8? MORNING-GLORIES 221 



Japanese models. They made morning-glories 

 grow from grape and potato vines, from chry- 

 santhemum stalks and from rose bushes. They 

 changed the form of the stems at will and gave 

 them various colors. The leaves were made to 

 mock those of the maple and other trees. And 

 the flowers! There were owas of three, five, 

 and even seven different colors, grown 

 on one short vine of as many branches. 

 On the fukurlns such fantastic flowers grew 

 "that one wonders how they can be morning- 

 glories at all. They look like double poppies 

 and pelargoniums; like carnations, honeysuckles, 

 thistles, tuberoses, gardenias, chrysanthemums, 

 columbines, upines, dwarf peonies, double irises, 

 butterfly-and-pitcher plants; like orchids; like 

 anything and everything but a morning-glory." 

 It is well for us occasionally to look at the 

 Mikado's subjects from other than military and 

 commercial points of view. In the subtle arts 

 of refined enjoyment they are centuries ahead 

 of us. 



15 



