New-York tribune., 1900-05-12
AS MIR. ARCHER SEES Us.
AMERICA DESCRIBED BY AN ENGLISH
CRITIC OF THE DRAMA.

AMERICA TO-DAY. Observations and Rehec
Tons; BY William Archer. limo, pp 2so
Charies Scribner's Sons.
The prevailing tone OF Mr. William Archer,s
America To-day is Of enthusiasm Unlike
most Of his brother journalists in England. he
Goes not approach US either with patronage or
with desire to see the flaw. 1t is very easy
iof most observers TO see the flaws anywhere:
IL takes finer gift to the merit Mr. Ar
cher s explorations covered the East fairly we'll
and a good deal of the West He has recorded
What he saw. and he has been careful not to in
ouige In reckless generalizations. The note
taxing traveller. he remarks early in the book
is apt 10 forget that the mere art of note taking
upsets his normal perceptivity. He becomes fe-
Verishly observant morbidly critical" Mr. Ar
cher keeps his head cool. Everything interests
or amuses him, not with a satirical amusement
however. He likes New-York he likes our ar
chitecture for its unconventionaitv and frs
aoaplability, and even likes our skyscrapers
"heh we nnd ourselves little crowded. he ex-
plalns mat we simply tilt street on end and
call II skyscraper. He continues:
In short architecture is here a living art Go
WI Nnere you WIZ In these uptown regions you can
see imagination and cultured intelligence in the
act as II were, Of impressing beauty of pronor-
tion and detail upon brick and terra Gotta gran
lie and marble. And domestic or middle class
architecture is not neglected The American
master builders" do not confine Themselves to
towers and palaces, but give infinite Thought ana
loving care TO homes for human beings" The
average old fashioned New-York house 50 far
as have seen IL, Is externally unattractiye uha
characteristic material, a sort Of coffee colored
stone. being truly hdeousl and internally darl,
cramped and stuffy. But modern houses even
Of no special pretensions, are generally delight
fui, with their polished wood floors and fittings
and their airy suites of rooms. The American
architect has g great advantage over his Eng
lsh colleague in the fact that in furnace hea ted
houses only the bedrooms require to be shut off
with doors The halls and public rooms can he
grouped so that when the curtains hung in their
WIDE doorways are drawn back two three or
-FOUR rooms are open TO the eye at once and
charming effects Of space and light and shade
can be obtained. OF this advantage the modern
mouse planner makes excellent use, and | have
seen more than one quite modest family house
which without any sacrifice of comfort, gives
one sense Of almost palatial spaciousness
An architectural exhibition which / saw the
other day proved that equal or even greater care
anc sr attenuon IS being bestowed upon the coun-
Try mouse, IN which a characteristicay Ameri-
can style is being developed, mainly founded
take H. upon the suave and graceful classicism
or Colonial architecture. Its wide piazza s its
most noteworthy feature, and the opportunity n
ofers for beautiful cloister work is being utilized
10 the full Furthermore the large ATTENDANCE
at the exhibition showed what keen interest
me public takes in the art-a symptom OF high
vitality.
American Hospitality too. impressed Mr. Ar
cher, and he warmly sounds its PRAISES In
cidentally, he makes this shrewd criticism. "-rhe
cne drawback to American hospitality is that #
Is apt 10 pe TOO proluse. i have more than once
had 10 offer a mild protest against being enter
tained by hard working brother Journalist on
scale that would have beftted a millionaire
The possibility Of returning the compliment in
kind affords the canny Scot but poor consola-
tion. A dinner three times more lavish and ex
pensive than you want is not sweetened by the
thought that you may in turn give your host
q dinner three times more expensive and lavish
than he wants. Both parties on this system