Evening star., 1900-08-18
An Authority on Household Art Dates
II From the Centennial.
fHE PASSING OF THE MARBLE AGE
Pleasure in Looking at Fine China
and Graceful Furniture.
BRINGING THE VASES HOME


Written for The Evening star
Looking backward is the only way by
which We can place our present standpoint
In matters OF household art end see how
We have advanced in twenty-five or thirty
years. Everybody without question. prob
ably. will give our great centennial exhi-
bition the credit of stimulating art in
dustry In this country more than anything
has ever done. A year or so before articles
had appeared in several of the leading
American magazines on household art.
which to many readers opened the eyes as
to what the exhibition would bring In an
educational way. Those articles were OF
practical value. was proved immediate
ly. for some of the ideas were incorporated
in houses building in this city al the time
and these strengthened and confirmed the
taste of young people who were Just
awakening to such matters on arriving at
years of maturity. to whom they came as
revelation and authority. AT once after
the centennial many writers took up the
theme, and probably much is due to those
books in the way of help in all matters Of
taste in homes Of today. To look these
forerunners over now is entertaining and
profitable. though such floods OF similar
writing have followed, these beginnings are
recalled by comparatively few.
So many things have become familiar and
settled to us now that IT causes US to won
der at our rapid development to read in
Modern Dwellings," published in 1878,
that New York merchant. showing some
of the Morris designs said that the taste
of the public here In America was at such
a low ebb it offered but little inducement
for their Importation" He remarked.
though, that we were improving, 'for only
a few years before the worst designs of the
European market passed current" Indeed.
Whatever was so wanting in good taste
as TO ruin it for the home market would
do for the United States and Europeans
found 1T folly to send their choice produo-
tons to land of such barbaric tastes"
This was written such comparatively
short time ago that when one considers
our strides in this direction Of culture, and
the prominence of the subject OF Interior
decoration, our progress seems incredible.
Put on Her Thinking Cap.
England was before her international ex-
hibition OF 1851 almost where we stood in
1876. before our exhibition opened. and
seeing then how inferior her works ap-
peared compared with other nations she
began to reflect that the cause must be the
fault of the English system Of education"
From this resulted the rise OF technical
schools and the great South Kensington
Museum Those who had some idea of
what they wanted by natural taste and
intuition had hard time carrying out
such thoughts, for from 1876 on for some
years it was impossible TO find much ready
made that wanted, and IL was diff
cult and expensive getting special orders
carried out for articles of household use or
decoration. 1t was these desires and the
inability to find ready what one wanted
that led to the epoch Of the .dry-goods box
lounge and soap-box washstand. which
were strivings, after all, toward better
things. which have come as a consequence
of the demand begun at that time.
Strange Reading Now.
1t is entertaining to read some of the
advice and remarks in books OF that pc
We must certainly condemn one appen-
dage, usually considered indispe ensable to
a sideboard-a marble top. A sideboard is
intended for the deposit Of glass and DELI
cate china Now. the idea of having fran
wares banged down on an unyielding piece
OF adamant is something revolving in these
days of interest in ceramic art
Such writing had its weight, and finally
public taste changed and the marble ton
was banished from various articles of fur
niture where II had fiourished for years
Here is a note on the beginnings OF cabf-
net mantels and modern sideboards, against
which also In turn has been a reaction,
until the plain Chtppendale and colonial
sidebcerds and sngle-shelved mantels are
felt to be distinct relief.
The custom Of displaying specimens of
fine china ware in our rooms as works Of
art suggests the propriety of providing
shelves on the principle OF etagere over
the sfdeboard and mantelpiece.
Great Inspiration.
But besides the writing of Americans to
Americans on these subjects one of the
greatest art educators from which our ma
ton received its stimulus and inspiration
in the last few years of the seventies was
the display of China and Japan at the cen-
tennlal- Everywhere in the current litera-
ture following 1876 is the wonder and de-
light expressed at this revelation of their
art. and the prophecy, so surely fulfilled
OF the enlightener 1t would prove to this
country. As write L look now and then
at large Japanese jar with handles in
the shape of elephants heads which with
its mate. has been a constant pleasure
since l bought it in the japanese bazaar
at Philadelphia in 1876. Goods were deIiy-
cred Immediately that were bought at this
charming little place. and with the i'm
patience Of youth that was a very desira-
bic condition. Ny hosts carriage was wait
Ing at the entrance of the grounds, and q
small boy was engaged to carry the large
and heavy jars to the gate. When, with
the boy In tow, our party entered the main
building to amuse ourselves on the way
lowed to leave that building II they were
brought In. Not desiring to trust the vase
bearer to go his way alone, L went with
him and walked outside while the others
went through the long building.
An Art Pilgrimage.
I had heard the figures of it's length
three times as long as the Capitol; and as
puuseu aions Win very little 10 interest
or distract the distance was fully realized
the vases were safe and for all
these years they and the various other
souvenirs gotten at that time have been
pleasure givers.
This all seems ancient history perhaps
but these comparisons are what make us
realize our wonderful growth and develop
ment, and are wholesome and useful at
times as well as interesting.
Caviar.