The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-14
VASE of porcelain. q Q

~ Japaness bEGnzs' s;+ rare - silk hIs
that belonged to some remote ancestor,
may at first sight seem slight material on !
which to build up household interior,
says writer in American Homes and
Gardens; yet, as a matter OF TACT, each
one of these things could very we'll be
taken as the starting poInt on which |
very beautiful rooms may be arranged. |
Comfort is, no doubt, the first tnallty to |
2 be considered in room; but 1t must
also be beautiful, or it Will fall far short |
of being all that it might be and all
that it ought to be. ..
AS everything within =, room helps in |
the finality Of effect, it is apparent that
the ornaments and decorative objects
have a part to perform chat is quite as
real, and sometimes quite as important,
out which every room would be unusa-
BILE. In popular sense, no doubt, the
word ornament implies something that
is not useful, something we can get
along without, something that is not
needed, something that is purely I'M
necessary. In a literal sense, and from
the standpoint of the home maker, moth
ing inside the house is without use,
nothing Of SO slight a value that its
presence is simply tolerated with an
affected disregard of it's presence.
Ornaments, however, have. their use,
and very real use, in the house, and
that is to add to the beauty of the in
terror. It is an unfortunate chance that
gives to most new householders a very
miscellaneous collection of ornaments
acquired as wedding gifts. Well meant
as many of these offerings are, they are
chosen, in most cases, without the slight
est regard to their future location or
utilization. Terrible as it is to think Of
many of these objects, it Is much more
RI hay Rnf the OntlOOk
is by no means so dark as 1t once was.
The standards of good taste have risen
markedly in America in the last twenty
five years, and the movement is still up
ward. The opportunities to purchase
ugly ornaments-as if an ornament
no longer so numerous as formerly. Bet
ter things are made and more of them.
The individual maker, who is often an
artist in quite true sense, has entered
the field of commerce, and many beautl-
full and artistic ornamental objects can
now be purchased almost everywhere.
The acquired ornaments Of the home
are the direct manifestations Of the
owners taste, and show, in thoroly
unmistakable way, how far one has pro-
crossed in personal art culture. Per
haps this aspect of ornaments is seldom
thought of, and perhaps it is of no spe-
cial value; for the whole home is a
home that contains ugly furniture and
unsatisfactory curtains will not be re-
deemed by beautiful vase or an ex
-euisiteIy turned candlestiek, admirable
as each may be.
The lesser arts are entering the home
more and more each day. The personal
note of the individual craftsman-the
many objects which, not long since,
could only be obtained in factory-made
form or not at all. But only begin
ming has been made, and vulgar art
still fourishes amazingly. The prices
of individual or exclusive designs, as
they are sometimes called, is high, for
the labor expended in their production
is costly and the markets are somewhat
restricted.
Glass, pottery and metal, TO name
the materials Of which ornamental OBJ
jects are chiefly made, are much more
used in the house than formerly. Ah'j
not only are they more used, but they
are used in better way, with more
Intelligence and in more artistic forms
1t is good sign Of the broadening in
fluence of art that this is 50. And It i.
a good sign that many people now ap
preciate and treasure such objects that
not long since, scarcely knew them BY
name.
With this Increased use comes great
er responsibility. It is not sufficien
simply to have objects; one must know
how TO use them and get the best from
them. The arrangement of Ornamental
objects. is quite as important as thei
possession, perhaps more SO; for tn
most beautiful object loses much of it
value IT 1t is improperly disposed, O
So placed that its fullest value is no
given to the room in which it stands.
- Over-crowding with ornaments is a,
atrocity that should be avoided at al
costs. Too many ornaments is distinct
ly worse than none at all. No orna
ments show want Of taste, failure t
realize to the. utmost the possibility O
room decoration, and an Ignorance O
the refinements of life. Too many OF
naments show lack of proportion an,
amount to vulgar overlooking of tn
rooms, which is even more dishearten
ing than none at all. Of few things
It .truer than that too much of a 600
thing may be bad. S0o