Evening star., 1898-11-12

hire two servants and do the work of sew
eral myself, thereby reducing myself to
state of physical disability which will make
my next venture in real estate probably
and in view of the past happily
- A corner lot,
Some seven. feet by two
Where Ifshall speaceful lie and 70.
With nothing else to do.
At the American Institute.
If have gone somewhat egotistically
into the affairs ofJmy own house and home
1t is hoping to indicate how the most tri-
aing detail of domestic, architecture enters
into the considerations Of domestic econ
omy and affectsfa a womans we'll being.
When had once divified the serious rela-
ton architecture bears to woman's tenn
pora1 and eternal salvation L determined
to know something about the men and
their profession who have my lowly, lovely
sex at their mercy. In pursuit of this aim
visited tne american Institute during
its last national assembly in, Washington
1 found q considerable body of men who
did not look like pirates, neither was there
one among them whom would have taken
TO De wire peater or any other arch de-
stroyer Of woman's life and happiness
Quite a number even appeared to have
some poetry in their souls They looked
like artists-the sort that might have
known Trilby while studying abroad. But
"a suspicious characteriStic-clearly thew
were all prosperous. Here were architects
gathered from every section of the United
States. and all so snug in appearance as
to indicate the pursuit of art in America is
profitable as dry goods or pork packing.
My heart hardened. | thought of a funda-
mental principle of architecture as laid
down by an authority eminent in this
country:
In the execution of any architectural
problem the first consideration is to get
the job
The Professors Paper.
The feature of the session of the insti-
tute which l attended was a paper read bv
a Harvard professor on the "Acoustical
Problem of Auditoriums." Listening to his
paper, my suffering soul filled with wrath
and indignation, perceiving thus in the
light of contrast with what base Injustice
woman is treated in architecture Here
in the matter of auditoriums. architects
were not above going into the minutest sort
of calculations to establish conditions best
suited to the main purpose for which such
structures are erected. On chart before
the audience was shown the relative power
to absorb sound of such apparently tritling
concerns of auditoriums as chenille cur
tains and cretonne; hair cushions right side
up, and hair cushions upside-down; orien-
tai rugs on the floor; felt against them all
one inch thick. and felt one-half inch thick
even the difference in an audience be-
tween a man and a woman as sound abb
sorbents-was established to a fraction
And the pale-faced enthusiast from Har-
ward who had worked all this out told how,
in order 20 have his results true he had
conducted his Investigations between l and
4 o'clock in the morning.
/ yearned to stand right up in the meet
ing and inquire whether there is an archi-
tect living who, studying building for do
mestic uses. has ever burned the midnight
Oil investigating the value of materials
with reference to their power to absorb
yyny,lon N boz a1 h -f-
according to the principles of simple hon
est living. l wanted to make this inquiry
direct. but 1t seemed presumptuous, for
clearly my sex is small figure in archi-
lecture. Barring the mention of woman
as a sound-abscrbent and the presence of
a woman reporter, at this meeting of the
American Institute, I was the sole other
evidence that woman has anything to do
with architecture. -,
Why Are Not Women Architects.
1 asked a man sitting next me-a leading
architect of New, York-if there are no wo-
men members ofthe institute.
No he answered. and then, he being
sympaththetic appearing man, l whispered
to him all my architectural woes and con-
fided to him an opinion of mne which is
that some of superfuous lady DOCTORS
lady lawyers. lady journalists, might turn
their attention to architecture with profit
to themselves and womankind generally.
Il have never known a woman who at
tempted 1t to succeed" the architect replied.
'They make clever craftsmen often enough
but somehow they always fail as architects.
T used to have a studio in New York, and at
one time 1 had several women pupils
Among them was a girl who was not only
talented, but plucky. She went to Paris.
and after studying there for several years
came back and set up in business for her
self. Yet in spite of unusual ability and
every advantage of education she failed. 1t
is always so. There seems to be something
about woman as conStitutionally unfit for
architecture as for feats of physical
strength. For instance, you could not fancy
a woman doing the Capitol To be sure,
woman might possibly accomplish some very
graceful, charming things in domestic arch
itecture. but the sex, if ambitious at all,
is too ambitious to stop at that"
And is not domestic architecture a we'll
recognized branch of the art?" l asked.
In A sense, yes: but the best talent is i'm
patient with 1t and devoted to other things
why, pray?"
TT does not pay
Now you have said it, | exclaimed:
architecture in America is the apotheosis
OF tie mighty dollar"
Americans Are to Blame.
And. you must blame Americans, not
architecture" answered the architect. 81
am a good American at heart, but I am
bound to admit Americans are vulgar. With
reference to art, for the most part they
are too busy money-making to think about
1t. When they have leisure they turn to
art, seeking not the power to represent the
good, the beautiful the true. but something
that Will represent their dollars and cents.
American dwelling houses are largely built
by spectators and are designed with strict
regard for the money to be made out of
them. OF the people who build houses for
themselves there are few who go about
II inteiiigently there are who have the
character which strives for the means of
dignified, noble living. They want house
to outdo some ones else; that is their de-
termining need of architecture. They don't
care whether it Is Greek, Gothic Abys-
sinian, SO long as it is very large and very,
very expensive. 1 recall experience of
my own quite to the point.
What He Thought He Wanted.
II had client who when boy was a
small ragamufI1n, running barefoot In a
New England town. AS he was growing UP
he went to work in a mill, and then-the
same old story of typical Americans
success in life-he worked his way ahead
until he became owner of the mill and very
wealthy. He was man of absolutely no
culture, no education except what his
business experience had given him. In
point of character he was most worthy
simple honest, true In every particular
but American Early in his career he had