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The Florists^ Review 



AfBiL 29, 1920 



but a Philadelphia woman to sustain it. 

 Should the trade give it nourishment 

 and life, the reward would be a hun- 

 dredfold to florists. This The Review 

 pointed out, and the trade warmly re- 

 sponded. 



By the requests of florists, mayors in 

 various cities issued proclamations, re- 

 viving interest in the day after it had 

 lapsed since the year before. Heads of 

 the G. A. E. and the Sons of Veterans 

 requested members to wear flowers on 

 Mothers ' day. Governors proclaimed its 

 observance. Local trade bodies were 

 active everywhere at The Review's sug- 

 gestion and the results of that first cam- 

 paign, in 1909, were remarkable. 



All Flowers in All Colors. 



In its issue of April 21, 1910, to aid 

 further the trade 's development of the 

 day. The Review offered a suggestion 

 for a Mothers' day advertisement, in 

 which the individual retailer's name 

 could be substituted for "Posey & 

 Blossom" and any other necessary 

 adaptations made. This advertisement, 

 which is reproduced on the preceding 

 page, was used, in part or in whole, by 

 many florists and, directly and indi- 

 rectly, influenced most of the newspaper 

 advertising for that day which was 

 "to honor the best Mother who ever 

 lived — your own." An essential fea- 

 ture of this suggested advertisement 

 was the lines: 



*A white flower for Mother's memory. 

 A bright flower for Mothers living. 



The inclusion of thesis lines was due 

 to the fact that Miss Jarvis, in her 

 original plan, had suggested the use of 

 white carnations as the most fitting 

 token for Mothers' day. The Review 

 realized that the observance of this 

 day would far outrun any possible 

 supply of white carnations and that, 

 consequently, the development of the 

 day would be greatly retarded, if not 

 made impossible, so long as a single 

 flower of a particular color was regarded 

 as the only proper one for use at that 

 time. So The Review urged florists to 

 suggest that other flowers were equally 

 well fitted to convey the message and 

 that a variety of color would give greater 

 pleasure and brightness to the day and 

 make easier the satisfying of different 

 tastes. Reports each year since then 

 have shown the dominating use of this 

 couplet and its effect upon the character 

 of Mothers' day business. In 1913 the 

 wording was sliglitly altered and the 

 order changed to throw emphasis on the 

 colored flowers, as follows: 



Rriplit flowers for Motliors living; 

 White flowers for Mother's memory. 



In the following years the couplet was 



put in the following rhymed form: 



For Mothers at home, flowers briclit; 

 For Motlier'8 memory, flowers white. 



Such is the history of the trade slo- 

 gan for brothers' day. 



Mothers' Day Publicity. 



In one of the first years of the de- 

 velopment of Motlicrs' (lay two Maine 

 towns learned of the day from another 

 town near-by. Thoy decided that they 

 would not be outdone. So they cele- 

 brated the following Sunday as Mothers' 

 day. But each succeeding year has 

 seen Mothers' day firmly established on 

 the second Sunday in May. 



Chapin Bros., Lincoln, Neb., whose 



letter in 1908 first called attention to 



the day, wrote of Mothers' day of 1913: 



Every flower In the eity was sold, and of 

 every color. There was as much call for colored 

 as for white flowers and it was the easiest big 



day of the year. Saturday's sales this year were 

 seventy-five per cent of the total Easter Satur- 

 day sales. 



All we have to do now Is to see that the 

 governor and mayor issue their proclamations, 

 and have the ministers announce It in the 

 churches, and publish a little advertisement, and 

 the crowds come. 



One point greatly in favor of Mothers' 

 day is that its appeal is so broad and, 

 at the same time, so elemental that 

 social agencies like the church and the 

 school have gladly worked for its ex- 

 tension at florists' suggestion entirely 

 on moral grounds. Much of its adver- 

 tising has thus been free and spontane- 

 ous rather than paid for and deliberate. 

 As already pointed out, fraternal or- 

 ganizations have given it wide pub- 

 licity. Organized labor has endorsed it, 

 through the editorial columns of the 

 American Federationist, the official or- 



Take « 

 BOX of FIOWERS 

 Home Today \r 



Saturday Box 



(At moi^ any Florist's.) 



There is no sweeter way 

 of expressinjj thoughtful at- 

 tention than to 



^ ^Say it with 

 Flowers^' 



These Special Satnrday 

 Boxes contain a delightful 



f>rofusix>D of the aeftson's love- 

 lest fresh flowers, rich In 

 color and tastily packed In 

 appropriate boxes. 



Ask any Florist 

 Anywhere in Baltimore. 



THE ASSOCIATED 



FLORISTS 



OF BALTIMORE 



Moving the Spring Surplus. 



gan of the American Federation of 

 Labor. Each year an increasing num- 

 ber of state governors and city mayors 

 issue proclamations calling for the cele- 

 bration of Mothers' day. And, finally, 

 Congress has passed a resolution rec- 

 ommending its observance. 



Working Together for the Day. 



One natural feature of the growth of 

 Mothers' day, as of tlie growth of the 

 trade, has been the increased use of 

 cooperative advertising, a medium of 

 publicity briefly described in The Re- 



view of last week. Not«|.ble examples 

 of such advertising appear each year 

 and multiply season after season. The 

 larger cities have done much in this 

 respect, but any town having more than 

 one retailer supplies a field for coopera- , 

 tive effort. 



The seed of Mothers' day, sown long 

 ago by The Review, has been well culti- 

 vated by the trade. Further progress of 

 this holiday is assured by the extent to 

 which the members of the trade, in- 

 dividually and cooperatively, advertise 

 the day to their customers, find new '' 

 ways in which to impress it on the 

 public's mind, and methods for devel- 

 oping the day's business. The trade 

 has made a holiday that is of immense 

 benefit to its members and given the 

 public an occasion for the observation 

 of a high sentiment. 



POETIC PROPAGANDA. 



Combining two arts, W. J. Olds is able 

 to aid one with the other. Examples • 

 thereof have been printed before in 

 these columns. Now he comes with a 

 poetic offering for Mothers' day, which 

 he, and other florists if they wish, wdll 

 use to spread the propaganda of flowers 

 for the second Sunday in May. Here 

 it is: 



MOTHERS' DAY. 



Let every heart today remember mother. 



The sweetest word yet framed by human 

 tongue, 

 A truer lover yet than any other 



Beneath the skies, since this old world was 

 young. 

 The fondest memories of our hearts enshrine 

 her. 

 Her breast, our fount of life, our couch of 

 state. 

 Ah! if today our arms may not entwine her. 

 We still may wear a flower for mother's sake. 



Though far from mother's arms you may have 

 wandered. 

 Yea! though the skies have curtained her from 

 view. 

 Let not her wealth of love be thankless squan- 

 dered ; 

 Her fondest, latest prayer was still for you. 

 So if today a flower you may not send her, 

 Token of love, her joy to consummate. 

 Let memory still this loyalty extend her. 

 And wear a flower today for mother's sake. 



— W. J. Olds. 



BALTIMORE'S CAMPAIGN. 



Gets Under Way. 



The fifth city to inaugurate a local 

 publicity campaign, tying up with the 

 national camj)aign and following the ex- 

 amples set by Chicago, St. Louis, Mil- 

 waukee and Buffalo, is Baltimore, Md. 

 The florists of Baltimore recently formed 

 an organization, named the Associated 

 Florists of Baltimore, under which 

 ihey are conducting their campaign. 



The plan which this organization 

 uses to procure funds is the same as that 

 used in other cities, the i)ercontage plan. 

 The growers pay one-half of one per 

 cent and the retailers pay one per cent 

 on all stock that passes through the 

 wholesale houses. While not every 

 florist in Baltimore is a member of the 

 organization and contributes to the cam- 

 paign, though all reap its benefits, it is 

 hoped that all the florists will be in it 

 before the campaign gets well under 

 way. 



This association had $4,000 to start 

 with and no doubt this sum will be 

 doubled soon. The enthusiastic members 

 of the organization say that before long 

 the members will insist that the per- 

 centage be doubled. 



The task of educating the people of 

 Baltimore to "Say It with Flowers" 

 has been entrusted to the Deatel Adver- 

 tising Service, an organization which 



