The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-09-02

The Houses of "City Beautiful" -
Higher Mode of Living.

The Houses of a ssCity Beautiful" - "A
Higher Mode of Living.
1T is very pleasant picture" re-
marked ss my guide paused; "but /
am surprised to see no grand private
mansions. Where do your wealthy re-
side?"
What matters it where they reside ?"
answered my guide; "are not the
wealthy sumptuously housed in all
cities and in all lands? am not ask
ing you to look at ostentation and
splendor, for these things are every
where, but on the beauty that may
come to the poor mans door and be en-
loyed by every citizen, however little
he may be endowed with riches.
Now look and tell me what you see,
said my guide, pausing on one of the
wide avenues of the city.
"A long stretch of EMPOWERED cot
tages,' / answered. "In what do they
differ" l asked, "from similar homes
In all American cities 2"
"In little" replied my guide. Except
that in our City Beautiful these charm
ing homes are not in one avenue alone,
for the occupancy of fortunate few,
but they are everywhere, some less
spacious than others, but always there
is neat, tasteful, healthy and charm
ing cottage for every man who Is not
an idler and vagabond. There are
no slums in our city. There is no
squalor.
"The aspects of our city encourage
higher mode of living, and by requir-
ing that the poorest mans house shall
have requisite space, that he shall have
an abundance of fresh air and pure
water, and by insisting that his pub
lie acts shall be clearly and with re-
gard to decency and the rights OF
others, we set him, as it were, on the
road to self-respect and seemly living.
You will OBSERVE" said my guide,
"that the architecture of these long
rows of cottages and villas is almost Sc
we're. The lines are very good, the pro-
portions harmonious, the colors agree
able, and the general effect eminently
pleasing; but mere ornamentation Is
excluded almost altogether. The char
acteristic of most modern houses, espe-
cially of suburban houses, is a great
deal of cheap and vulgar ostentation.
Filigree work is the rule of these
houses. The cornices are supported
by fancy scroll-work brackets, the roofs
of the piazzas and the porches are dec
Grated with scalloped attachments, and
wherever there is an opportunity some
cheap device of the carver is nailed on.
There is no beauty in pretense of any
kind, and when the pretense is trans
parently false, when it consists of
meaningless and vulgar display, it ex-
cites simply feelings of repulsion.
at has been necessary to persistently
enforce this elementary principle upon
our people, and now it is rarely that
one sees those displays of LIGHTHOUSE ar
chitecture that are to be found else
where in our country. Look at those
chimneys, single or in clusters, that
stretch far down the vista; each of
them is of brick and stone, gracefully
broken by skillful and artistic uses of
their material. They are ornamental,
but the ornament is a durable part OF
themselves and the effect is good.
Look at the pointed gables, at the
charmingly curved roof lines. We
have not imported hideous limitations
of the mansard roof, and we know
very we'll that q long row of fat roofs,
with straight, unbroken cornice line,
is monstrosity that could only have
birth in a mind whose Opaque darkness
no ray of artistic light had ever en-
tered.-O. b. B1tnce, IN Chicago
Times.