St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-28
OUR ARCHITECTURE.

The GLOBE, with characteristic alert
ness, published Saturday last the sub
stance of the article on st. Paul and
Minneapolis architecture which APP
pears in the current number of Har-
per's Magazine, and its example has
since been followed by the other local
papers. The article itself is quite
worthy of an inspection, because its
illustrations present in a panoramic and
entertaining fashion the two cities COM
mercial blocks and residences; but the
GLOBE is rather skeptical as to whether
many of its readers will be particularly
interested in the authors comments and
eXpositions. Mr.. SCHUYLER writes in a
tone of condescension, such as we some
times find in foreigners, and seems rather
disappointed that Summit avenue is not
liued with garish structures in red
and yellow, and that the vul-
garity which he is sure must
exist in the West does not display
itsely more conspicuously in our bust
ness buildings. At least, this is the i'm
preston the casual reader gets from
what he says. but it may be mistaken
what an art critic means by anything he
says, because he usually does not say
anything. Mr.. SCHUYLER and the rest
of his ilk never talk about their spe-
cialty without at once stalking off over
the moon. and leaving sublunary affairs
quite out of sight. They do not call a
spade spade, but fill their pages with
innuendo and suggestions couched in a
sort of euphemistic vagueness which
make men of exact and accurate habits
of thought extremely impatient. This
is probably the fault of their trade,
which, like psychology and theology,
deals with 'so-to-speaks" and "as-it-
weres,' essences and analogies. Houses
and stores are very actual things, but
criticisms of them have no more sub
stance than dreams and shadows.
The most noteworthy feature of tn e
paperin Harper's is its omissions. Many
of the handsomest residences in both
st. Paul and Minneapolis receive no
notice, either by way of remark or Illus
tration. and one must imagine that an
article which makes no mention OF the
most remarkable types of American do
nestle architecture which have been
erected in this city during the past few
years must either have been written
good while ago, or else that its authors
selections have been made with some
unaccountable caprice. What, too, shall
be said of an essay on Minnesota archi-
lecture which says nothing about the
state house? Here alone is material
enough for volume, and yet it is
passed by without word. Did not Mr.
SCHUYLER see the capitol as it APP
peared with its wooden steps, and has
he not seen the new stone steps as they
appear with the capitol? No achieve
ment of our last granger legislature has
resulted in more good than its appropri-
alton for the adornment of the building
on Wabasha and Tenth streets. The
capitol is the finest specimen of mod
ern ruin which is eXtant to-day, and the
tender solicitude with which it has been
pfopped up during the past few months
proves that we are not governed by
Vandals. The capitol cannot fall down
now, because the new steps will not let
it. 1t is building as is building, and
its steps are steps as are steps. No ar
ticle on domestic architecture can be
said to be complete which contains no
eulogy on these proud structures of
brick and stone.