The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-04


pipe wfilc IT would be "a. their IN
terest--and is their dlity--to practice
economy. Their luxury ana theft love
OF Il are a private misery and q public
danger.
Now for the useful luxury 4sS4
Wa wish to explain ourselves now on
tho aesthetic side OF tho question. OH,
very modestly, and without stepping on
the ground belonging TO the specialists.
simplicity and beauty as two rivals. But
simple Is not synonymous with ugly. no
more than luxurious, overweightcd,
sought for. and costly, IL tho synonym.
OF beautiful. Our eyes are wounded
by tho brilliant spectacle OF striking
beauty. dressed in vulgar taste; OF a
yo,,al art, or a luxury, without grace or
nnd. Richness allied with bad tahte
often makes us regret that they have
| 40 mitch money to bring forth a prodigt-
Gus quantity Of works of low class. Our
contemporary art suffers from n lack OF
simplicity, az well AS our literature: too
many ornaments added, flourshcs turn
Cd, and imaginauons tormented Rarely
IN the lines. the forms or the colors is
|
| llicity allied 10 perfection. which i'm
loses itself on tho sight as evidence l1n-
ixses on the mind We need to battle
! ourselves again III the ideal purity OF
/ the immortal beatty which puts Its sig
net on the great works, and one sole ray,
| Of which values more than all the pom
louS exhibitions.
However that wl,ics, we have mort
at heart here is to speak u the ordinary
aesthetics Of life, Of the caro- which We
should put into the oriihnentation OF
| our habitattons and ourselves. to give
to existence that lustre without which,
It has no charm. For It Is not indifs
fercnt that man has or has not care
for this necessary superfluostty. That
! Is what wc meet II he puts soul Into
! his life. Far from considering az a
useless preoccupatton that which causes
us TO emoellish, care for, ideaAze. u think
that we should entertain 1t Ms far AZ
| possible Nature itself gives us the cx.
ample, and the man who Affects to de.
spise this fragile ray 81 beauty, with
! whicl, we ornament our rapid days, will
| be setting aside tho Intentions OF Him
who put the same care and the same
! love to, pain the ephemeral flower that
| He gave to tho enterna mountain.
But we must not fall into the gross
L
beauty with that which has but the
namc The oeauty and the poetry OF
existence hold the sense we give them.
Our houses, our table. and our toilet
should translate our Intentions. To put
those Intentions in them we must first
have them. He who possesses them
| Knows howSto display them by the most
! simple means. One does not need wealth
| to give grace and charm to ones ilabl;-
| tation and costumes. It ist enough for,
| that TO have taste and kindness. We
| touch here very important point for.
each person. but which. perhaps I'll
Interest women In i O. greater measure
that 1t will men. IS 4
Those who wish to see women dress
themselves in coarse material, to wrap
their bodies in vestments whose fiat uni-
! formity reminds US OF bags. do violence
to their most sacred nature and COM
nletely misconstrue the spirit OF things.
| II garments were intended only ns pro
Election against cold or wet. aSwrapplng-
| cloth OF an animals skin would gu titce
But 1t means much more than that.
Man puts his full self into all ne does !:
lie transforms the things OF which he
serves himself Into slgns. Costume Is
not a simple covering; It ia symbol.
1t aBtests that in the richness Of the
| lowery national and provincial costumes.
| and those worn by men OF our ancient
corporations. Dress, also. has something
| to tell us. The more 1t contains OF
the senses the moro valuable It Is. That
LIT may be really beautiful 1t must an
nouncc good things--t personal and
true. Put all! the money In the world
on such a one--lf there Is such one
4 without affinity with the one who wears
LIT 8she Is but a mask and an extraordi-
$narily ridiculous bundle. The excess OF
| the mode, in causing the feminine person
1 to completely disappear under her purely
conventional ornaments detracts from
llher principal attraction 1t results that
/ this abuse OF many things which women
KIND pretty wrong their beauty as much
4 as the purses OF their. husbands and
4 pare3, ts IA Ri
What would you say Sof q young girl
I who to express her thoughts, used me
most carefully chosen terms. exquisite
even. but repeated $textually from man
this borrowed language have for you!
Tho effect I OF toilettes, well made IN
l themselves, but which arc seen on every
4 body else, is exactly the same.
) do not resist the temptation OF citing
/, here q passage from Camille Lcmonnier
who supports my idea: rs,
Mature has put a charming art IN
/ the fingers OF woman, which she knows
i by instinct. and which Is all her own,
i as silk Is to the worm. or lace to the
agile and clever spider She is the
4 poet, tho artist OF her grace and her
candor;g Sshe Is tho spinner. OF the mys-
terry In which her taste OF pleasing IS
dressed All the talent which she puts
A TO hcr desire to resemble man In the
other arts will newer be as vnluable AS the
/ Wit and treasure IN tho scrap OF stuff
4 which she makes for herself,
Very well; Itwisll that that partlc'l-
4 lar art We're otherwise honored. AS edu-
4 cation consists IN thinking with ones
A mind IN feeling With ones heart, in ex-
4 planning the little personal things, the
Intimate self latent. but which. on the
contrary, they turn back or level In view
OF conformity,ssjI would that the young
\ woman apprentices the mother OF the
iltfut,1re should be earlytt the little aesthetic