CHAPTER XVI 
The Gentlewoman’s Art-- 
Arranging Flowers 
In Eastern lands they talk in flowers, 
And they tell in a garland their loves and cares; 
Each blossom that blooms in their garden bowers, 
On its leaves a mystic language bears. 
—Percival. 
THE above is almost literally true! You may be 
surprised to know that the arranging of flowers 
has not only long been considered an art, but that 
for centuries it has been closely connected with the 
whole life of a nation. 
Away back in 1400, a certain ruler of Japan be- 
came so interested in this fascinating subject that 
he resigned his throne in order to study that and 
the other fine arts! One of his friends,—a great 
painter,—worked out the scientific rules which are 
still generally accepted, and the study became the 
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