The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-03-24
From the Newark Sentinel.
Hsuses and Furnisure.

Having been sometimes permitted TO peep
into the habitations Of the great. and to con-
template the vast outlay which men OF
means bestow on architecture, furniture and
ornament, | have had many thoughts about
the degrees in which genuine comfort is in
creased by all this labor and expense; and
the result is lit will doubtless be thought
the prejudice Of plebeian,) that wealth
and fashion are not sufficient to secure the
realities Of delightful home. 1t is not
true, that whenever we sit down to imagine
a dwelling Of unmingled excellence, in
which one might wish to live and die, we
figure TO ourselves not so much bright,
elegant, spotless, right-lined, symmetrical,
lofty, lacquered, vanished, gilded mansion,
as one that is roomy, warm. airy, easy,
convenient, even at the risk Of being some
what irregular? Into the ideal Of home
stead, there always enter, as constituents,
the notions Of comfort and snugness. A
house, as well as habit. may be too fine.
As the man Of true politeness is he in
whose presence you feel perfectly at your
ease, so the house you love 10 enter, is that
in which you lose all constraint at the door,
Compare the palace of a parvenu, where
you scarcely dare to tread on the Turkey
carpet or sit down OH the velvet fanteuil,
or apply poker to the brilliant CRATE, with
the fine old country mansion of heredi-
tary manor, in which the glossy furniture is
dark with age, and the capacious fireplace
sheds il. ruddy light on guests, whose fathers
sat there with Washington, the Livingstons,
and men Of the Revolution. True, no
planning and no expense can create quail
ties which belong to age; but much may be
accomplished by prderring the use and con-
venience, and noble hospitality, to the fash
ion Of the hour.
Some Of the fragrant errors Of modern
houses arise from the practice Of consigning
the whole plan and details to builders, in.
ten,al decorators and cabinetm akers--,he
result being toyshop glitter. With all
the egregious follies Of the late king OF
Bavaria, he has never been refused the
character Of a man Of taste in the fine arts;
and this he never displayed more happily
than in his order to the director Of his new
palace: Let there be no upholstery"
1t is impossible to infuse such ideas into
the head Of man who measures everything
by dollars; for what is his house with its
contents, but public advertisement Of his
means? A noble old tree, a broad inviting
hall, suit Of irregular but tasteful cham
bers, csnno.. be bought or bespoken, like
scagliola, marble and mouldings. In the
life OF AFTIcus, the friend Of Cicero, and
the arbiter elegantiarum Of his day. Cor
nelius Nepos has given one or two 6ne
traits, gerr,ane to my subject. Though
Atticus was a moneyed man, he was Ear
from being given TO buying or building;
memo lilo ininus fiiit epiaI, minus adif-
Gator; yet he lived in the best style, and
had everything Of the best about him. He
inherited from his uncle house on the
Quirinal, which was remarkable not 50
mich for its architecture, as its grove; non
adi6cio, plus silua. II showed more taste
than cost; plus sails guam samptus habsbat'
No changes were made for mere show
Lot me add, though By way Of digressipn
there were In that mefssion number o
| literary slaves. good readers and Judges o.
books indeed there wasi,ot body-servsn
who had not these accomplishments