SYMBOLISM IN FLOWER ARRANGING 



while the line of his figure, with extended 

 foot, corresponds to the principal lines of a 

 flower arrangement. The plum holds the 

 highest position. 



These three trees have woven about 

 them pretty fables which secure for them 

 great favor from both old and young. The 

 pine and the bamboo are both popularly 

 believed to possess an almost supernatural 

 longevity, as well as to hold a beneficial 

 influence over mankind. The plum is looked 

 upon as sacred. All the idols in the temples 

 and private dwellings are decked with 

 branches of ume or plum, the symbol and 

 herald of spring. 



The contrast between the gnarled age- 

 worn trunk and the delicate fresh blossoms 

 suggests to the imaginative Japanese hun- 

 dreds of allegories, such as the renewal of 

 youth in the heart of decay; the victory 

 of hope over despair, etc., etc. It is all this 

 which endears the Sho-Chiku-Bai to the 

 hearts of the people. 



In the illustration of an arrangement of 



