The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
ONE OLD FASHION THAT LASTS.
Inappropriate Stuffs which Are Still in De-
mand for Furniture.

Whenever l see furniture covered with
light colored silk or satin offered for sale In
the shops. l wonder how such an anach ronism
should have survived to this day. When see 1t
in establishments that make a specially OF
cheap prices am more than ever astonished
at such a failure to keep up with the adapta-
ton OF taste to our actual needs that has been
noticed in every other respect. 1t always
seems to me that 1t would be about as appro-
pirate to offer man sedan chair when he
called for a cab One is no more suited to the
spirit of the times than the other"
These were tho remarks Of a furniture
dealer. whose business was only to sell his
customers what they wanted and not to worry
over their taste after lie had once discovered it.
But this man mind was not to be prevented
from passing on the faults OF taste they showed.
Il can imagine some circumstances" he
continued. under which it might be proper to
buy furniture Of this kind Large houses with
bathrooms. with drawing rooms set aside for
only formal use and to be used bv persons in
evening dress. might not seem so much out Of
keeping with the spirit Of these dainty and
elaborate silks. They came into use when life
was very much more formal than it Is to-day.
Mems dress. for instance. has changed since
the time they were expected to sit on silks
and satins OF light color and the clothes OF
them was to be seen at that period wear
Ing ta0rmsdS gown q b.r. dark :, Cloth
days who could possess such objects belonged
to the class that could afford to be always in
never came in from the rain to make n call and
were never con fronted with the choice OF stand
satin sat, rs sofa cover Every eonditon in the lives
OF those people was adapted to their furniture
i Is kmowiedee Of that fact Which makes It al
most impossible for me to sell Il woman light
colored satin chair wi IN gold, woodwork after she
has told me that she has only one sitting room
and is going to put the chair in it. Yet we
often have customers who tell me that their
and discover aftcrward that they are to have
no sitting room Of any other color Usually
only Occasionally. and often wonder what the
pink satin sofa must look like when the hus-
hand has come hone h h several times after i
shower I'm afraid the blue rooms and the
pink rooms look rather cheer ess after that,
kind is almost Irresistible. however. with GER
tain PEOPLE. 1t represents to them elegance
have. The carefully shut up and secluded
American par Tor that used to be the fashion
than the more generally used Living room
which has taken its place to-day; The advance
IN taste is continuous here in New York on all
sides. Even the cheapest articles bear evil
dence OF it. Possibly the return to a simpler
and truer ideal that existed many years
yet. But the taste of the average man or wo-
| man is better to-day than it was thirty years
ago The revolt against the period Of carved
the better designs OF rugs. wall paper. china
| and silver all show that the public taste is
| sounder and turned toward simpler and better
| models One has only to compare the articles
offered in the shops twenty years ago with
| change has been. The cheapIy carved furni-
| ture-athough it cost enough to buy-in black
| walnut and occasionally in mahogany,
| the tasteless designs OF silver with
| its meaningless ornamentation. all marked a
| period OF degenerate taste. just as did the big
| dogs on tho fire rugs and the style Of the
window hangings., All that is improved now.
Only the mex plcable taste for the light coored
| fabrics remains as n souvenir OF former GUS
| toms. That does not show that the improve
| ment in taste has halted in this case. 1t
proves rather that they are generally attractive
| enough in color and design to overcome the
| better judgment Of persons who ought not to
buy them because they are suited to only a
few uses in modern life.'