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The Garden Magazine, November, 1919 



reluctance must be overcome, and a wholesome, fearless enthu- 

 siasm for beauty created and stimulated, if our age is to be 

 saved from the destructive forces of base materialism. 



Gardeners, it appears, are the people best situated to do 

 this. Wherefore 1 am glad to see them waking up to it, and 

 to their responsibilities. I shall be more glad when they all 

 do; and when the evidences of such awakening become gen- 

 eral. There is room and need for them even in the great 

 indoor horticultural shows that are a feature of practically 

 every large city's offerings, as well as in the less formal sum- 

 mer or autumn "shows" of garden clubs, or neighborhood 

 or county groups. There are indeed greater opportunities 

 for the truest kind of "welfare work" in the encouragement 

 and stimulation to gardening which a dynamic presentation 

 of the subject may embody, than lie in any other activity. 



FINALLY, are gardens worth having at all if they exist 

 only as detached appurtenances, if they are not a vital 

 part of everyday living? It seems to me not. It seems to 

 me they are only burdensome possessions under such aloof 

 conditions; but unless the real fun of the garden is shown 

 to the world when the garden's products are displayed for its 

 inspection and praise, how is the world to know there is any 

 fun in it? And how are all the people whom all gardeners 

 agree they are anxious to proselytize, and make into gar- 

 deners as enthusiastic as themselves, going to be convinced 

 that gardening is the greatest sport in the world, as well as the 

 most catholic and democratic and finest of Fine Arts, when 

 the most that the conventional flower show has ever given 

 them has been an afternoon of vague discomfort and wonder 

 at themselves for being unable to have a good time when they 

 are expected to; or a not-so-vague disgust with themselves for 

 going where there was so little with which to have a good 

 time. 



Small special flower shows for special fanciers of certain 

 flowers are of course quite another matter, and quite as 

 necessary to horticulture as any special display of pictures 



or bronzes or tapestries or other objets d'art are to the gen- 

 eral art world. But for the suitable summing up of the gar- 

 den season it is proper that the gardening craft should realize 

 the limitations under which the great majority approach such 

 an affair, and the consequent necessity for broadening the 

 scope of the year's great garden function so that it may in- 

 clude everything related, even remotely, to the art. The 

 flower and vegetable competitions of the Westchester Flor- 

 alia suffered not at all, be it noted, notwithstanding these 

 rival attractions of sculpture, sports and games and pets, 

 and marionettes, gypsies, Punch and Judy, and all the 



rest that brought in the carnival spirit and the 



general 



fun of holiday. Wherefore it is evident that they were not 

 "rival" attractions, but just added attractions; which is pre- 

 cisely what we claimed they would be. 



The world is indeed more than half Roman to-day; and 

 though a full restoration of a Roman holiday would not be 

 altogether becoming, it seems not only appropriate but intelli- 

 gent for us to adapt their festivals to our times and tempera- 

 ments — especially when they lend themselves as readily 

 to our purposes of generally informing and inspiring as 

 does this great celebration in honor of Flora, goddess of the 

 flowers. 



The Westchester Floralia was held under a general local commit- 

 tee, of which Mrs. O. H. Cheney, Hartsdale, was chairman. The 

 general director was Mr. Charles W. Leavitt, the Landscape Archi- 

 tect, under whom the Flower and Vegetable competitions and sales 

 were arranged. Sculpture show and competition was under Mrs. 

 Harry Payne Whitney, Mr. James Fraser and Mr. Frederick 

 MacMonnies. Other active members of the committee were Mrs. 

 Clarence L. Smith (Scarsdale Garden Club), Mrs. John Carstensen, 

 Mrs. J. E. Johnson, Mr. Frank Nairne, Mr. D. B. Metcalfe, and 

 Mr. C. C. Hommann. Tennis matches, archery contests, quoits, a 

 show of small dogs (under the Greenwich Kennels, with Mrs. E. 

 C. Gude, chairman), a Punch and Judy show, palmistry, a magician, 

 dancing, a sale of toys, and pony riding made up the "added 

 attractions." 



TERMINAL FIGURES BY PAUL MANSHIP, AS SUBTLE AS HIS WORK INVARIABLY IS 



Also for the Schwab estate and here appropriately shown in true garden setting, which frames as well the madcap "La joie de 1'eau" of Harriett 



Whitney Frishmuth, embodying the utter contrast in spirit 



