The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-04-07
Handsome arm-HOuses.


We know of no reason WHY people
engaged in the business of farming
should deny themselves any of the
privileges or the delights of life right.
fully accorded to other folks. Certainly
the farms of America afford every OPP
portunity needed for plain living and
high thinking, and all high thinking
tends toward the realization of beauty
outward as well as inward. There are
no men in the world and no women
who can so easily and cheaply surround
themselves with all that is beautiful in
nature as the owners of American farms.
Well-kept meadows and well-tilled fields,
with their crops in all stages of growth,
are beautiful. Well-bred, well-fed and
well-cared for horses, kline, sheep and
fowls are not only profitable in money
but they please the eye and crafty the
heart. What is more beautiful than
the orchard, in LEAKAGE, in bloom and
in fruit? The roadside maple, the door
yard elm, the clustering birches, and
all our nut-bearing trees and Towering
shrubbery cheaply minister to our love
of beauty in form, color and motion. A
farmer who has any sensibility of soul
has an abundance all about him which
readily ministers thereto.
There are not many farms in New
England on which we do not see some-
thing to denote that life is more than
meat and raiment to their occupants.
True, this sensibility to the beautiful is
in many cases only dawning dimly, but
it is there, and where it exists it can
and will develop itself as opportunity
is given it, Not only in it's surround
ings is beauty beginning to be sought
for, but in the farmhouse itself some
expression other than that of mere neat
ness and comfort is beginning to be
felt as desirable. No matter how well
house may be planned to do work in,
to eat and lodge in, something is felt to
be lacking, so long as beauty of form.
both external and internal, is not appar-
ent in the home of the farmer. Deco
ration is sought in the growth of flowers
within and without the house, while
tasteful Wallpapers, and colors and con-
trasts pleasing to the eye in painting
are more and more demanded. All
these things indicate growth of the
finer sentiments, and the pleasure with
which rural people notice what they
call pretty houses in and around our
villages shows that continual enlarge
ment of thought in this direction is
taking place amongst us.
Heretofore, when a farmer has deter
mined to build himself new house. he
has been limited in its outward form
by q few stereotyped models, so that the
money to be expended being known,
hardly more than dozen variations of
form and arrangement have been avail
able, and these all of the plainest and
most monotonous kind, in what has
been called carpenters architecture. -
Very few farmers have ever thought
of employing regular architect to
design house for them. They are
deferred by both cost and distance, so
the most that is done is to select some
model near by that most nearly fits the
necessities of the case, and to employ a
house-carpenter to copy it with but
very little variation
But the relation of supply to demand
manifests itself here as elsewhere, and
the growing desire for home which
shall not be mere inexpensive box to
live in, and copy of hundreds of other
similar boxes at that, has made itself
felt. Skillful and experienced archi-
tects are finding it worth their while to
design homes for the people and to
bring these designs in art within the
ability of those who want them. In
fact, we have been led to the writing of
this article by the recent reception of a
very valuable and at the same time very
cheap work of this sort from its pub
fishers. We refer to " Shoppelps Mod
ern Houses" quarterly magazine of
architecture issued by the Cooperative
Building Plan Association, 19l Broad
way, New York. The January issue is
before us, containing seventy-fve de-