The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-06
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An Advertising Treatise.


Miller, is an attractively gotten up pub
LEGATION, describing the home of the au-
thor. The title and the Illustrations
might lead one to suppose that the book
is general treatise on home making;
but it is not. 1t is a narrative of the ex-
peTience of the lady in question in build
ing her own home, about which she sings
| hymns Of praise. and which is unques-
| tionably a very artistic and beautiful
structure The process by which she
| bought the land, its location, and it's
adaptation to her own taste, are describ-
| ed at length, and plans of the house
| given. The decorations, with the reason
| for each particular one, are then describ
ed in detail, and it is suggested that
| almost anybody could follow this plan
| and have also an artistic and beautiful
| home. The trouble with that idea is that
| it would take an income of some thou
sand dollars to build home on the Jen-
ness-Miller plan, and people with several
thousanddollar incomes usually have
| their own ideas on such matters. The
description of the location of this
| house ought to create something
| of a boom in real estate in that vi
cinity. What the need of a new Execu-
| tive Mansion for the use Of the President
of the United States has to do with the
subject is not as clear as the argument
l,
and quite good once to which page
| or two of the book is given.
Then the author goes on to tell about
! her furniture. 1t appears TO be all old
mahogany, or something of that sort. ar
| tistic, solid and "haVing an air OF genu-
| ineness.' But an air of gcnuineness is
expensive, and while. probably, almost
| anybody would like to buy genuine ma
| hogany, Satsuma and Persian rugs if the
| pOcketbook could endure it without hav-
| ing consumption, the descriptions in this
| book are not likely to help the average
| department clerk or young professional
man to furnish his house either comfort
| ably or economically. Neither is the de-
scription of the tiled bathroom and onyx
| lavatory slab of much use, except to ad-
vertise the firms who furnished them.
| The names of these firms are given in
| full, but this department of The Times
| being distinctly separate from the adver-
| Using department, they will not be repro
| duced here. OF course, il gives the aV-
erage woman a feeling of unsatisfied
! longing to read that the Photographic
! reproduction suggests, but does not do
| justice TO, the delicate beauty of this Law
| atOry; in fact. 1T has been a continued
| regret with me, in writing this little
| brochure, that half-tone reproductions
| give no idea of the beautiful color COM
| binations which make my house artistic
| every
| part"
The information is further vouchsafed
| that a certain firm connected with the
steam heating business suggested to the
| author the plan of having double fires, so
| that the steam could be easily managed,
| one fire being allowed to go out in mild
| weather. This seems to be a bit of genu-
| inc information, and is quoted for that
reason. The author also informs us that
| l. H.
back of her chimney piece, because"
| she says. 1T looks genuine and as if we
| were honest folk who give no quarter to
| pretentious humbugs." Undoubtedly it is
| a very nice thing to have ones house
| look genuine, but a really genuine per-
| son has no occasion to think about that.
! He or she doesn't consider it necessary
| TO have a black streak on the back of
the fireplace or anywhere else as a hail
| mark of the genuine. OF course there is
| no objection To Mrs Jenness Miler's fire
| place looking genuine and il probably
does, but when thing looks genuine and
| is an imitation it is a good deal more
| reprehensibe than what may be called
| an honest imitation, thing which IS SO
| palpably false on the face of ii that one
takes it at once for what it Is worth. In
| this book Mrs. Miller has written what Is
| supposed by the unsuspecting observer to
be really useful thing--it proves when
read, to be a remarkably clever adver-
| tlsement of half a dozen house decora-
| tors and furnishers. The average reader
| especially if that reader be in moderate
| circumstances and of an artistic frame OF
| mind will lay the volume down with very
| much the same feeling of Impotence that
| follows the perusal of disguised patent
| medicine advertisement.
Washington: Jenness Miller Publica-
ton Company.