. The new New York : a commentary on the place and the people . its ghtter, insists uponbeing seen. It is a museum. Fine as its contents maybe (and many of the individual things are superb), theirbringing together, their unrelated and discordant huddlingin an inappropriate living room, in an unsympathetichousehold, in an absolutely foreign land, is a barbarity, —an imitated barbarity at that. When the ancients plun-dered from others, it was generally to fill a gap, to supplyporphyry or marble or bronze where they had none of theirown; but there is no such excuse for the Americans, Wehave abund
. The new New York : a commentary on the place and the people . its ghtter, insists uponbeing seen. It is a museum. Fine as its contents maybe (and many of the individual things are superb), theirbringing together, their unrelated and discordant huddlingin an inappropriate living room, in an unsympathetichousehold, in an absolutely foreign land, is a barbarity, —an imitated barbarity at that. When the ancients plun-dered from others, it was generally to fill a gap, to supplyporphyry or marble or bronze where they had none of theirown; but there is no such excuse for the Americans, Wehave abundant native materials at our feet, but we eitherdiscard them because they are familiar, as stupid peopleignore field flowers, or we despise them because they arenot old. The Hbrary — I am still speaking of the interior of thefashionable house — is several degrees better than thedrawing-room, in that it has fewer things in it. The booksare usually superb in every way — nice editions, nice bind-ings, nicely placed on the shelves, nicely glassed, — but. HOMES AND HOUSES 231 seldom read. The chairs are large and comfortable, thetables neatly layered with the latest magazines, the wallscovered with engravings or pictures. Of course, there areOriental rugs, Pompeian bronzes, and Greek vases scatteredabout, just to encourage a classic spirit. It makes a goodroom to show off to ones new friends while smoking afterdinner. It intimates a taste on the part of its possessorfor loftier things than are furnished by the world, the flesh,and the Street. But, unfortunately, it pretends tomore than it fulfills. Possibly the dining room is the most useful room inthe whole house, aside from the kitchen. It is usuallycommodious, convenient, and appropriate. Dinners oc-casionally are given for ten or maybe twenty guests, andnight after night there are perhaps two or three intimatefriends at the table. Spindle-legged furniture of greatage and decrepitude would not answer for constant
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