The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-12-21
Discovery That Aspirin Revives
Flowers Draws Attention to
Old Jap "Cures."

New York.-When a learned French
man recently announced that dosing
with aspirin would revive whiting flow
ers modern science took another step
forward and found itself at the begin
ming Of a path which wise men In
Japan have trodden smooth through
centuries. The use of medicines for
flowers, In land where flowers are
(perhaps were) as necessary as food,
Is almost as old as the art Of flower
arrangement-an art and philosophy
In one, with Its roots in religion and Its
blossoms In the world of such formal
ism as found expression in the tea
ceremony.
The japanese have their prescrip-
lions for chrysanthemums at this sea
son and that; they have other recipes
Tor the lotus, for cherry blossoms, for
the iris and for no end Of flowers un-
known to the West. One cannot ap-
proach the first Japanese one meets
and receive them: indeed, for the most
part they are unknown to the Jap
anese Of today who sell flowers In
America. These formulas are recon-
dite; they are secrets passed from
master to pupil. bit at time, and in
this wise they have come down from
period In which men ran savage in
America and Europe Not unlikely
among them are formulas which first
came into use In the Seventh century,
when the Ono family brought forth
the Hrsr doctrine of flower arrange
ment and preservation. The latter
aim, indeed, comes first, for arrange
ment Is but a means the end, In the
origin, was to preserve buds and
petals. according them the sanctity
which Buddhism bestowed on animal
life.
Took Years to Get Recipes.
On which flower, and at which sea-
son, should one use peppermint Salt
petref Honeyf Sake2 And how?
Should the substance be sprinkled on
the petal or injected In the stem2
Should the stalk be burned or mashed,
broken or cut, and what shape the
slicing or incision, made with what
knife or pair of scissors?
In other days men spent years learn
ing the answers. There are schools
OF arrangement without end, each with
its traditions and recipes; the student
who has been with the master four
years is told so much; another year.
and further secrets are revealed. Thus
year by year till the disciple In turn
becomes a master and the last with
held lore is given to him.
True enough, japan has come to
stage when It Is thought Of In terms
of splndles and shipways, but the ira
dltion persists, though II Is weak, and
bits Of knowledge are now open to all
which once would have been guarded
to the death by n master. Much has
been written for Caucasians about the
art Of flower arrangement-no West
ern posies as solid as cabbages but
pattern from a spray or two. There
Is little to be read, however. upon the
preservative prescriptions. Yet they
are not unknown even In New York.
Here, for instance, Is Mrs. U. Okla
Jima, who has 1ectured on her subject
before Columbia university students.
This way" she says. and in her
Lexington avenue studio she impro
vises an arrangement of the simplest; !;
one OF the three points only--H0ven,
earth and man. Sometimes there are
FIVE or seven. but always the elemental
three are the basis of all the designs
of stems and leaves and petals,
whether they stand as they grow or
are bent after being warmed or are
held with wire. Long stalk or short,
the picture must fall within 9, trian-
gle.
The. flowers with strong stems last
longer than the others, she explains.
-Chrysanthemums keep three weeks in
Japan, In winter"
Three times ns long as here ls the
general rule. There Ii little steam
heat In Japan.
bamboo and the pine are the hard