The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-05-12

Why Some Are Regarded as More Desira-
bic Than other.

A man who has given the subject much
thought has laid down few rules which
are worth thinking about 81 have not
said ho put yellow into a sitting room
| in ten years. with the exception OF the
| little that gets into a gold paper ana
when ] hear about Whistlers yellow room
| il makes me shuider
! 'Ycnows are All right for q hail or yes
ubulc, bur they must not hc used lu any
room ina which one rests or reads OF
works. Why? Because yellows DO not abb
sorb any light. but are strong reiiectnrs,
and the reflected rays Of light are not
only irving To the eyes, but positively
affect the brain aud the spirits. creating
a distinct disturbance of the nervous cen
tiers. SO the modern scientific decorator
at any rate. tells us. ana we believe hln.
"On the other hand, Bluffs and creams
are recommended for the nursery and
ctildren's sleeping rooms, because OF
their tonic qualities. They are better
than white. which is apt 20 disturb the
young optic nerves hy IT'S brllhancy' ana
are calculated go impart a cheerful, but
not TOO b0istcrOus temperament as well
as q good complexion 10 the youngsters
For the library or WOrkrOom there Is
no color Ike coffee Coffee I'm fact, Is
the most soothing thing in thc color
world. il seems. IL induces pleasant
nireana feeling such as nothing else
does. 10 cOnduccs TO habits Of speculative
thought. 10 produces philosophical calm,
and il is emincntly successful as mild
incentive TO literary efforts Indeed there
seems To be some delicate and abstruse
connection between coffee as beverage
and coffee as a color for domestic decOrd-
ton l suggested something OF this sort
artist who was experimenting the dec0ra-
ton, and he condescendod TO agree Win
me.
81 have learned one really important
fact about cOl0rs. however ! used 30
imagine that there was no color so cool
as white. but have been taught that. 10
the contrary, the coolest OF all colors rs
red-uot the haring, glaring red, but the
dun pompeiian red and terra Gotta. These
are cool because OF their peculiarly alb
gorbeut qualities. II is almost impossible
to light or warm them, and had to-day
a most convincing object lessen OF this
fact-that while the cool, white room Oh
the Wordsworthian poem is all very nice
90 read about, and does, at first sight,
impress one as being such. il does not
begin 10 compare In GOODNESS with one 90
dull red. \ visit 10 the two rooms had
Just the same cooling eject on me that u
produced by passing from sunshine into
shadow. OF course, YOU know / am
speaking all the time OF interior decord-
ton although l am not sure whether a
terra Gotta town would not De considera-
bly, cooler than whitewashed one. So
YOU see the old Pompellans were right
when they cooled off their atria and
pGtios by painting the town red. The
only color which approaches Pompeiian
red for cOOlness so the elegant and arts
tie Young workman told me. Is dark
green. but ii has been found 10 have so
depressing a mental effect on most peo-
pie that 10 is very sparingly used. Then
/ was told lots about mass effects, dis
tanco shadows. and length lines. and
don't know what else. but quite enough
to convince me mat the decoration OF
our house interiors is conducted upon
plane so lofty that il Is impossible 10
say whether it is an artistic science or
scientific art."-Upholsterer