THE GARDENS OF THE MISSIONS 
A '!' this festival season, when throughout the North and 
East the land is wrapped in a blanket of white and 
vegetation is taking a rest, it is delightful to wander 
in gardens of green, amid a blaze of color and among citrus 
trees hanging heavy with their golden fruit. Among such 
gardens those about the old Missions of California afford 
much interest. The earliest of these was planted in 1769 
by Father Serra, his coadjutors and their bands of neo¬ 
phytes. Mr. Charles Frederick Holder, than whom there 
is none more intimately acquainted with the history of the 
missions, writes most entertainingly of them, and of 
the vines, plants and trees with which the gardens were 
planted, many of which had been brought with loving 
care and tender regard through long and tedious journeys 
from old Mexico and even from Spain. During succeeding 
years these gardens and the missions themselves have passed 
through many vicissitudes and consequent disintegration 
and decay. Now, however, they are being restored, and 
will soon bloom and blossom as in the olden days, when 
the Fathers walked therein and dreamed of the Mother 
Country and of the vastness of the work before them. 
SENTIMENT AND SYMBOLISMS OF CHRISTMAS GREENS 
Why decorations of cedar and fir, of box, holly, mistletoe 
and laurel came to be so universal and how the giving of 
gifts and the singing of carols at Christmas time became 
established customs form a long and stormy history. Marie 
von Tschudi says “ Poet and antiquary have united to praise 
and do it reverence, and sentiment and symbolism have 
fought side by side for this wearing of the green.” She 
takes us over the long road of history which gave them to 
us and tells us the most interesting points of the story. 
CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN CHRISTIAN COUNTRIES 
As the manner of observing Christmas differs in different 
countries as each race or nationality differs from the other, 
an infinite variety is therefore imparted to the celebra¬ 
tion of this most sacred of all Christian days. H. M. 
Phelps describes some of the characteristic customs asso¬ 
ciated with this holiday in England, Germany, Italy, Spain, 
France, Russia and in Switzerland, Norway and Australia. 
A MODEL RESTAURANT IN BERLIN 
Mr. William Mayner contributes an interesting descrip¬ 
tion of the workings “ behind the scenes ” as it were, 
of this great Berlin restaurant, “ Kempinski’s.” The illus¬ 
trations accompanying the short article show not only the 
many dining halls of the establishment but also the half- 
dozen kitchens and serving-rooms, as well as special depart¬ 
ments where food is being prepared by wholesale to supply 
the six to ten thousand daily guests. 
ARRANGING CUT FLOWERS ARTISTICALLY 
William S. Rice claims that to be able to arrange cut 
flowers artistically one must possess a sympathetic quality 
for the growth or “ gesture of the plant,” or an intuitive 
feeling for the art of grouping or composing. That few 
people possess these qualifications, accounts for the too fre¬ 
quent failure of such decorations in our homes. Few of us 
give thought as to how the flowers grew on the parent plant 
or whether the vase or other receptacle is harmonious in 
form and color with the flowers it holds. The Japanese 
can teach us how to catch the real spirit of nature in our 
decorative uses of cut flowers. 
DECORATIVE DETAIL IN A FRENCH APARTMENT HOUSE 
Refinement of detail for decorative uses receives little 
attention from the average American architect, whether 
from lack of time or patience or ability. In the illustrations 
shown the most minute detail seems to have been most care¬ 
fully considered, the result being beautiful and satisfying. 
The work is by M. Eugene Chifflot, of Paris, France. It is 
described and discussed by Frances B. Sheafer. 
THE COUNTRY CLUBS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 
At this season of the year when the Eastern golf links are 
deserted, the far Western golf courses lure the enthusiast, for 
there is no cessation there in the play. The midwinter is 
when the season is at its height and to meet this inrush of 
visitors every city, town or village boasts of its country or 
out-of-doors club. Day Allen Willey gives information 
about many of the better ones, and that the reader may be 
better informed gives numerous illustrations of them. 
THE PRACTICAL USE OF THERMOMETERS 
Samuel K. Pearson, Jr., of the Climatological Service of 
the Weather Bureau, contributes an instructive paper on the 
proper temperature which should be maintained in the 
several parts of the house. The indoor atmospheric condi¬ 
tions are considered and the amount of humidity proper 
for specified degrees of temperature is discussed. This arti¬ 
cle was announced for the December issue but was crowded 
out. 
