THE FLORISTS^ MANUAL. 



99 



bishop can stop or abolish the use of 

 flowers at funerals; for there is noth- 

 ing else you can do. In no other way 

 can you show your sympathy. With 

 some people the use of flowers at the 

 grave is as old as history and will con- 

 tinue. But fashion arid a more refined 

 taste will modify and change the man- 

 ner of their use. 



We read constantly of the obsequies 

 of some illustrious personage in Eu- 

 rope and the flowers used are invaria- 

 bly in the shape of a wreath. You 

 would think they knew of nothing 

 else but a wreath, for it is a wreath 

 from the emperor of Germany or 

 Queen Victoria or the "Honorable 

 Guild of Candlestick Makers of the 

 Ancient City of London." They never 

 rise above or below a wreath, and 

 when you read of carloads of wreaths, 

 or that it took one hundred men to 

 carry the wreaths, as it did at the fu- 

 neral of the late president of France, 

 you feel nauseated, as if you had sat 

 down to a dinner of fourteen courses, 

 but every course was the same old 

 thing. I may be mistaken, but I don't 

 think they stick to this very ancient 

 but still most beautiful design be- 

 cause they haven't heard of any other; 

 it is solely because it is simple and 

 chaste, and they don't want any other. 

 Yet it seems that a bunch or loose ar- 

 rangement of roses or carnations or 

 orchids would be a relief and change 

 from the everlasting wreath. 



Our best people (by that I don't 

 mean necessarily the most virtuous, 

 but the people of wealth and refine- 

 ment and the taste and education 

 which wealth affords) have almost en- 

 tirely set their faces against the elab- 

 orate designs that were used by all 

 classes twenty years ago. Gates ajar 

 and broken columns and scrolls, and 

 even crosses and anchors are never 

 seen or ordered by that class who lead 

 in fashion, and depend upon it the 

 other strata of society will copy and 

 emulate the well-to-do as they do in 

 every particular where their means 

 can possibly reach. 



Floral arrangements for the more 

 refined are almost entirely now limited 

 to loose arrangements. Cycas leaves, 

 two or three dozen roses, lily of the 

 valley, a bunch of Roman hyacinths. 

 A wreath is often used, but it is usual- 

 ly some distinct design. Ivy leaves 

 with lily of the valley or all valley, 

 orchids, or all roses, or valley and vio- 

 lets, or all violets. And in many cases 

 the above flowers are bought and sent 

 to the house of mourning simply with 

 a card and loosely in a box. 



It would be absurd for the florist to 

 discourage the use of large designs 

 where they are wanted, and in case of 

 societies who wish to send a design to 

 a late brother or sister there is noth- 

 ing but a large design to send, and the 

 catering to this class of business is 

 quite lucrative with many. Where the 

 design is a pillow, broken column, an- 

 chor or scroll, there is room for a dis- 

 play of skill and art, but where the de- 

 sign represents the calling of the de- 

 parted there is no art, it is merely 





Low Basket of Violets and Small Ferns. 



