The Weekly Rorists' Review, 



Mat 7, 1908. 



crowded city, so the policemen say, and 

 others who are concerned with the prob- 

 lem. This may be accounted for by the 

 extra inducement which the weather gives 

 to window gazing; at least the "hurry 

 up" produced by the cold winds has 

 ceased to sound its alarm. To know 

 the shop windows of any city is a liberal 

 education. For a better source of gen- 

 eral information the observing person 

 may seek far. If one cares to know the 

 titles of the latest novels or to discern 

 the latest movement in literature — be it 

 Pragmatism or Mental Therapeutics^ 

 a glance into the bookstores will suffice. 

 The constant passerby may also gauge 

 the popularity of the writings of the 

 apostle of strenuousness by the progres- 

 sive markdowns in his collected works. 



The jewelers' displays offer scope for 

 the imagination. What may be the des- 

 tiny of those trays of glittering gems, 

 and what — oh, what! — the use for those 

 curious silver implements? Watch on, 

 and later some far-sighted shopkeeper 

 will have labeled that new device, and 

 the information is yours. No experi- 

 enced window gazer is ever left to guess 

 the purpose of her wedding gifts. As- 

 paragus forks and sandwich plates, and 

 all their kind, are well known to her. 

 Likewise no novelty in dress is unfa- 



from he wills. From them, too, as well 

 as from the furniture houses, you may 

 come to know Sheraton from Hepple- 

 white and Chippendale. Kazaks and 

 Daghestans, Anatolians and Bokharas 

 come trippingly off the tongue — old ac- 

 quaintances. Big black Hamburg grapes 

 and gayly Colored kumquats flank dwarf- 

 ed orange trees in the fruit shops, while 

 African peaches in December and straw- 

 berries in January delight the eye; and 

 is not that sufficient? Who so carnal 

 minded as to set the tooth of disillusion 

 there? And the florists — what shall we 

 say for them? asks the Boston Tran- 

 script. The poorest little maid may know 

 half a dozen species of orchids, if she 

 will but look and read. The newest fern, 

 the strangest variation of rose or carna- 

 tion, along with many a simple and well 

 loved blossom, invite the * ' seeing eye. ' ' 

 Some of the groupings are too lovely 

 to be forgotten easily. Perhaps Words- 

 worth could best have thanked the ar- 

 tists for their contribution "to that in- 

 ward eye, which is the bliss of soli- 

 tude." 



As for the picture shops, how well 

 they teach us to know our Rembrandts 

 and Gainsboroughs and all the best — 

 and poorest — of ancient and modern art. 

 Curious engravings, pastels, watercolors 



G)rner for "Wedding Ceremony. 



miliar to the connoisseur in these dis- 

 plays. Each latest development has been 

 noted; and forewarned is forearmed. 

 When it comes to actual purchasing there 

 will be no Copenhagen blue — once it was 

 Alice — nor Merry Widow hats for her! 

 Too much familiarity has done its fell 

 work. 



The auction shops have fascinating 

 windows. There the gazer may see Char- 

 lotte Cushman 's fan, gift of the lovely 

 Eugenie, alongside the completest of doll 

 houses, and conjure what romances there- 



and photographs lure the passerby to 

 inquire further. Russian copper, Japa- 

 nese china, embroidery and bronzes, and 

 all the products of the older nations 

 are spread before us. Nor is there a 

 prominent man or woman — statesman, 

 preacher, author or actress — whose face 

 is not familiar to the seasoned window 

 gazer. If to be wise is to know a little 

 of everything and all of something, op- 

 portunities to qualify in the first particu- 

 lar offer themselves at every turn to the 

 stroller on the city's streets. 



THE WEDDING DECORATION. 



The accompanying illustrations show 

 portions of the decorative work, arranged 

 by the Bell Floral Co., Franklin, Pe., 

 for a recent wedding at the home of 

 Duncan Mackintosh, at Glen Moy, jusc 

 outside the limits of Franklin. 



The large circular bridal table was 

 constructed around a permanent aqua- 

 rium, in the center of the octagonal 

 palm room. Small palms and ferns, in- 

 terspersed with azalea flowers, were used 

 to partially screen the aquarium, and 

 crescentic garlands of sweet peas oc- 

 cupied the middle distance, with a lib- 

 eral garnishing of adiantum scattered 

 between. 



The candelabra were showered with 

 lily of the valley, and the intercross- 

 ing iron braces overhead were completely 

 hidden by smilax and drooping sprays 

 of pink and white wistaria, while the 

 chandelier was treated with the same ma- 

 terial. 



The other illustration shows a portion 

 of the library, where the marriage cere- 

 mony took place, before the rustic canopy 

 at the wide doorway at the entrance to 

 the dining-room. This canopy was six 

 feet wide, and projected two and one- 

 half feet from the wall, and was draped 

 with Asparagus plumosus, and further 

 decorated with clusters of lilies and a 

 liberal covering of white dogwood flowers. 



A curtain, made of strands of as- 

 paragus, was let down in the doorway 

 during the wedding, and afterward loop- 

 ed up with bows of white ribbon. 



The two front columns of the canopy, 

 to which the wedding ropes were attach- 

 ed, were entwined naturally with Celas- 

 trus scandens. 



The fixed book shelves at the left 

 were screened with white drapery gar- 

 nished with, wild smilax; and on the 

 projection above were pots of drooping 

 ferns, interspersed with vases of white 

 tulips and pink roses. As will be noticed, 

 the photograph was made before the 

 work was entirely completed. 



Harrisburg, Pa. — John A. Kepner is 

 having an artesian well put in at his 

 greenhouses. 



New London, Conn. — Edward A. 

 Smith's Easter business this year was 

 the best in all his experience. In addi- 

 tion to a good trade with individual cus- 

 tomers, he had an unusual number of 

 large church decorations, as well as a 

 portion of the floral dfisplay for the 

 Templar conclave at the Masonic temple. 



O. C. SiMONDS, Chicago, has been at 

 Milwaukee in consultation with those in- 

 terested in beautifying the river front. 

 He recommends planting trees and shrubs 

 wherever possible, and says: "The glar- 

 ing advertisements on the rear of build- 

 ings, and the billboards should be re- 

 moved, and the buildings painted some 

 modest, dignified color. The river fronts 

 of the buildings in the central portion 

 of the city are seen by more people 

 than the street fronts, and so should be 

 made presentable." Mr. Simbnds also 

 suggests that parkways be formed on the 

 upper river, leading out into the coun- 

 try, with opportunities for boating, bath- 

 ing, driving and walking along': that part 

 of the river. He suggests "Virginia 

 creeper and Japanese ivy f or ', covering 

 buildings and dead walls. Lindens, elms, 

 lilacs, bush-honeysuckles and various 

 other kinds of trees and vines could be 

 used with great effect. " 



