Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-12-27

EDITOR Standard:


than ornament the new Hotel Olym-
pia. Your criticisms were exactly to
the point, only you did not go far
enough. Michael Angelo, himself I'M
rivalled as a painter, sculptor and
architect, would raise his hands and
groan in holy horror, could he walk
the earth again and gaze upon our new
hotel building. You referred in your
article to the heterogeneous admiXture
of colors perpetrated by the painters
in their efforts to produce striking
effect. My present design is more es-
pecially to advert to some Of the many
architectural sins committed by those
who had the erection of the super
structure in charge. The celebrated
German writer and critic, Schlegel,
says true architecture is only "frozen
music" but his apt definition would
find little illustration in the external
appearance of the Hotel Olympia. An
other writer elegantly remarks, Ma
ture is not contradictory; and art and
science, beauty and utility, when
rightly understood, are never in con-
flict."
1t is one of the fundamental princi-
pies of architecture that the trunk of
a tree is the true and unvarying type
of all columns used as supports in the
erection Of large structures. The three
essential divisions Of a column are the
base, the shaft, and the capital. Ma
ture herself suggested these principles
when she exhibited to. man her beau
tiful handiwork IN the production of o
symmetrical and perfectly-formed
trunk of a forest tree, viz: the rug
ged and protruding roots at the sur
face OF the ground, the tapering mid
die, and the lowermost branches of the
crown. So far from observing these
natural laws, the columns in and
about the new hotel are upside down.
That is to say, they taper downwards
instead of upwards. The columns
which support the rambling porch of
that building are as clearly out of
their normal position as ship cap
sized at sea, or a man standing upon
his head. All in all, the external ele-
walton of this hotel building is an eye
sore and caricature to the real lover of
natures harmonious portraiture. Re-
turning to the subject of color once
more, all artists agree that the rain
bow and solar spectrum constitute the
undertaking guide to the harmonious
and pleasing display of colors in the
highest achievements of human
genius.
We have heard it intimated that the
boss architect and boss painter of the
new hotel wanted to see how far they
could carry out the idea of contrast
and oddity! When nature plants her
trees with the roots in the air and the
foliage in the ground, when God sub
stitutes for His rainbow token in the
cloud an ungainly daub of soul-har-
rowing stains, when water runs up hill
and music has lost its charms, then
will it be in order to talk about such
contrast and oddity."
CONSISTENCY.
OLYMPIA, Dec. %, 1889.
The STANDARD believes in freedom
of thought and the privilege of ex-
pressing it, and therefore has no hest
tation in giving place to the foregoing
communication from one of our citi-
Gems. He agrees with us so we'll in re-
gard to the colors used in painting the
new hotel, that we regret we cannot
return the compliment by an unbiased
endorsement of his structures regard
ing the architectural defects of the
new structure. On the same principle
that discord is sometimes admissible
in the rendition OF the higher class of
music, to render the ear more suscept-
IDLE Of the perfect harmony to follow,
or that poet may take liberties with
syllables to modulate the flow of
euphony and rythm, We hold that an
architect may sometimes perpetrate
equally glaring departures from the
usually conceived ideas Of symmetry
for just a. worthy an object.
Now doubtless the Architects, when
they arranged the details of finish of
1.-THE new building, felt themselves some
what hampered by the rules which our
correspondent declares are based upon
the immutable laws of nature. So
many buildings have been erected with
columns gracefully tapering upwards,
that . violent departure from prece-
dent seemed necessary, not only to in
dicat4 that master Of his profession
has the courage to leave the beaten
path, but to introduce that same ele-
ment represented by the accidental"
in. music, 70 draw special attention Of
the beholder 10 beauties that might
Otherwise remain undiscovered.
As the STANDARD has hitherto de-
clared, it still maintains: the hotel ID
beauty, and neither depth of color
tnor' inverted columns can make it re-
verse that opinion. a.
ANoTHER scourge has appeared in
South Dakota. The suffering from
drouth is not the lesser evil, and relief
has in . great measure removed dis
tress. Tho prevalence Of malignant
diphtheria is the new cause of alarm,