methods are
quite different from those Of the dec
orators OF the western half Of the
world. All the ingsnuity snd WON
derful patience Which, gained fame
for them in various other branches OF
art have besn brought into play In the
use Of flowers for decorative pur-
poses.
Millions Of dollars are spent on dec
ornt!ons In America every year. II 10
said that the amount spent Tor Deco
rative purposes zach year II sufiicient
TO build three battleships and phase
them in commission Il u considered
nothing unusual IN. 11,0NO 70 b.
char~sd nv florists for decorating a
banquet han. while as much as sls.-
900 has been paid for home 'decora-
tons.
The decoNator has 10 90 through q
hard and long school Of exr~vience
before he 10 alba Il, command the sal
ary Of an expevt for the materials At
his command are ~ 4 FRAGILE nature
and Il N next to iuannsathle tn exneri-
mert with them. Certain set forms
ara known ana p~escribeA to- ~ertsin
ocrA stous. but whaw 1 carte blsn~he
order - xfven. then the art at the dec
orator COMES into play and his ~e*ta-
t,~ sere~ n we'll tested. Tor II depends
urcN him to pi~~sA hia patrons " an
a~t'sts~.v.y. ana also By the wonA&D
full h'~~din8 Of his wsts.--Nsk
York Sun.