The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-21
fcopyrisht by W. NJ. Butteraeld.I l

tCopyright by W. M. Butterheld1
 What are you going to do with that plum der from the land of the tea box and the cor ner laundryman, Jenkins? You must have lot of 1t. You have been collecting that sort of stun for years haven't you?"
 "There Is q good deal of 1t, and have a well defined plan for It's use; although admit that at first I collected it merely to satisfy a whim. It has become a passio7 now. l propose building a cottage on the Jersey Coast. It may result in Chinese puzzle bat l do not know why pnzzle of this sort would not be acceptable. We have Italian, Dutch, French, English, colonial and various other kinds; one might as well have q conundrum from the haunt of the mandarin as from the shadows of Fontainebleau.
 "It will be novel, but are you sure 1t will not attract too much attention, be outre, af- fected and all fhatr'
 Tt may be that and more; I trust that It may. One builds home to satisfy personal desires, or, as you have hinted, afeetations. One can, of course, subsst within the bare walls of a hut. Decorations and things beau tiful are not directly necessary to sustain life, and ones desires for these thtngs-in a sense unnecessary-may be called anecfa- tion: vet the indirect influence upon mankind in the qualification of these desires is called civilization. One tries, also, to differ from others in the choice of style and design. II he succeeds the result may be termed outre; yet this term does not frighten; 1t Is, rather, interesting. The chief motive of the pros pective builder is to attract attention. If a building that Is strange or novel will do this so much the better"
 But, my dear chap, the Chinese is so overloaded with ornament Architects are telling us that we should curtail our desires in that direction, maintain the simple and severe lines rather than the hligree of orna- ment"
 .'To be sure, there are self-appointed re- formers in the profession of architecture. Some lean toward simplicity, while others go in for ornamental extremes, both believing that each Is the advocate ot the correct Ill his line. There can be judgment and taste shown in either direction, as the experienced architect is aware. He does not overload with ornament the structure that, either through limitations of cost or purpose, does not require 1t or upon which 1t would look out of place. Yet the extreme purist cannot deny that the building of large cost and of certain character may have the 'hligree of ornament Time has proved that there cannot be too much ornament when it Is properly used. Taste will dictate when it's use should be curtailed. If you look at the drawing, or elevation, that l have had prepared tor the cottage you will see a structure not unlike buildings common in various parts of our country, yet it is almost an exact copy of one of the gate towers at Ping Tang. The double roofs, with thin tiles and beams, have been modernized so that the cost of construction will sbe moderate. A chimney has been added with a roof-cov- cred ornament at the top wide porch Is also feature not found III the original. Al though Chinese taste is shown in the deco rations, so far as limited purse and mod ern requirements will permit, yet you can not say that the house Is overloaded with ornament.
 NO, there is not much evidence of over- loading here. It is quite a logical and req T. sonable proposition In fact, rather like 1t --cool, summery and promising of good re- suits within. But Is 1t going to be expen- sIvef'
 sThere you go, the calculating spirit of the day. How can art thrive in such an atmosphere? But I will satisfy your mer- cenary cravings. The cost of the building will not be above $3,J00, not including the carving and decorations upon the walls of the Interior. This work will be done by the day, and will cost probably $1,0O0 more. I have not taken the advice of Huskin. 1 shall have to admit, aud some things are not what they seem. For instance, the carving upon the walls will be of plaster, coIored to represent wood. In some cases, as you know, I have the genuine Chinese carving the grilled archway from near the Kiu-Cha River, the lacquered arch from Tung- Cho These shall use, of course, reproducing in plaster others to go with them These arches, by the way, cost the magnificent sum of $50 last winter at one of the sales of temple ornaments held In Fifth avenue"
 You have the knack of discovering that sort of bargain and 1t looks as though you gre going to turn 1t to practical use. 1 am