Evening star., 1926-01-21
THE NORTH WINDOW
By Leila Mechiin.

, Never, perhaps. in The hist ory of the
+ world has there been a time VIXEN
, more beautiful things we're produced
: for common use than now. This
! thought was engendered largely by
what was to be seen last week in the
! shop windows in limited area Of
New York's mercantile district. or
, course, New York IS famous for it's
| shop window display, an art which has
been developed in our great Ameri-
| can metropolis to an extra ordinary eX-
| tent. Obviously anything looks bet
| ter when 1t Is well shown, but it was
| not the manner of showing but the
! objects themselves which awakened
| admiration and demonstrated to what
/ extent tn. taste or American buyerS
| has been cultivated.
! Take. FOR example, the little hops,
! those which restrict their opera tons
! within q limited area. What really
! choice and beautiful ,yorka they set
! forih--works compare BILE in interest
! and artistic quality with those which
have found place already in some vi
our museums. Thi. may seem an ex.
J IRENE statement, but let those = hn
! doubt see ror themselves. II Is worth
| the trip.
I The Boston Sociefy Of ArlS ard
/ RATS conducts u &alesroom on West
, flity-SiHth street, New York and
| therein sets forth q remark rkable dis.
F; ola y OF beautiful American pottery:
! dlSplaY 20 varied and so fine thai
! those who have not followed closely
! the development OF this craft will find
| II exceedingly surprising. Here too
IS to be seen silver, ha ndmade, beau
| uiul In design, fine in workma n hip
4 n c fna
yer produced by the early American n
craftsmen now on exhibition in our
! National Nusuem. Here also, one
linds handwrouSht ieweIrv by Am.ri
'hh craftsmen, wing in beauty OF de.
| :lSn and workma nship with the finest
that has ever been made. or course
the Arts and Crafts Society ests blishcs
lhd demands an artistic standard bui
his Is only Z beginning.
Pass up and down the crcs~.,rraeIr
IN this rcl-hborhood and note The
| beautiful pieces of furniture in some
"i the little shops -cheirs lovely ir dc.
nlSn ana other piece or furniture de.
signed Tor household use. Not all are
new; some undoubtedly are so-caIIe,3
antiques, others reproductions OF rn,
old examples. But II there were not
q demand tor them they would not he
there; apparently the public prefer
what Is good, what Is beautiful.
And, a. every one knoyvs, the fabric.
! Nhlch are woven TO-DAY, many in ,his
country. compare tavorably with rhoss
beautiful weA vInga of tn, Italian r,
nalssa nee. Never have richer or love.
Her fabrics for drdperies, furniture
coverings and women's gowns be- ~
ohtEnable. These are not limitations
or the old. but produced in modern
design in the spirit OF our own time
ana with that richness of color yvhic h
l. Characteristic or tudav
TAX. also, tableware What won.
derful china Is now obtdina ble ho~
dIherenuy our tables are set from
what they we're 80 wears ago: how
much more colorfui and interesting
And all this in spite " AUTOMOBILES
of movies, Of the radio. Who shall ~
Una art has no place in modern life?
Frank Alvah Parsons, president OF
the New York School of Fine and An.
pied Arts and chairman Of commit
tee on art OF the National Congress OF
PARENTS and Teachers. has lately is
SUED little pamphlet on Art E,du-
cation and Life" which happily IS to
nave wide circulation. In il he strAsc,e
the Importance OF developing early in
the mind Of the child a love of beauty.
and urges thar this be done through
environment in the home Environ.
ment Is. he Says. the strongest arc
most perS!stept of an teachers II is
IN the hom@ thai the Child's rlrSt con
scious sense of beauty and of fitness
appears. Eariy impressions are tbs
most vivid. the clsarest and AT the
same umc the most difficult 10 dis
place. He stresses the fact. also. that
an artistic environment Gees not in
Nolve questions of large expense.
'often. hs explains. the most COSTLY.
things are the least likely to he tit for
use. Finally he makes an appeal 70
every parent and teacher concerned
for the needs and rights of America n
bows and girls to visualize what arr
really Is then concentrate on II and
, rs relation with real life" in ord
that the art quality will hccom. uni,
: VerSallY recognized. respected nr0.
duc1d and enjo"ed throughout our ia il
ID nd. .
In this connection il was interesting
To md. III = recent number OF the
Nrchitectural Forum. an article by
u. r. Hamlin professor Of architecture
AT tolumhia University, on THE Edu.
catlonai influence OF Collegiate .4rchi.
lecture. The average American col
lsoo student" he sayS. "is prNha hl,.
somewhat opaque 10 the penetration
of the raNs of purely esthetic in.
huonCe; he is generally sadly ignorant
or both the history and the technic OF
the hne arts: he is a Good deal Of q
Fhilistine. but that he is imporvIous
To every csthetic influence ! 90 not
believe. Consciously or unconsciouslv.
he reacts to his environment" This
is more than supposition. When Co.
lum5ia University moved from its
| picturesque but crampad home in
Anglo-Gothic brick buildings on Forty.
ninth street to its present site front.
ing on One Hundred and Sixteenth
street. Prof. Hamln prophesied thai
, the architectural beauty of the new
? buildings would have its effect on the
conduct OF the student body. II think
my expectations have been justified >
he saws, for there has been marvel
ously little OF the vulgar disfiguremen,
of interiors, of roWoyism within ths
walls. such as one too often hears oil
| in colleges housed in ugly and shabby
buildings"
He cites also an instance where ar
American boy went back TO England
To fight in the Great War with the
, British Army before the United States
; entered the wal for love of Eton.
where he had been educated. How
: much of this love, Prof. Hamlir
5 ventures TO ask. was derived from
, those fine old cloisters and the beau
[ tiful college chapel, the environment,
of art which Eton provides?
Here are two educators of widely
divergent experience in completely diff
] ferent fields. both agreed upon the
! benefiCent effect that art will hav,
: through environment, in the develop
l ment or character in everyday life.
X X X
, This idea can be developed still
-, further. The matter does not end ir