Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-24

ing a variety Of new features of some
interest. For a man who has occasion
to refer in the course of year, to some
book Of reference for public statistics,
the platforms of parties, the names and
salaries of government and state. Off
Gals and the returns Of recent elections,
there is no more valuable source of cor
rect information than the Tribune Al
manac. We observe that the 1898 num-
Der contains the constitution of the
United States and the constitution of
the state of New York (the latter pro-
vidng for non-partisan municipal cleo
tons, and of which we heard SO much
during last fails campaign in Greater
New York;. ThAs war IN Cuba and the
Graeco-Turlxish war are reviewed, the
Dingley tariff bill is given in extenso.
and in addition there is the usual vaTi-
ETY. of statistics on finance, trade, agri-
culture coinage, banking, production OF
the precious metals, public revenue,
population, colleges, education, promi-
nent societies, railroads, telegraph ana
telephone companies, public debt and
expenditures, fires, and other Important
matters. The most important of recent
laws by congress and the state legisla-
ture fill many pages
Russell Sturgis, the eminent architect
the February Atlantic an article upon
the "Educatlon of architects" which is
of great general interest and will attract
widespread attention. He takes very
radical ground as to the decadence Of
the art at the present time, claiming
that practically nothing has been done
since the beginning of the century that
is worth preserving, still less studying
and initiating. Mr.. Sturgis maintains
that the student of architecture today
has nothing to learn from the epoch in
which he finds himself, that there is now
no tradition which should not be avoid
ed, because there is no tradition which
is not telling against a healthy growth
Of the fine art of building.
This is question which concerns the
whole public, for upon the character and
training of the architects depends the
character of the buildings they erect,
not only in the matters of use and con-
venience, but in the artistic and educa-
tional influence for good or for evil
which they unconsciously exert upon all
those who look upon them, occasionally
or regularly. An architectural structure
is silent but ever present and unceas-
ing factor in raising or lowering the ar
tistic tone and sense of the community
where it stands
Mr.. Sturgis considers that almost all
recent teaching has been misdirected,
that there is a growing tendency to
treat architecture as the art of making
drawings in accordance with certain
rules, when the architects first duty is
to know how to build Sound and ready
knowledge of building, dextrous readi-
ness and some approach to excellence as
freehand draughtsman, and some skill
as a modeler-these are the three things
which the student should first be taught
Mr. Sturgis maintains. All else is a
part of his higher education, Of his train
ing as man rather than as an archi-
tect.
Prof. Henry Lincoln Clapp has an in
teresting Illustrated article on "School
Gardens in Appleton's Popular Science
Monthly for February. In city public
schools where nature study has been in
troduced, obtaining the necessary sun
ply of plants is always difficult. The
ldea OF having gardens cared for by the
pupils, in which the desired specimens
are always at hand. has been attended
with considerable success abroad. and
the same arrangement is urged for our
adoption. N-