A FESTIVAL OF LEAVES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XII, Issue XII, 24 March 1894, Page 284

A FESTIVAL OF LEAVES.

There is always a demand for some new way of raising money for church or school purposes. The smaller children might start a ‘ festival of leaves,’ which will be a novelty, and, if necessary, they can get the aid of parents and older brothers and sisters to make it successful.

Whether in school honse or hall, the place will be trimmed with freshly gathered autumn leaves. There will be reds and yellows, of course ; but do not forget that the browns set off the yellow ones very effectively, and be sure not to pass them by. Some costuming on the part of those who sell the pretty things will be good. Red, or yellow, or brown gowns leaftrimmed, and leaf caps, will give brightness to the festival. The caps may be made of leaves, or made to look like leaves ; there are many ways, and just here the ingenuity will come in. Give the order that all are to wear leaf caps, and see what a varied result will be produced. Canopies of coloured tarlatan caught up with leaves will add to the beauty of booths or tables. Or if each is covered with a white or pale yellow cloth, and the top edged with a trail of varnished leaves sewed to a strip of cloth to keep them in place, they will look very attractive. Some of the

articles for sale will be made after leaf patterns—frames, pen-wipers, etc. If anyone can prepare branches of leaves nicely waxed, they will probably find a ready sale at reasonable prices, because people will like them without the trouble of preparing them. If there is a book table, it may have over it an inscription, • Bound Leaves,' done by pasting varnished autnmn leaves on letters cut from pasteboard. A tent gaily decorated with leaves, both ends being fastened back to show the whole interior, has over it ‘Sibylline Leaves.* It is a fortune-telling place, and is presided over by a mysteriously masked knight, who for a small sum will give each one a written fortune. These are written inside a white paper, folded once to look like a little book, on whose cover is pasted an autnmn leaf, with some odd sign in gold. The knight is dressed in a gown of red, with qneer gold marks scattered over it, and has a short stick to match. This he waves over the place where the fortunes are before taking out one. An urn trimmed with leaves holds the bits of paper.