Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-12
pr oAnur TO TIE DISPATCH.

PARIS, May IL. Copyright. Com
plants are pouring in about the extortion Of
hotel keepers. 1t is the general opinion
among the visitors to Paris, and has been
for great many years, that the hotel keep
ers of that wicked city are about the most
rapacious and remorseless brigands on the
face ofthe earth, and the people can easily
believe the most extraordinary stories about
the rapacity of the French hotel keeper.
To expect him to forego this opportunity
of fleeing the public is too much. For the
benefit of Americans who are coming to
Paris, it is as well to say he is ready for
them. When man hires a single room in
an ordinary hotel and is obliged to pay s. q
day for it without meals, he naturally OBJ
jects to the additional charge of 81 30 for
the services of a chambernaid, so cents for
candles and 25 cents for hot water.
But these things, with more or less var
iety, are exactly what he will encounter un-
less vigorous steps are taken by the Govern
ment Fortunately such steps are immi-
nent. The Government has announced that
it will revise the tarifiof hotels and restau-
rants if complaints grow much stronger.
THE PUBLIC PROTESTING.
There are several thousand letters q day
pouring in from the swindled public, so that
relief from the Government is not unlikely.
The better plan to follow is to 60 to small
hotels and eat at hotels which are not proml-
nently located at the corner of the big boule-
wards. A man showed me two bills of fare
from some restaurant which were suggestive
of the spirit of the times in Paris. One was
that in use two weeks ago and the other one
had been freshly issued for Exhibition Gus
tom Prices were nearly doubled for all
smaller dishes and the charges for wines
had been advanced about so per cent.
American visitors at the Exposition are
soon impressed with the fact that while the
American constructive sense is superior to
the European, the American decorative
sense IS interior. The American has sur
passed the European in mechanism, but the
sense OF beauty is still dull in the national
breast. American artisanship, speaking
broadly, when brought face to face with
European artisanship, is more intelligent
in the application of means to ends and in
directions of method and economy of labor,
but is crude and almost illiterate in taste.
WHERE WE ARE SURPASSED.
Eliminate from the American exhibit the
machinery, the gold and silver smithing,
and the art of the lapidary and glass maker,
and there is no American decorative art re-
duaining upon which one can linger with
satisfaction. Even such countries as Italy
and Switzerland show that the craft of the
wood carver is active.
Within the month that has gloriied the
centenary of our civil independence, we can
not offer at the coogress of the worlds skill
a solitary example of American porcelain,
fine textiles superior bronzes, artistic man.
ipulation of wood, decorative paper or leath-
er We offer machines that can write and
talk, machines that perform all the labors of
the field, and that solve most Of the prob
lens of the factory.
In an age OF physics, distinguished by the
discovery of no new principle, we have
astonished science itself by new combina-
tions of principles, and by the creation of
resources for the convenience of mankind.
But we have added nothing to the beauty or
grace of idealism.
FEW FEATURES.
There are American porcelains and wall
papers which might have been exhibited
here with safety as showing promise of
greatness. The glass exhibited has COM
manded candid, even enthusiastic praise,
In the treatment Of jewels and in the inven-
tion of decoration of small articles of orna-
ments for personal use the American ex-
ulDlb 1S undoubtedly superior.
There is a surprising exhibit of industrial
bronzes from Russia, artists like Lanceray,
who died two years ago; Lieberch, Posen, |
Gratschef and Bach being the sculptors.
These Russian bronzes whether single fig
ures or groups, possess remarkable dramatic |
qualities, and have a delicacy, precision
and freedom of modelling that entitle them
to place in fine rather than industrial art.
In decorative treatment of gold, silver
and jewels, in etching and enamelling, the
American exhibit stands first in simplicity,
clearness, elegance and suggestiveness Of
design, as well as in the ingeniusness with
which use and beauty are associated. While
endless copying of exhausted patterns pro-
ceeds in European workshops the Ameri-
can designer is manifesting discernment in
the selection of types worth preserving, and
originality and imagination in the creation
of new ones possessing the essential traits of
beauty.
FROM THE INDIAS
The Tiffany exhibit introduces native
ideas of decorations taken frankly from the
Indians and developed, presenting pleas
ing contrast to British and Colonial design !
ing, which is fabbily repeating the feeble, |
stiff patterns OF India, hackneyed at the |
Indian and Colonial exhibition three years |
ago, and worked to subsequent exhaustion |
at Kensington. If we had supplied an in /
tellgent world with reading, writing and |
speaking machines, we have also given it /
the only universal gold pen, but with this
brief comment the decorative and industrial
art of the United States, impressive in only
one great line, comes to an end
England, until very modern times devoted
almost exclusively to trade and to manu-
fsctures appertaining rather to the necessi-
ties of civilization than to the adornment of
life, has accepted tuition from those whose
spirit is more artistic than hers. Her por-
celains, furniture, metallic products, tapes
tries, carpets, paper hangings, velvets, silks,
shaWls and brocades constitute an impress
sive portion of her entire exhibit, to cata-
logue which require large volume.