The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-12-24


next into small entrance hall Of Italian mar
bic. which would be quite handsome IL only
there were light enough to see by He goes
past tho staircase showed into corner full Of
angles. and dark. also. in spite Of the stained
glass windows. carefully disposed where they
cannot be seen. Tho main hall is round an
other corner. 1t runs at right angles to the
Fifth avenue front and is rcsplcndcnt with mar
bio and gliding carved Cupids. and gin
gcrbread decorations Of every kind. 1t ends
In big ballroom at the rear of the building.
whore vulgar ostcntgtion reaches its height (:
while of its othor extremity open the dining
room. library. and Il small parlor or drawing
room, fitted IN to look like "A room in n Chinese
palace. Tho dining room is in dark wood and
is heavy and forbidding in appearance. This
effect s Increased by the exccrabe painting bv
NJ. Luminais which occupies the centre OF the
ceiling. tho cold tones tho jumblcd compost
ton. and tho deadly mechanical ncatncss of
which are enough to chill the blood. The
library Is completely filed. door jambs and ALL
with mechanically executed inlaid work. for
which the scroll-saw deserves all the credit.
So far. what has been described is only
what might have been expected 1t is
the usual imitation OF work of tho worst
period of Italian renaissance mado with
ought to be much better than it is. Hero
was an opportunity for the exercise of fancy.
Of ingenuity. and of skill II anybody concern
ed had possessed any. man may be forgiven
IT, after having for many years been engaged in
turning out the same pattern ofacanthus leaves.
the same tritons and waternymphS. with which
tho world Is already overstocked. he should
come to do his work without putting his mind
in 1t. Nay IT, rs often happens he should pur-
pos"ly by way of taking vengeance on his stupid
patrons. do II worse than he needs he is not
much To blame. But whom VIZ find men wcaryinl,
at sight of II new problem. and ono not beyond
their abilities. Wa may bc surc that there
is deeper reason for it. SioVcnly work
is done. not from individual dishonesty. but
at the command o! an oversccr who in turn
takes his orders from superior officer as to
what shall bc scamped and what shall be sham
and. through the head of the firm which has
undertaken the job the owner oil the house SUI
pcrintonds this organized rascalty. which he
knows all about. AMI which he wants and pays
for. His object is. ii he spends million to get
only half Of his moneys worth. provlcd Il Is
made 10 look like five times as much. OF course.
this ran only be ACCOMPLISHED by great dcHl of
winking ut patent frauds and by much wilul
ignorance on the par, of himself and his friends
hut this is seldom lacking. The worst effect Of
the system is that il makes machines of the
workmen, who know that they can be replaced
rs easily ne set of tools and who feel that
their work being great part Of it. fraudulent. it
is ovcrpaid at any rate Of wages. Therefore.
when an attempt is made to do something unu-
sual. something pretty or odd though the driv-
ing parts Of the machine may be properly set for
the purpose. the working parts will not an
swcr, and the result is failure.
20 10 tplp n
roof of its own. There is no flat ceiling bat the
beams and rafters are shown. The boarding
which they support Is made to seem open in
some places n it might he in u summer pavil-
ion. and dragon flies and bectlos Of coarsalv
moulded brass. which are supposed to have
come in through the chiGkS. cling here and
there to 1t. or. rather. are nailed on couspicu-
ously. The beams are Enthusiastically shaped and
carved. There is an abundance Of closets and
shelves and the like covered with poor imita-
tions OF Chinese carvings. All this woodwork
has been subjected to a deluge Of some sub
stance which never for one moment looks like
red lacquer. as it was intended il should.
About midway in the room there is u screen
reaching Us high the walls and open in the
centre. the two wings OF which are filled with
stained 9lalI. copied altar some Japanese de-
signs. This is comparatively wet, r,--utc.i
as to make the other work seem Ill tho more
atrocous 1t was probably not done under the
same management as the rest
We have chosen this house to describe in de-
tail on account II it's size and the amount OF
money spent on it. and also because il really
furnishes fair example Of that elaborate in
terror decoration Of which We hear so much.
Far worse examples might be found. Mr.. John
Taylor Johnston has had the parlors of his fine
white marble residence made gorgeous with