23rd General Meeting–March 3rd 1891
The twenty third general meeting of the Woman’s Literary Club was held at 861 Garden Street, on Tuesday afternoon, March 3rd, at 3.30 o’clock. The President was in the chair.
There were about 18 members present, and Miss Grace Denio Litchfield, honorary member.
A Longfellow Critique–Mrs. Lord.
After the minutes of the last meeting has been read by the Secretary, Mrs. [Alice Emma Sauerwein] Lord gave “A Longfellow Critique” describing the poet’s shorter productions as elevating in sentiment–illustration, “Learn how sublime a thing it is to suffer and be strong”; referring to his longer poems–to Hiawatha as an epic, to Miles Standish and Evangeline as idylls; and remarking on the strong color given to Longfellow’s style by his familiarity with the literature of other nations.
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Scene–Evangeline & “Rose Jar” Miss Cloud
Miss [Virginia Woodward] Cloud read the description of a scene in “Evangeline” and by request an original poem “The Rose Jar,” soon to be published.
“Flowers” poem (President read.); “Japanese Flowers” Mrs. Stockbridge
The President read Longfellow’s poem on “Flowers”, and Mrs. [Mrs. Henry] Stockbridge gave a paper on “Japanese Flowers,”” first suggesting that the profession of landscape gardening is open to woman, and that we should study the plants of our own country. Japanese landscape gardening balances carefully between deciduous and evergreen trees, and the gardens harmonise in sentiment with the rank of the owners. Often they are used as chapels–they have been defined as “a place to retire after sleep”–they embody ideas, as “Domestic bliss in old age,” and are often retreats from the world. If aught in nature is wanted, something artificial is substituted: thus–a path of pebbles fringed with plants stands for a stream of water, and in an imitation of “The Pass of Hikone,” camellia trees evenly trimmed represented a plateau. Mrs. Stockbridge had also seen a bridge literally made of growing wisteria.
A magnificent Japanese tree is the exogenous umbrella pine with its cinnamon colored bark–its branches being sometimes 18 inches in diameter 50 feet from the stem. A row of these trees is growing well at the Agricultural College, Amherst, Mass. The bamboo of which there are impenetrable forests, is a most useful tree of pliant nature; and at a certain season the wealth of cherry blossoms is very attractive. The wood of the camellia is burnt for black lacquer; but the chief flower of Japan is the chrysanthemum. At the famous shows in the season, the flowers and plants are grown in panoramic tableaux–some even representing scenes from
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plays. In one much admired garden, the plants had all been artificially killed[?], making a most pleasing variety of shades, while in another a large white elephant was represented in growing flowers. At the university of Tokio, there is a three years’ course of study in making bouquets.
Death announcement non-res[ident] member, Mrs. Coleman
Before the adjournment of the Club, the President announced the death of a non-resident member–Mrs. Chapman [Anne Mary] Coleman.
Adjourned.
Eliza Ridgely Secretary