The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-30
An Engiishman's Home on IN,
southern slope OF Ftcsoic.


adequately, as to attitude, manner and
substance. Our VIA ~ tdip by J
Lucas tDufleld and Company: II
love old things because they
are beautiful. Ugly things. however
ancient. give me no pleasure but beau
tiful old things ravish the eye. The
kindly hand Of time. passing over them.
gently smooths away asperities OF sur
face. adds luminous tone to the color.
and stamps upon their appearance dis.
tlnCtion and charm. New
things are crude and characterless
things. however elegant and costly
they he They have no soul
or sent:men, N them. Oh
things consecrated through
sUccessional generations 10y use and life
and 10Y. come into oar
homes venerable with silent memories
! eloquent with ancient and untold tales,
and they INK rs up with much that IS
! historical and splendid In the robust
days ~ old"
Afec'ation; IN ~ honest self-revela-
ton not unplcasUrable. What does q
need but little IT the Inevitable nd
vance q. the clock hands 20 turn this
present. by Implication repulsively com.
monplace and prosaic, into a romantic
past? And how could the robust days
! ~ old" ever have been a time robust
enough 10 provide memorials for the
\ amusement 81 the gentle spirited anti.
quar!an had his artificial view then
| universally prevailed? But tho tour
| lists mental reservations IN favor Of
| the living present from which he volun.
! tarily withdraws for the moment and
for sake OF cultural edihcation make
sided view Of his specialist guide in the
sentimental pilgrimage. The author,
praiscr Of time past in ungracious com
parison with time passing. has "A hobby
and the leisure and means to indulge
! II: n passion for Italian airs and skies
,but the wines Of France) and for
ancient Tuscan art. pursued with limo.
cent indivisibility OF devotion and a
sound appreciation OF the beauty tina,
is in simple severity OF line and correct
proportion.
House hunting II house hunting the
world over, ever since cave dwelling
DAYS. and getting settled" mas the
same delightful vicissitudes in the sub
| urbs OF Gotham as In those NJ Flor
cnce The view OF the Val a. Arno,
with the city Of the Florentines set
among her hills like Madonna"
| Guelph or GhibellineD in its frame,
G.otto's campanie and Brunelleschfs
dome rising from n plain OF red roofs
with outskirts Of garshly overdressed
Ventesimocento architecture, and further
up the hillside the Villa Medici
with Dantes villa near by and the
Boccaccian garden not far away; the
music Of the Italian sunlight and the
audible sunlight OF the cathedral chime
music and the early manufactured
memories" of a quattrocento Tuscan
lyilla. style Of rchitecture-Domes
tic: not even these romantic surround
ings and wholly unexpected ease and
freedom from tax in getting the furni.
ture through the customs could have
quite wiped out the sting Of incon-
vcnience in operating modern conven.
fences: I'VE applied to continue the
telephone which the previous tenant
used fee Of As lire was extracted
from us for transferring our name 10
the Company's register in place of the
late tenants" An American expe-
rlence; and. with the gap bridging
statement. The ridiculous occasionally
happens in Italy and elsewhere" un.
uuestionably sufficient introduction for
the Immediately appended anecdote Of
! Il PHEASANT, IdAN @Niil'l lNhHs sHl'Fil
lively baldheaded, who. aboard the
steamer Republic when she sank, met
| IN the dining room Of the stricken yes
so" lady sitting on the table, motion,
!,es and dazed clad only in a night
Gown, with hair flowing down heI
back and her legs hanging loosely like
a bathers" sir" the lady asked
can YOU give me a halrpn'" Mad
nm" the American replied, CALAMITY
taking off his cap do l look like q
/ person who uses hairpins?' Precisely
ma this para graph is the l.ucasian pag'
. .,mpoundcd. Giotto the telephone AM
, .ac tragi-ridiculous hairpin.
| FURNISHINGS for the house were ac
, | rumulatcd during the thirty months
D that the new owners had Ia wait 70
...r expiration Of an old lease takei
J. ,.r. and the guiding principle Of th'
. .~ pursuit was the wise but not in
ncvihly applied dictum that an ole
, tuscan villa called for hlllng of ole
Tuscan furniture, The guiding prin
! .ple had 10 me modified. softened, so q
as. in the case of stately cassapanci
:, which lent dignity to the honey hall
= This is a quaint, commodious Tuscan
. ! !syice. A settee about nine feet long
Z | somethnc over two feet deep in TIM
. scat. with panclled back and heaN!
+ sides. tho panelllng being continued
70 ru. hoirh, in place IF arms, The sed
10 : lid, which, lifted opens deep
:. 'apacious chest; such an awkward con
( | vcnience as enCloses chunks Of spac
g n space poor modern city apartments
$ The unCompromlsing hardness OF II
=. scat has been tempered with moder'
upholstery. In the old days ownership
o { a cassapanca, massive, richly carved
n was a certificate of responsibility an,
Y a passport through the guarded gate D
/. tradesmen's credit" This one was &C
=. uuircd through the usual antique sho
d sparring Of chatter. The want bein
/. made known. news OF it filtered throug
a the trade The first price asked wa
n | . 500 lire; roo bid, Allowance OF day
II for proprietary rumination. Circt
Q itously reported offer 10000 lire will
e considered, No notice taken. Later