greys and blues and purples by the action of the sea; or perhaps it may be a thick, gnarled stem of an ancient Pine bough, sawn through horizontally, with one picturesque needled spray thrusting itself out sideways from it, which has the place of honour. Again, a naked tree-branch, in Western eyes only prospectively good to look upon because of its swelling buds, will delight a Japanese family for a week or two. The exquisite lines of branch and twig are not lost on them, and they will see the coming of spring evolve out of the promise of winter, watching its development as they would the growth of a loved and lovely child.
Here again we find that poetic suggestion which is the great uplifting factor in all their arts. While their delight in the quaint, the fanciful is as unforced as a child’s, as keenly appreciative as a latter-day Parisian artist’s, their real eminence is due to the spiritual idea which they make the basis of their feeling for beauty.
The wide-topped jar or vase of bronze or porcelain, or perhaps only of bamboo, in which the flower composition is placed, is in itself almost sufficient decoration for a room, so pure and satisfying are its hues, so deep and cool is its tone, so fine its texture. Then it is set upon a black-wood or lacquered stand or pedestal of classic shape, which gives added dignity to the whole. Owing to the wideness
