Evening star., 1934-04-07
CHERRY BLOSSOMS
ARE DESCRIBED ON
NETWORK BY SA|T0
japanese Envoy Explains
Symbolism in Talk, SaIut-
81 ing Festival.
PEOPLES FRIENDSHIP
BETOKEMED BY TREES
Navy Band Will Play at Ball
and Reception to Be Given
Night of April 21.

In an eloquent address japanese
Ambassador Hiroshi Saito today spoke
to the American people over a coast
forecast network of Columbia radio
stations in salute to Washington's
Cherry Blossom Festival, to be cele-
brated April 10. 20 and 21.
The coming festival, he said, took
him back in memory to a day in
1912 when, at the start of his diplo-
matte career in Washington, he
learned of the gift of 5000 cherry
trees from the municipality of Toxic
to the American people.
THE young trees" he said, were
messengers of good will the symbol
and perpetual reminder of the friend
ship of the two peoples"
He recalled how Mrs William How
ard Taft, then First Lady, planted the
first tree, and how the Viscountess
Chinda, wife of the then Japanese
Ambassador, planted the second. Mrs.
Taft, he said, then presented to the
vlScountess a bouquet of American
beauty roses, the western sisters of
the cherry"
Has Long History.
To-day" he continued, "the young
cherry saplings which looked so deli
cate and helpless in the soil of new
adoption now are towering high Their
purple-tinted bark glistens in the
bright sun, while some of the flower
laden branches gracefully droop over
the water. With "reminiscences and
deep affection, view them Somehow
Tfeel that the trees betoken the growth
Of friendship and understanding be-
tween our two peoples
Though the cherry blossom is only
a, newcomer to American soil, it has a
long history in its native country. No
other flower in Japan is so exalted and
SO worshipped as the cherry blossom
1t is Japan's own flower, and reigned in
favor long before the new Buddhism
came over from India with its lotus
symbol, and Chinese culture with its
peony.. The wild mountain flower was
considered the soul of Japan, the SYM
Dol of all the japanese adored and
aspired to.
History shows that as early as the
fifth century the Emperor and his
court annually convened at the Palace
of the Young Cherry Trees, in the vi
cinity of the ancient city of Nara. to
view the blossoms and make boating
excursions about the cherry bordered
lake. Amidst music and shower of
pink petals, princes and knights, mobiles
and priests spclt their souls in poems
and lyric epigrams and tied the poem
hundred years have passed, but the
imperial garden parties in honor of
the cherry blossoms still continue.
In April sunshine-better still by
moonlight, and best of all by the pale
light of dawn-the blooming cherry
tree is the most ideally beautiful
There is a soft pink electric glow as
we stand under the branches laden
with masses of flowers"
Symbolism Is Explained.
The Ambassador then explained the
symbolism of the cherry blossom in
the Japanese mind. With its flower
ing, its mission accomplished, the
blossoms, he said, do not need to
work for a living" Having spent
their whole strength in Towering, they
may gracefully die.
Analogously, the code Of the samu-
raj calls for suicide as a departure
from life, not to sneak away" from a
problem, but to solve a problem in
which honor is involved.
THE cherry blossom, which never
clings to life, but is always ready to
depart at the call of nature, imme-
diately invokes the superb and deli
cate sense of honor of the samurai,"
he said.
Comparing the Eastern cherry bios
som with the Western rose, the Am
bassador found in the Western flower
earnestness and in the cherry blossom
animation; the rose holds to its life
to the very last, but the cherry bios
som makes light of death and dances
down to meet it in the breeze. Other
comparisons followed, and then:
But the cherry and the rose have
one thing in ommon-beauty, which
is a joy forever"
5000 Bids Are Issued.
The Navy Band will play at the
reception ard ball to be given at the
Mayflower Hotel on the night of April
81, which will close the three-day
cherry blossom festival, it was an
nounced today. In addition to the
service band there will be a COM
mercial orchestra to assist in fur
nishing music.
More than 5000 invitations to the
reception and ball were on their way
to members of Washington's social,
diplomatic and official circles today.
Maj Gen. Amos A. Fries, U. S. A.,
retired, chairman of the committee
arranging the parade, which is to be
one of the features of the festival,
said he had received entries for %
floats. Many more are expected be-
fore the time of the parade.
Inquiries from all over the coun-
try are reaching the headquarters of
the festival in the offices of the Board
of Trade, and many more are COM
ing to the Housing Committee. Of
ficials say they definitely know the
special cherry blossom festival will
attract a throng larger than that
which normally flocks here to witness
the annual Towering of the trees