New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-08-05
EAST SIDE KSTHETICS.
EXPERIMENTS MADE BY THE LEADER
OF ONE CLUB OF GIRLS.

ments and institutions and some independent
Here and there may be found one under the
direction Of a young no has discovered
that she can learn in such work - rauch a-
she can teach
One such leader recently made some interest
ing discoveries as to the average East side girls
sense Of the aesthetic. Her club was an average
one. composed of girls who had for the most
part been graduated from the grammar schools
and then sought for further help ana COM
partnership by the formation of t1ts circle. IL
was about the time Of Ruskin's death and one
of the girls wished TO know who he was When
the leader asked if nobody knew. one girt haz-
ard-d the remark. Wasn't he q SegT-Esu-Iand
poet?" Thereupon the leader sat down 20 e1-
pound the theories OF The prophet n the Jea.t.-
fuI. and she found fifteen Interested faces t1---d
toward hers. They nodded in approval # al
she said about his idea that il was criminal 20
live without beauty 7 guess said one Ia54-a-
ing. that most Of US are leading lives - crime,
at that rate" The leader suggested that there
was beauty everywhere. that although
grass and trees might be shut out shere was.
always the sky. and quoted RUskin accordingly
Sky" said one girl In these tenem--tst
Why, you can't See more than square foot %
it, But another objected. declaring that East
Broadway was a beautiful place from which %
see the sunset. Then the talk became general
. as to the aesthetic influences such as they wee
to be found the East Side The girls found =
difficult to any beautiful buildings IN he
space bounded the north by Houston-st- en-
| the west by the Bovery. and 10y the river or -he
other two sides The public schools were -rl-
posing but hardly beautiful The Two large In
s;itutions, the Educational Alliance and che
Neishoarhood Guild, were neither exactly good
to look upon externally, although the lat
ter was considered the better gf the two
enthusiastically. Not another building could b.
thought of. not church OF q synaEcEUe- The
ore stretch Of open STovGd vas Coriears Hook
Park-smaH and still too young 10 be beauufuI
in the strictest sense. There vas nothing bIt
the good view Of the sunset in East Broadway
and the stretch Of grass in the park
FEW ESTHETIC INFLUENCES AT SCHOOL
The girls could not remember any definitely
aesthetic influence at school. A picture OF Two
there had been. truly. but for the most part IN
explained ard unnoticed- They had never been
taken 10 the Art Museum until the formal "A
Of the club. when they had Sone with tLe-r
leader. They had never heard a word as
the decoration of their houses and the lea that
this could he done in fairly artistic way AZ
small expense created considerable excitement
: n the club.
The leader discussed with them for many
meetings the question Of beauty in their every
day lives and she tried 10 bring aesthetics into
the East Side instead or taxing EE6Tn OUTSIDE %
ind Il The question of dress vas discussed
with earrestEess. as BELTS 50 Important a lop-c-
East Side girls are likely to be divided into
those who spend too much time and money
dress, and those who. seeing the folly OF the
others. go TO the opposite extreme and pur on
anything that Is decent, wearing II in any way
The theory that the careful choice Of CQlors %
he becoming and artistic was less than
duty made a profound impression The talk
turned on pictures. and there was no little
eagerness displayed when the methods Of tran
ing magazine pictures and The Perry prints. ,-
/ cent each. were shown. Plush furniture AM
Powered carpets were topics of serious discus
sion and indeed there was little that those
enthusiastic girls Gid not touch upon
Music and the drama then were taken UP and
their proper place in life Theatre parties u the
American Theatre we're org2nized. and Ior 4
week or TWO before going to hear Faust" OF
Aida" the club would study the opera. both
Hbretto and music- For the ordinary working
girl OF sixteen OF seventeen - cents and 10
cents carfaTe are not too much spend once i
month or 50, When she goes with her friends 20
enjoy opera II a sensible way. The girls
who go without preparation almost invariably
miss some of yhe best points in the opera As
TO tn drama this particular club was very loyal
To the East Side They found THAI their leader
did not scott at Jewish theatres and even en-