The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-09-11

the two men looked long and Justly as
possible at the two homes, and after
viewing the two in all the lights o.
which they knew anything. they votec
in favor of the cottage. Its colors so
blended. its proportions were so per-
feet. its architecture was so full of va
riety and unity. the porches were SC
ample, the ornaments so full ofdelicate
judgment that it bore the prize away
from its costly competitor.
The world is just now taking turn
toward those who are not sick. While
many are still suffering from the abb
sence of employment, or else from poor
pay for hard work. yet the planet has
become little weary of turning over
into day and night and summer and
winter for the sake of the rich alone,
and seems to say: 1T is time for the
millions to have chance" A new
dwelling-house comes with its
cheap gables, its shingled bands,
its little sprinkle of stained
glass, its red. yellow and dark green
colors, with its pine finish. with its
carpetless floors, with its tinted walls.
and behold nothing in the world is
more pleasing or better adapted to the
wants of father mother and child. As
We ride along through the suburbs of
Boston, Philadelphia or Chicago the
flying train carries us through kind
of paradise. The great old costly
homes within the old city are poor
things compared with this. outlying
encampment of the rich and poor. If
the great Patti were to volunteer to
sing her most popular song on the
porch of some of these suburban struct-
ures she would not know whether the
house which cost two thousand or the
house which cost twenty would the
more deserve the music and eloquencS
of Home, Sweet Home"
The color art has come in to the aid
| of the common pocket-book. When
beauty lay in marble or stone or brick
or heavy columns or in imported woods
the ordinary money-purse gave up
hope, but recently came the color-art to
rival carver and sculptor and the gold
smith; and color being an inexpensive
form of beauty, it has set up the COM
mon man above his old humble condi-
ton. No dealer in stucco or in costly
fresco can much surpass wall finish
ed in terra-cotta paper relieved by q
| broad band of blue. The common cal
chimes and wall papers have gotten
the old high style artists into corner.
and seem to say to them: BEAT us if
you can" 1t was the age of kings and
aristocrats which set going the idea
that beauty is expensive. The age of
democracy is finding out many of the
cheats of the past Each child that
came in from the woods with arms full
| of flowers ought to have made US sus-
pect long ago that Gods beauty is to
be found without much money and
much price. We ought long ago to
have discontinued taking lessons of
kings and to have gone to that Nature
which can make lily surpass Solo
mon.
Ruskin taught us that beauty is a.
the quantity Of labor exhausted upon a
| decoration. Often this is law of
measurement, but often it is not true,
for while the cheap bronzes made by
the new process do not stand for much
labor. they atone for this defect by fill
| ing us with amazement at the wonders
of nature and the splendor of thatmind
which can learn the secrets OF the ma
L
a fern leaf or the feather of bird and
reproduce it in bronze in few hours;
| it can copy your dead dog In bronze 50
that each hair will De in place in the
new image. Work quick and cheap!
But Mr.. Ruskin must remember that
mans genius lends as great charm to
his products as would be impaired by a
slavish toll. An ornament filed out Of
brass by q twelve-month's of filing
should not wholly surpass the same
ornament when made in minute. We
are under some obligation to admire
the inventive intellect of man.
Passing by these theories of beauty,
it is evident that beauty has come at
last to the poor mau's house. He can
have his perfect bronze leaf or bird or
vine or portrait for sum of money
quite small. II he can not reach these
he can buy those excellent copies which
are made Of only compressed paper.
Absolute beauty has come down from
| the old stilted height and can now be
found on the level Of the average hui
mainly. The elegant photograph 10 .
better picture Of wife or child than old
Parrhasius could have painted.
Taste thus has found q new field, Z
field not covered with gold nor occu-
pied by the rich. Recently one of the
most attractive women of Chicago drew
all the opera-glasses toward he- box by
the unusual beauty of her dress. The
stylish make of the garment and the
delicate tints in its colors gave the OPP
era-glass holders as much delight q
they drew from the play. But it was
not q five-hundred dollar dress from
Worth's; il was . fifty-dollar dress
made at home out of Saline. It was
taste. not gold. that made the success.
| Thus Is the earth coming to the res
cue OF us hark-workers. The word
..cheap" 10 not to be any longer term
of disgrace. A cheap housed Yes. but
very good. very attractive. Cheap or
naments! Yes. but could the old mas
tiers do better? Cheap garments! Yes.
but can Worth himself make toilet
any handsomer? What we all need i
the ability to get away from the old
prejudice of cost. and to know real
merit without caring what was paid
4 VHY- - So. sckw