The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-01-21
II Bit of france
and French /:
BY Mrs. Byrd Trego.

Here is another chapter about the
French and Americans in France,
written especially for our enlight-
ment, by Fremont Kutnewsky, in
France:
December Is, 1918.
You are interested in architecture.
guess all home builders are. In
French village architecture one al
ways seen influences of the past.
Homes are built with square white
blocks of stone, with wide strong
fronts. The doors they use are not
such frail affairs as we see in Amer
lea, and the doors here are generally
locked tight when not being used.
All the homes and buildings of viii
lage are built flush with the neigh
bors on either hand, so that you can
not get into back yards by going
around"as at home. You must enter
and go thru the house or passage
way. Those gardens and backwards
are private, tho; rather part of the
home.
1.-THE houses are all white, dull
white, almost cream, and exposed
corners take on a black stain with
age which emphasizes their contour.
They have long high windows and
many fittings up and down. Every
one has little balcony on tie second
story, upon which the home folks
appear Of sunny afternoon, or to
watch procession; at other times
the balcony bears bedding and rugs.
Every window has it's heavy wood
shutter. At night the shutters and
doors absolutely seal up the family
within, and as you stumble along
over the uneven cobble-stones in
pitchy blackness the only signs of
habitatiOn are occasional upstairs
windows showing light, or air holes
in the shutters that let out shafts
of light. 1t feels just exactly like
cropping ones way thru one of those
narrow box canyons In Arizona.
Every now and then you come square
against the end of the street, where
a TT is formed and you must turn
abruptly to right or left. 1t is easy
to get lost in these passages on a
moonless night. have often been
reminded of the days when bold, bad
cavaliers clattered thru dark little
byways, perhaps after ribald time
at some cafe, singing and shouting
and pounding on doors with sword
butts. No wonder 1t is still custom
here to withdraw into the home after
dark and bolt up the shutters.
Another thing-the compactness
Of the way they build up villages
make them small. There is no divis-
ion between business and private
sections. The French can't imagine
how 1t would be to have private
yard about ones home in a city. That
would assuredly be nothing more or
less than q city of chateaux. They
always think of our skyscrapers
when America is talked Of To them
we are nation of rich folks living
in ten-storied dwellings.
Another thing over here that is
different from our squat bungalow
idea of a home; the French build up
wards to enlarge their homes. Many
size and have three stores. They are.
not necessarily square, but are
shaped to conform to some feature
of the location, as an angle of the
street or turn of the road. / have
seen several country houses with
three sides squared and the fourth
askew so as to make one corner
shape. Nearly all small buildings
appear to be larger at the base than
at the top. They have leaning air,
not SO clean cut as American houses,
but much more human.
The roofs excite my admiration.
All shingles are slabs of slate, dark
gray, nailed on apparently. Constant
rains encourage moss to grow In
shadowy places along the roofs, be-
hind chimney, in globe corner,
on the north side. There is no angu-
lar rightly to French roofs They
sway here, bend there, extend bit
farther at one point than others I'M
till they seem to have been nodded
That is why artists like to sketch
french houses; no need of ruler
to lay the principal lines of roof and
wall.
!. And the chimneys are of charm
ing variety. In one detail they are
alike, in color, which is brick red.
The smoke is vented not by square
oles in the chimney proper, but by
round, red, earthen-ware tiles, of
many sizes and shapes, always taper
ing to the point. Very often two or
three Of these little vents serve one
chimney, SO when you look out over
city forest of those quaint red
: chimney-tops is the first impression
you get-a rather pleasing relief
i. when you expect nothing but endless
, rows of straight roofs and square
: chimneys.
j Further, speaking of roofs, it is
French to build many little gables,
which project out in a thousand vari-
Gus fashions; each one seems suit
able to its particular part of its par
: ticular roof. The French are great
: folks to have attics under their roofs.
. Down town some of the buildings are
four or five stories high, lodging
houses and hotels, mostly. 1 have
climbed up by winding little stair
ways into several apartments, and it
: seems that each series of apartments
, has Its own stair. At each landing
is door, only one. These landings
, have tiled flooring. Ut always seems