New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-09-09
THE LATE-MODERN CRAZE.


There is new craze this fall 1t is a craze for
what is newest instead of what is oldest in house
| hold furniture, bric-a-brac and related articles.
Those who the victims OF this craze do not go
up and down the city attending auctions and
haunting secondhand shops in search of claw
footed tables hgh-shoudcred clocks snuflers, spin
ming wheels, china, decanters, mirrors-all war
ranted to be antiques or the money refunded. No.
None Of these things move them. The fact is that
they have renowned the old and have flown for
relief to the contemporaneous. The newer thing
is the better they like ID Unless, for instance,
piece Of furniture fresh from tbe manufacturer
that the varnsh is still trihc sticky it fails to
attract them. They call themselves The Society
for the Promotion of the New; they have adopted
as their motto Say not that the former times were
better than these" and they have chosen Mr..
Venecring their patron saint Our readers will
recall Dickenss vivid description Of the Veneering
family:
Mr. and Mrs. yenccring were bran-new people, in a
| bran-new house in a brannew quarter of London
Everything about the veneerings spick and span
new. All thor furniture was new, all their friends
were now, all their servants were new their plate
was new, their carriage was new, their harness was
new, their horses their pictures were new
| they themselves were new they were newly mar
ricd was lawfully compatible with their having
bran-new baby.
The origin Of the society is rather interesting.
Several ladies we'll known as indefatigable collect
ors of old things spent last summer in quaint
village among the New-England hills They were
aware that the village had acquired great repu-
tation among the lovers Of the old, because Of
the many venerable warmingpans, sdeboards
candlestclls and the like which its knd-heartcd
citizens had been induced to part with for con-
sidcraton to meet a great popular want. The Ia
dies settled down on one of the shaded streets of
/ 1 mo will i/In hut
and hot. but sustained and scothcd" by the hope
Of hunting up and purchasing at bargain lot
of choice old things. But they were doomed to
disappointmcnt. The harvesters had been through
that field and had done thorough work, and So too
had the cleaners. Consequently when these ladies
arrived the scene there was not portable
thing left for sac-save possibly pair of chickens
in the village that VIZ more than year or
year and half old. The grief and despair of
the collectors may be imagined. AT first they re-
fused to be comforted, although the village pas
tor called and did his best At length one OF
them suddenly dried her eyes and exclaimed to the
others " | have it! The very thing Why didn't
we think of it before? Let's cut the old and go
in for the new Her comrades in misfortune
were delighted with the suggestion and without a
dissenting voice at once resolved to adopt it
Such was the genesis of this interesting craze;
the Late-Modern." as one OF them styled it. to
take the place in their affections that had been
held by the Early-Ancient Their resolve once
taken the ladies lost time in acting upon it,
They began operations by advertising in the local
paper that they were prepared to buy useful use
less and fancy articles, provided they were offered
bargains and could get genuine bran-new things.
It took the villagers some days to catch the sig
nGcance of this advertisement, but having done so
they responded generously and with alacrity. The
first beneficiary Of the new craze was the village
tinker. Soon after he heard on what the ladies
had set their hearts, he presented himself on the
piazza where they were sitting, bearing in his hands
a set of consummatey bright tin pans. This was
the 9Th day of July. On the bottom of each
ran was stamped July 5, 1888, A. D. The
ladies noticed the date, and the tinker having
produced an ylidavit sworn to before notary pub
lie stating that the pans were all made on July
3 they conferred apart moment and then Of
fered him 81 % for the set There was nothing
mean about the tinker, without moments
haggling he passed over the pans depraved
furniture dealer who promptly answered the adj
vertsemcnt met with the fate which he deserved.
He invited the ladies TO call at his warerooms
and look at mahogany table and secretary. Both
articles were simply exquisite They were fash
toned from the noblest mahogany, they were fault
less in form and finish, their ornaments were
miracles of taste. as rare as they were beautiful
The ladies asked the dealer when the two pieces
were made. lie stammered a moment and then
REPLIED " Early this summer" There was some
thing in the tone and expression of the face which
accompanied IL that inspired distrust So one
Of the collectors at proceeded to question him
sharply threatening him with exposure unless he
told the truth Ihereupon the wretch broke
down and confessed that both table and secre-
tary instead Of being new, were made during
the winter of 1ss7. He profuse in his apollo
GIGS and offered to let them have both pieces for
ninety-nine cents but the ladies drove him from
their presence with pitiless scorn
At last account the society was hourishing
There is obvious danger, however, that the craze
for the Latc-Modern. like the craze for the Early
Antique, will be brought into disrepute by the
more thoughtlessly Jealous OF its devotees To
pay 81 for set OF common tin pans simply
because Of their extreme youth Is on a par with
paying an equally stiff extortion for a common
set Of drawers simply because Of their extreme
age Let us collect but let US keep our senses
A thing Of beauty is joy forever. But thing
of ugliness, whether old or new, is never joy
a. VI. hat fIo of tI,n Il