Evening star., 1933-06-01

This year, with the long, cold Spring,
of basketfuls of them were plucked by
the school children yesterday and
taken to the schools to make floral Of
ferings to be placed on graves. It was
most fitting that they should have
come from the back yards. The dead
may have felt something of the human
element that went into planting and
pruning them penetrating, like faint
warmth Of life, the cold darkness
where they are sleeping
A cluster of blossoms plucked by a
little boys hand in his mothers cher
ished Sweet William patch and de-
posted over the grave of some dead
soldier may have gone far to relieve
the horrible formality of graveyards,
which has developed apace since they
have been removed from the churches
and become places of irrevocable exile
for the dead. 1t was different in the
old days.
Community Spirit Bred.
In some parts of the city the back
yard seems to feel sort of community
spirit. This does not go to the extent
of formality, but rather to tacit agree
ment of all the dwellers along the alley
that there shall be no jarring discrep-
ancy in the total picture. In some
cases, indeed, definite community
project seems to have been fostered, as
along the outer edge of Park Lane
alley, in Foxhal Village, where a YER
liable riot Of iris, roses, peonies, Sweet
Williams, gallardias and larkspur ex-
tends in narrow line along the edge
of wood. Otherwise the back yards
Of Foxhall Village reflect the individ-
uality Of their owners, with the pre-
dominance of Paul's scarlet climbers
over garages and fences as the pre-
dominating feature.
Nor is there any backyard pattern
In the alleys Of Tenleytown, of Chevy
Chase, Of Brookland or of the Wood
ridge-Langdon section. The dominant
vegetation ranges from radishes to
cherry trees, with the cherries turning
from green to yellow under the late
May sunshine. Everywhere Is the pro-
red Radiances, the tall Frau Karl's
bending under the weight of their heavy
blossoms and covering the ground with
white petals like an early snowfall, the
flaming padres and HooSier beauties
the 1ndescribably colored Madame Her
riots, the yellow-stamened silver moons
the masculine Jonheer Mocks, the
maidenlike Mary Wallaces. These roses
overshadow everything else. The Sweet
Williams and the larkspurs are incon-
| spicuous among them. The purple and
the yellow irises are in their last pale
flush Of beauty. Gone are most Of the
pansies, the tulips and the hyacinths
of month ago.
May Brings Height Of Beauty.
In q week or two most of the climb
ing roses, with their overwhelming color
symphony of blossom, will be gone also
leaving the back yards to the humber
flowers. They will not be so beautiful
again until another May brings recur-
renee Of that strange mating Of Eros
and Thanatos, the romance and the
sadness Of the floral food tide. But
the alley dweller Is making the most
Of 1t while 1t lasts. He knows the hot
dry days are near, when the faces of
the flowers will be disfgured with the
hardness that comes with hardship after
the enthusiasms Of Maytine.
So Government workers are hurry1ng
home every evening to be among the
flowers and the f1ngernails Of house
wives are grimy from puttering all day
long wedding their sprouting n1arigolds
and zinnias Other seasons belong to
the parks, to the ornate front lawns
to the dogwood-strewn woods. This
season, in Washington, belongs to the
back yards Never have they been
lovelier than this year.