Evening star., 1925-07-10
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

for the President of the United States
is. in all probability, settled forever"
That restoration was made under
the direction of Mckim, the leading
architect of his day. Mr.. McKim de-
ferred, naturally, to the first lady of
the land. Mrs. Roosevelt. who was
TO the manner born" and according
to a member of the Fine Arts Com
mission, was more familiar with
standards of taste than any other oc-
cupant of the White House in the
history of the country"
1t is charged by critics that the
state dining room is marred by many
Rooseveltfan heads of animals he had
met-including that of bull moose
and that it resembles a museum. Also
that the Presidents bedroom and Mrs
Coolidge's room are spoiled by massive
rococo cornices over the windows "If
IL was so, II were q grievous fault"
which the new committee of dis
tinguished artists will aid Col Sheriff.
superintendent of public buildings and
parks. in eliminating. Also, the colors
of the red room, the blue room and
the green room are too vivid: they
VIII be toned down, as present decora-
tive tendencies turn toward pastel
tints. No actual details of any general
scheme have yet been worked out, for
all plans must be submitted to the
general committee next October.
In general. it is hoped by the ex.
perts to restore the furnishings TO the
style in vogue about 1900, so that they
VIII be In keeping with the archi-
lecture of the building, and with the
historic traditions of early America.
That, too, was the thought in 1902
PnneauAIf
maQe at a cost for repairs and re-
furnishing of $475,445 The official re-
port of the architects stated:
The first aim, therefore. was to
discover the design and intention of
the original builders and to adhere
strictly thereto so far as the public or
state portions of the house were con-
cerned, and then to make the apart
ments reserved for the private or
family uses comfortable, according to
modern requirements and standards" !"
X
A member of the Fine Arts Com
mission says: 1T would certainly be
the acme of foolhardiness for any one
to attempt to define what must be
the eternal principle Of beauty,
whether in furniture, in paintings or
In architecture, but few would dispute
that suitableness for the purpose in
tended is q prime test. An Eskimo's
lgloo would not be good architecture
in Panama, nor Victorian cottage,
with its whirligigs, accepted as a
substitute for the Parthenon in
Greece
Pompous Roman style without mod
ern baths might not please a mod
ern mistress of the White House. In
the century and quarter since the
White House was first furnished.
what changes have come in taste,
Are all to be condemned which are
not early American?" AS time goes
on. will there be no worthy sue
cessors to the styles which now bring
scorn but which in their times were
lauded? In the garrets of Time are
the Victorian and the mission relics.
No one would dust them off today,
but how old must a period be before
it becomes classically "antique?"
Within 25 years after the Declara-
ton of independence American cab.
met makers had evolved an excellent
style of furniture, so that even that
great protectionist, Alexander Ham
ilton, told Congress that our cabinet
work was equal to any in England
and needed no protective tariff. Did
American genius petrify a century
ago, so that only what was accepted
in 1900 is worthy today? Is Amer
ican art dead?
These are not Idle questions, but