Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-10-01
The Decorations.

After the first surprise at the unanimity of
feeling expressed by citizens of every grade in
decorating their stores and dwellings in honor
of the President; after being touched by the
reality OF their grief and the beauty of the mani
festatiOn in itself; after walking up and down
the streets that have grown blacker and more
funereal every day in anticipation Of the solemn
fast, the natural critical faculty again gets the
| from another aspect The moral beauty is great
what about their actual artistic beauty? It is
| on such occasions as this that one is able to
| form an opinion on questions intricate enough
even for natives to decide. When a whole
| city is moved by one thought and to eX-
press that thought. covers it's buildings with
flags half-masted and with white and black
cloths, they must show whether or not there is
an artistic instinct in them; whether they have
much of it or little; whether the general taste
| is bad or good. Under the present circum-
stances it will be remembered. however, that
with the exception of the American flag the
public does not consider anything admissible
save the two cOlOrs, black and white. And
probably the white is an innovation, seized upon
because the color is allowable as a sign of
mourning for children. White and black. black
and white, with here and there a flag heavily
craped or festOoned with a black '.weeper," or
tied across by band of crape-these repeat
themselves for miles and miles, not merely on
the facades of the tall buildings in the principal
thor0ughfares, but on the fronts of obscure
dwellings on obscure streets, at window in some
house not yet reoccupied for the winter by it's
owners, on the half-fnished brick walls of new
ou11dlng, on factories, colleges and rum shops.
The first thing that one notices is the lack of
large masses OF black or white. This results
partly from the fact that masses are more ex-
penslve than network of rolls of cloth. But
IN many cases expense has not been considered
The effect is the result of not appreciating that
small areas Of color against large spaces like
the facades of the Broadway business houses
lose their value and confuse the mind rather
than satisfy it. Scallops and edgings of black
and white, lunches of short streamers even
the long cloths that stretch like black
spider-webs from basement to the attic, these
are not so effective by half as uncomprOmisng,
solid masses Of black which stand against
some OF the houses, generally about or above
the doorway. At the great jewelers. house
in Union square the importance of mass
ing color has been understood Yet
much more might be expected in the arrange
ment of those masses. Still, that building will
serve as an example. The portal of the :Astor
House is impressive, so also are the heavy
drapings that run along the first stories of the
City Hall and many other government edifices.
The scattering of effect is a fault common enough
and the business community can hardly avoid it
owing to the same popularity in the archi-
lecture OF the city. Partly necessity, partly
ignorance. But our architects are the last in
the world. it seems, to understand that the eye
requires plain spaces to rest on; that confusion
of stills or projections and cornices and little
false chimneys and what not thrown at the face
OF building, as it were, with shovel torment
the eye and are admired only by those whose
opinion is worthless, and even by them for a
short time merely.
Taken broadly, there are not wanting plenty
of signs of an instinct for decoration CROPPING
blindly through the minds Of the people. They
seek variety SO far as they know how A stern
conventionalism allows only two cOlol, but in
SO doing does fOolishly. As the flags afford
occasional relief to the wearying repetition of
black and white, so carpets, hangings of bright
col0rs, rugs, and pictures could be disposed in
such manner as to mark by their presence the
honor to the memory Of the President which
they symbolic, and by their treatment with
grapes could fully represent the sorrow befit-
ting the occasion. The supply of bombazine
sparingiy in connection with objects which,
alone, would have joyful Specifications, much
might be done to make these outward tokens of
respect beautiful as well as sad, picturesque as
wen as sincere: For nowadays things in regard
to decoration inside and outside the house are
very different from what they were only recently
IL needs no OctOgenarian to remember the time
when to make radical changes in the furniture
OF tne painting Of a dwelling was q matter
o bankrupt. There are plenty of people to-day
in New York who still are ruled by convention
alltles of this kind to nearly an equal degree.
But, luckily, they seem to bea steadily diminish
ing minority People need not feel now that they
taste or whim, or 'crank, if you WILL in regard
to their own dwellings,. The fact is well known.
Indeed, it already shows 10 the streets on this
occasion. There is more freedom in the decOra-
lions than ever before, more audacity, more
TASTE The occasion is good one for thought
ful comparisons Do not such wholesale decora-
lions turn the public mind ON matters of art?
And do they not form rough school In which
the myriads learnt0 admire what is fine and sepa-
rate 1t from what is ugly? Nay is it not possible
that we are entering on an era when our archi-
tects will be encouraged to furnish the best of
their craft instead Of being hampered until thew
lose all the originality and genius they NAV
have begun with? Toward this end public nag
eants of the kind must in some sort lead. To-
day the scope for external decoration, although
by no means fully used. is still limited by its
funereal purpose and character. But suppose a
national event of joyful kind in which the citi-
zens had equal pride. What beautiful city
could not New York make of herself should citi-
zens have studied somewhat the art Of street
decoration! It might be like . revival Of the
days when the cities Of northern France, Flan-
ders and Holland turned themselves into pag-
eants as multicolored and magnificent as the
most famous Of their gardens OF tulips-Neso
York Times.
WHAT THE PHoroGRAPHER SAD-f'Sft right |
there" Move over Q little" "a little more |
to the left" "Ah! that's too much" s'Hold |
your chin up." sI0ok about there sDrop |
your left hand" ssPut your feet q little closer |
together" ''Iet me brush the hairs of your |
shoulder" IL must f1xyour head again" .sNow |
LOT 400 sSTlrnn VOur riOhf ehOu1dQr L