The Craftsman - 1904 - 01 - January

7/27/2019 The Craftsman - 1904 - 01 - January

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THEREADERMAGAZINEIS PUBLISHING A SERIES OF COVER PORTRAITS OF AUTHORS BYJ OHN CECIL CLAY -

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BEACON CmIa~sOE, HISTOWMirabeau. Bonaparte, Mme. de Stael, Burke, Washington, Scott, Carlyle?Lincoln, Dar-win, Wagner, Ruskin, every modern leader in politics, war, diplomacy, science, music, lettersand art ; Richelieu, Milton, Mme. de hlaintenon and contemporaries of the Age of Kings ;Shakespeare, Luther, Columbus, Joan of Arc, Dante and other history-makers of the Refor-mation ; Thomas Becket, Heloise, Charlemagne, Mohammed and others pre-eminent in theFeudal and Dark Ages ; Leo, Constantine, St. Paul and other leaders just following the birthof Christ, as well as Cleopatra, Caesar, Solomon, Moses, Confucius, Buddha, Zoroaster andother historical characters of the six centuries before Christ are fascinatingly portrayed,analyzed, pictured, each in proper environment, in this greatest of historical biographies.,To extraordinary research, unsurpassed accuracy

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SptniJi pric*st of great eloqucn~c, intensefervor, missioniq zeal and gcncral cap-bility.

Illc cs~wlition for t,lic cliristianizing andcolonizing of (aliforuia hct out by both landand sea in various tlirisiows. lhree vcssc!lssailetl rc~pcctivcly on .J:~nuar~ 9, Vcbrunry15, and June 16, 1769, only two of whichr~:wlic~tl their d~~htination ; tlic third beinglost Zllld llCVc1 :L@iIl IIcillYl f1.0111. Two landespcditions started, in one of which wasSerrile WllO. altliougli auffwing terriblyfro1t1 CL11 lII CCrtltCd Icy+ pwsistc~tl in walking2111 1 .c vav.

On July 1, 1769, Serra reached Sanlhgo, and on the 16th of the same monthfounded tlic niissioii of that name. Then,in as rapid succession as possible, the otherui1ssions \\-c1.c cstahlislicd, the Indiansbrought under ~onfr01; and tlic active workof cliristianizing tlicni was begun.

llic picture is a fascinating one. Aht~lldful of priCsts,llillllpcrCfl by long gowns,in a far away, strange land, surrounded byii v:iqt popi~I:ttion of ;tboriginc5 neither aswild :lIltl fC~.OCiOllS, nor X5 tlllli illltl stupid asvarious writors 11ave dwxibcd them, yetIIl ilVO. CWllI;~gC10llS, liberty-loving and self-willed enwgli to render their subjugation adifficult illat trr. With a courage that wassiiblimc in its wry boldness, and which, bct-tcr tlim teii tlw1s:mtl vcrhl culogics, sliowstllc sclf-C~lltwd COllfidCIICC aid 1nc11ta1poise of tlw II ~CII, tlris ll:~ndful of priestsgrapphl with their task, brought the vastliordc of untnrnetl Indians under suhjcction,t IYLind tllcnl to systematic work, and, in aftv short pirs, so thoroughly :~ccon~plishedwhat, tlley Ilatl determined, that the AI&ionbuilding was erected by these former sav-

ages, who wtw m:& useful norkcrs in alitrgxf tlirersity of fields.

For tlic t)uiltlinp tlicilisclrc~~ -let tlie pit-t iircs, in tli(i 11lili ll, lll:J icI their Owl esplana-t ion. It, will bc well, lio~~32r, to call att,en-tioii to some distinctive features. iIs arule, tlic Missions were built in the form ofid I~ollo\v square : tlie (:liurcli representingtllc ftl~LtlC9 wit11 tlic priests quarters andtlic 11ouse5 for the Indians foriniiig the\ Vlll&p Thcsc quarters wre generally col-onii~~tltd or cloistc~rcd, nit11 a series of wIlli-circular ar&s, and roofctl wit11 rrd tiles(SW Figure I). Ii i tllc interior was thepatio or court, which often contniucd afountain and a garden. Upon this patioopened all the apartments: those of thefathers and of the nl:~CjOr-dOn~o, and theguest-rooms, as WC!11 as t11e w01-kshops,scliool-rooiiis and storeliousrs.

11~ Iutlians quarters were generally themost scclutlcd parts of the premises. Theyoung girls were separated rigidly fromt Ilc hy and youths ; tlw first named beinguntl~*r the guardianship of staid and trust-wortlry Indian women. The young chargeswcrv taught to w(xw, spin, sew, elnbroider,make bread, cook, and to engnge generallyin donmstic tasks, and were not allowed toIC:LW thc.convcnt until thy married.

I~roin Figure II, showiiig the fapdc oftlw Santa Barbara Mission, a few detailslllay h noted. Here tllc cngagcd columnsfort11 a striking fenturcs, tlitrrc being six oftlicrri, tlrrcr on citlier side of the main en-tr:mce. Jllc capital here msckd is the Ionicv0111tc. The cntnt~hture is somewhat Gre-ciaii, the tlerorntion Iwing :I variant of theGreek fret. The pcdimcnt is simple, withhc~ivy dentals under the cornice. A nichecontaining a statue occupies the center.



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The first .story Of tlw towers is ;L liigll.Pl ain, solid wall with a sinlpl_v moltled cor-nice, coniposed of few, but, llcu\.y and simplemembers. upon whirli wst tlw sccontl andthird stories, cwli rcwding dwut half thethickllcss of tire ~valls IW~OJV. IC:LCII storyis furnisllctl with :L wrllico simil:w to tllc onet,e1ow, X11(1 tllc two upper stories are piercedwith sel11i-c~rc~ lill ;LW~ICS for lolls. Ihe1~11s of the sccoii~I story arc four feet threeinclies iii tliickilcss, and the lower w7lls arcsustaiiicd by iriahsiv(~ hut trcsw?; at tile sides.Both towers arc s1irnio1intotl 1)~ scin-circuhrdomes of IllitSOllr~ constr1ictioi7 wit17 cenlentfinish, :~hovc wllicli rests tlw 1:7ntcrn slir-inountcd by the cross. Illis 12rntcrn ix :Imarked fwtiircs of Xisbion coiistrrlction. Itis seen al~orc tile tloillcs at San 13lltrn:rvcn-trira, Sul T,Iiis Hey, S;ul Xavier do1 J~ILC(Arizona), :I$ well as on one Or two of tllcold cliurclies :It S:ln ,Intonio, TC!XiLS.

Anotllcr Jlishion fc:Ltxr(~ is tlw additionto the pdiiwiit. lliis c0llsists of :l pill+ oftile iii:liii front \r-all ri7iSNl ahOVe tllC pcdi-merit in pulrst:il form, :7ntl tnpcring in sm:xllsteps to tllo c*c>ntcr, 11fml1 wliicli rest5 fl. liIrg?:eiron cross. Il~ix wiis iintloul~tedl~ a simplecontrivance for dFcctivclv siipfwrting andraising tlrc ~tril~lc~n Of Salwtion, in orderthercb,- mow imprcssirc1.v to :ittr:ict, tllcattcntioii of the Inclian l~dioltlcr.

This illustration also show the style ofconnecting tllc priests qilartcrs in the man-ner ?_wforc tlcscrilwtl. Illc~rc is n colonmidcwith fourtccii semi-circul:lr ;xrclws, set hackfrom tlic main f:tq:utc. ant1 tilctl, as are tlicroofs of all the lmiltlings.

The CiHTf111 Obscrvcr ma?_ note anotlwrdistinctive fcaturc wllich is scldon7 :7bscntfrom the JIission domes. 111is is tllc seriesof steps at ClLCll corner of th: linlf dome.

Scvcrd eminent :ucliitects have told me thatthe piirposc Of the steps is 7inkno:vn, butto niy simple, lay mincl it is evident that theywere JIlilcctl tllCrc ~~11rposcly by tllc clericnl:7rcllit(lcts to afford c:rsy :7cccss to tlie s77r-ino71nting cross : so tlmt any aocitlcnt to thissncrccl syn~bol co~lltl lw speedily remedied.It lnrist lw rememl~crcd tllxt the fatlivrs weresliilld iI1 rciding sonic pliases of tlie Tndi:tniriintl. Uwy knew that nn accident to tile(r0S.S niight \VOrl< a colrlplete rcrolution inthe Itlin(ls of the sllperstitious Tndi:uls whoseconversion tlwy sought. ITencc common,pr;1ctic:11 SCllSC clc~lll:LlltlCtl specrly :111d easyiLCC(SS t0 tllC CIWSS iii C:LW SUCll c!lllCrgCIlCy:Ll-OSC.

Eiitirclv tlifYwcnt. yet clearly of tlrr samescl1001, is tile Mission San Gahric~l Arcli-i\llficl. 911~ Mission itself was foundcd inlYS1, hit tlic stone cliiircli lirre pict7iredIVilS IlOt COlll~~lCt~Yl until 1785. In this tilestriking fcat iirc is the C:l~ll~~iUlile, fromwllicll tllc toner at, tllc Glenwood TIotcl, l


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Yrt tllc 1;LtlJcrs JJJotive for its prc-cJic,c: isclew : that is, the JJpliftiJJg Of tlJc: Sigii\vlJ(1c1)? tllc: Ill~IiiLIl~ COUlCl ;llOllc filltl S;Ll\.iL-tion.

Ill tllC f:Ly:Ltie at S:111 Lois tllr~W ill Of tl1C Illililllj~iiltlil1g arc f:twcl wit11 pilaht(iri wliicli support tl1c cori1ice of tlie p(liirient. lklovtllc coriiico illIt :ll)Orc tllcs ~llt;ll~l;ltlllY! is :Lcircular \r.iiiclo\v. lhe Clltill)l~lt1IlY is SUp-prtctl I,\- engxgcd columns, JJpon whichrests a llc:rvily ~Jioltlctl corniw : tllc wllolcforJ)JiJig :L plc:aiJig :Jrcliitcctural effect:hoJJt tlJc tloorwny, tlic scJJii-circular nrcliof wliicli i5 cspcci:dly fine.

It will bc Jioticctl by rcfcrc,Jlcc to FigureI\ that on t11c towrs at s:tnta ~hrlx~r:~tliew is 2~ chiinif~~r at eacli wrncr. At SanI.uis Hry tliis detail is diffcrc~nt, in tliat thech;~Jnfcr is rc~plncc~d IJy nn entire flat siirfncc.The tower t11us l)c(o111(s :LII irregular oct:1-gon, witlJ four grwtcr :mtl foiir lcsscr sides.Tlicse siii:illc~r sides aiihwc~r tlic smic tlccora-tive p~irpos~ as t1w (11:LlllfCr at S:LJJta Bar-h1.:1. llrc~ wJJJc iclca is also worked out ii1t,lJc tloinc, wliicli is not :L lJcJJJisplJerc, hutwlJiclJ prolongs tlrc csaggPJxtc.cl clJnJJJfcr5of tlrv stories hlon-.

IlJ~~r~~ s little tloul)t that tlic originaltlcsipi prwicktl for :i secontl toI\ cr to I)ccwctc~d at S:in I,ilis liey, vnitornr wit11 tlwmisting enc.

ornniiieiit for tlie four corners, and thecurvctl pcdiJwJJt please tlJe cyc, and satisfytlw hire for strciigtli aiitl grace. The rearvica-, ligSure 1.1, hliows the Jnassivcness oftlw w:tlls :\Jitl tlic extra rcinforccnient oft11ur1 1,_v 111c:\11sof tile l,llttrcsses.

\\llilo simple aiid cliask, tlic two cl1ilrcEiesOf S:nJ (:trlos Borronico-oiw in the ancient,ton-n of Ilontercy, and the other seven miles;l\Vily iii 121 C:LPIllelO \7;lllCJ-ll;l\-e a peculin1-iiitereht :rncl fasch~tioii, siiwe tlicy were tl1eIlot~lc~-c~l11l~ClleSOf tllc saintly Svrra hiniself.,lt tile Valley cl1urcl1, Kgiirc YII, lovingI\~11~1 (arJJJel0 by tlic neiglJboriJJg people,S


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THE CRAFTSMANIndians under the control of the Missions,at the beginning of this century. To-day,how many are there? I have spent longdays in the differmt JIission localities, ardu-ously searching for Indians, but oftentimesonly to fail of iliy purpose. In and aboutSan l~rancisco, there is not one to be found.nt, San (arlos Borromco, in both Jlontercyand tlie (arniclo Yallcy, except for a fewhalf-breeds, no one of Indian blood can bediscowrctl. It, is the same at San Miguel,S:m Liiis Obispo and Santa Ik~rbara. AtPala, tllat roinatitic cllapel, where once thevisiting priest from San Luis Rcy found acongregation of several hundreds awaitinghis ministrations, the land wits recently pur-chased from white men, by. the United StatesIndian Commission, as a new home for theevictxl Pnlatingna Indians of WiLrllcrSHmcl1. These latter Indians, in recent in-trrvicws with mc, ha\-c pcrt,incntly asked :Where did the white men get tliis land, sothey could sell it to the Govcrniiient for us?Indians lied here many centuries before awhite man had ever seen the land of thesulltlowll SC% When the long gownsfirst came here, there were many Indians atPala. h-ow tlicv are all gone. \vllclY? ?And how do we know that before long weshall not bc driven out, :md h goiw, as tllcywere driven out and are gone?

At San IAllis Rep and San Diego, therearc it few sc:rttercd families;, but rc~r>- fca,and most of these haw fled far back into tlicdesert, or to tllc lliglr nloulltaills. as f


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11c:nor, CIlilStit_V, ilitcsgrity antI ill1 tllc vir-t11c3 ! (:ilZC witll ~ll1lil%(lll~llt ilIl(I clc~liglltllpoil tlrc glorious 11I~~ssillgS collft~rrc~tl iiI11)iltllc JV~Zlli )v tllc StrOllg TIlCC! l~llill1I\ (;Otl.witll lip-liftctl cyw :lll(l Il:llltl, for aI1 tilt,Ill(*lltill allcl SpilvitrlilI pxcw fli:it lwgii~ topour into tlic minds iiid soiils Of the he-iiightccl liwtlicvi, whi tlicv iirr rwiowtlfr01ii tlic lwiiriid~iiig iiifh~iiccs Of siip~rsti-tious :Lncl ignorant (iltll0Iic~islrl. Y(3, iii-tlccd, lclt 11s Slllg p:lC:llls Of ,joyous pl7liSCSfor the pot1 tliiit th :horigiiics now Id1 iiifrw and :11,s01utc mstwy.

;\]I ! liypocritw :intl vile ! How I coultlwihli for tllV pOWcr Of SIliLliS~1OlX 0 iliO\f VOllin your true ligllt. IIon- woilhl 1 pow ii;xni_yOll SUC~ll CIl1S(S i1S SIlOllI~l lll:lkC! tillllC ZLlldiiisipitl tliow which T,:itly Ai1Ilc, Qiiccii JI:ir-Rwt :111tl t1w IhlcIlc~Ss of Iork plYmouncctllipoi1 IlicIi:lrd of Glodcr. l2iCIlilld \VilS 1lOt20 vile a iiiulderfi ) so lYltllIcss 21 tlcsl rover,~10black-llcd~tl :I vilhill, so contclllptillIc :Iplottcr. 50 lll~illl :I l;lVCV Of S11;lICSlS tIl


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iWE CRAFTSMAN

Plate VII. Silver plate attribatrd to Benrenuto Celini: Genoa. Spinola

they see that it must have beenCostly ; but the new art sings astrange melody of which theycannot follow the words. Thisis an excellent type of thework of theRenascence period.In the Sepulchre presented byHenry Second to the Treasuryof the Cathedral of Reims, th$sleeping soldiers are 1gooccavalrymen of the sixteenthcentury, stiffened in theircuirasses, and with facescopied from those of thethrong daily seen by the artist.But in the Farnese casket wehave a Roman soldier, almostnude, who mounts guard as ifhe were about to defend forcenturies the new art conceived349

in the mold of the antique.Once this casket is seen andstudied, there is scarcely needfor us to explain the otherworks of the sixteenth centurywhich we il lustrate here. Theuniformity of the nco-classicstyle is such that, being inpresence of an object of art ofthis time, one scarcely knowswhether one is in France or inItaly.

Sevel-tllclcss, wc prcscnttwo small and quite typicalgroups. One, attributed toJ ohn of Rologna (Plate V.),exists in the Museum of theLouvre. Its subject is thecentaur Scssus carrying awayDejanira. All former collegi-ans know, or should know, thih



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THE CRAFTSMAN

Plate X. Spoons and forks from Popen. Courland;sMeenth centurysmiths art of the present will undertakesimilar works.

An ewer in silver-gilt, embellished withenamels, which was executed at Antwerpand is now preserved in the Museum of theLouvre (Plate IX.), shows a more vigorousstyle, although a somewhat decadent taste.Its decoration is fatiguing because it hasbecome commonplace through famil iarity.

Before passing on to the seventeenthcentury, let us examine some forks andspoons preserved at Popen in Courland(Plate X.). They date from 1567. The344

silversmiths of our time might,perhaps, find it well to adoptcertain models of spoons andforks of the Renascence periodand the Middle Ages, insteadof constantly copying the ser-vices in the Louis XV.- andLouis XVI . styles.

Let us now enter into theseventeenth century, duringwhich the art of the silver-smith was held in high honor ;although there only remains asomewhat restricted number ofthe works of this period: afact for which we shall pres-ently account.

The religious pieces of thisperiod are Without interest.They were still produced, butthe Renascence be an to bear

its fruits. The re igious artwas essentially popular. Aris-tocratic art was restored bythe revival of learning, andbeing restored, it made warupon popular art from the

beginning of the sixteenth century. As aconsequence, there was no longer any relig-ious art. Without doubt, the chapters ofthe churches still ordered the execution ofcrosses and reliquaries. But, taste becameso degenerate that the exquisite works of theMiddle Ages were despised to the degree thatoften an old cross or a shrine was melted,in order to remodel it into a similar objectrepresentative of the taste of the period.But, indeed, there is no longer life in thereligious pie&s. The silversmiths were toomuch occupied in satisfying the tastes of



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PLATE XXV. SILVER VASES PRESERVED AT CASSEL, GERMANY

356



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cncd and most often struck these mastcr-picccs, tllcy continwd to hc made hy theartists with tllc most IavislI cspenditrirc oftalent :und time; doul)tlcss also in that, spiritof hopefulness which espccts to avert for0~s own tlic evils that fall upon otlicrs.

As Al. Schopfcr has shown, the ccclcsias-tical vcsscls were much safer from vandalismthan were the objects of secular use, al-though in moments of necessity, the formeriLlSO pSSCt1 into tllC crucible. But wh!n-cvcr possible, the crosses, altar utensils andrcliqriaries wrc regarded as the holy tlTilS_ures of God and the people, and as suchlvcrc held inriolatc. This fact has prescrvcdto us tlic fine models nhicll still csist in11111111m-, and from which tlic dcsigncrs ofonr own day draw such wlri:tl~lv lessons.But the tradition of thcsc twautiful ob_jcctsseems to hr2vc dcsccndcd mow directly :uidpriwly in the Angliuln than in the Roman(Ilurch ; the taste of the latter having hccncorrupted ty the mcrctricioris style of theciglitccnth century. To accept thcsc mcd-il(vtLl works ILS perfect models of their kindis not to copy scrvilcly. It is no use of deadsvmt~olism, for the (hurch is inimi~t:~t~lc inljrinciplc: thcrcforc its art, as one of itsmost import:& media of expression, mustnot assiimc the clinngcfril fashions of theworld. Christianity was unified in theJIiddlc Ages, and (hristian art then at-tained its highest csprcssion. Thcrcforc,t1wsc aho w0111d to-day prochce successfulol)jccts destined to the service of the (hurclr,must, first master the history, but more cspc-ci;rlly the spirit of the times of t,hc Rcformi~-tion. Such mastery was the secret of the artof Rurnc-Jones, who thcrcfrom attained amysticism which atbncts alike the dcvorlt~and those who, unaffected by the religious

clement, are get senaitivc to symbolism and1H2:wty. From his study of the interiors:111< wccssorics of Flemish clmrchcs, thisartist derived a rich fllncl of m:ltcri:ll uponwhich he drew in creating sonic of his mostsatisfying works ; as for cs:uiiplc, liis twit-mcnt of the Tree of Life, the inspiration forwhich he found in the cnrrcd oaken pulpitsof tlic old guiltl-masters, who tlicmsclvcs tlc-rived the synlhol from the earliest ages ofthe Church.

The practical raluc to designers of s11(*11cs:unplcs of ccclcsiastiwl art as have l)ecLnill[lstratcd hy RI. Schopfcr in the coIlrsc ofllis scrics can scarcely tw over-cstimntcd.lhry arc la-c found in historical, and, therc-fore, in logical scq~!mcc. Tlq arc, furthcr-mow, csaminrd as to their structural anddccor:itivc qualities by n critic who 1~s brcntlioroughly formed by training, study andrspcricncc.

Tp to the present point in the criticismtlicrc Il iXS hen :I forcctl scarcity of scculnrillrlstr:ltions. Rut it will he made plainfrom the ncrt and roiicluding article of thescricc; that while this loss is irrcpamblc, it isvet not witliout minor fcatni-cs of coliipcns:l-tion. For had the cralllples tniimcr:~ted inthr inventory of tlic Palaw of Vcrs:Lillcstwcn spar4 from the disastrous c+Ycct,s oftlic policy of the SuwKiiig, tlicir grandart, might liavc stcrilixcd the fancy of motl-urn clcsigilers to a grrntcr degrw thnn has:wtmLlly hccn done 11s the work of thr pow-der, patch and pcriwig epoch. For insc~clllnr ~ml socinl aff:ur.s traditions archrokcn bctwvccn the srvcntccnth, cighternthaiitl twentieth ccntiirics, ant1 a new art asthe csprcssion of :L new life, mllst witnesscsisting facts and ideals.



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URBI ET ORB1foreign, and nothing irrelevant to our ownpurposes and desires.

Among these principles and plans of ac-tion, the most vital and significant of themis that one which purposes to clothe in ar-tistic form all that progress has made usefulin modern life. This principle, if judgedsuperficially, might be characterized as asimple effort to transform the prosaic intothe picturesque. But it is something farbeyond this, or rather such transformationis in itself a great moral agent. For theevil effects caused by the sordid aspect ofcit,y distr icts abandoned to elevated railwaysand other means of rapid transit and com-m!lnication, arc too deep and wide-.spread tobe calculated. Depressing as such districtsare to the visitor, who regards them as pop-ulous deserts through which he must pass toreach his objective point, they are, beyondall doubt, the active source of despair to theforced inhabitant, who, becoming the victimof his environment, is led on to vice, and itmaybe, to crime. It becomes, then, a publicduty to crcat,e symmetry, sunniness, conven-ience, gaiety and variety out of inveterateconfusion ; to entrust the solution of this in-tricate problem to the finest brains and thewarmest hearts : so that WC may multiplysuch results as that effected by the genius ofOhnstrd, when hc turned to a decorative pur-pose tlic car-tracks on the Beacon Street,Boulevard, Boston : causing them to be laidin a skip of turf at the roads edge, andthus mnking bril liant lines through thegreen which t,lle eye follows with a sense ofpleasure, almost of mystery. Weitsoningfrom such a result, one arrives at the con-clusion that to clothe in artistic form allthat progress has made useful in modernli fe is a work worthy of the highest talent,

of the most subtile faculties of the age ;work also that brings with it the greatest (rewards: that is, the increase of happine,among the people.

There are indeed materialists enough anto spare who scoff at the project of makinelectric light poles graceful, and street a(vertisements beautiful, but few there aIwho do not unconsciously, or in spite ctheir boasted hardness, turn eagerly to thbits of beauty which are scattered througprosaic New York; who do not greet witpleasure the old trees of Washington Squarand the Dewey Arch, as they appear in vistfrom the elevated trains: a view gratefuand tonic to the q-e distressed by the almosunint,erruptetl panorama of poor domestisecrets and industrial slavery, which defilealong miles of the upper stories of tenemeri ts and factories. For such centers opopulation as our sea-board cities, civilimprovcmcnt is a means of salvation to blviewed on tllc same plane as the agencies 0;religion, Ian and pliilanthrop~, with all 01which it is closely and vitally connected.

A second principle of the great movementless applicable in ? certain restricted senseto our own country than to Europe, can yeibe broadly interpreted among us. This, arfornlulatcd l)y tllc Belgian Society, is tctrnn5form the streets into picturesque mu-seums comprising varions elements of cdu-cation for the people.

Prominent among these various elemcntEof education is the effort to strengthen thesense of nationality by restoring as far asmay be the external glories of the old Flem-ish towns. The effort is made with thepractical good sense marking all Belgiangovernmental schemes, and tllc result, itmust bc believed. will not only justify, but

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THE CRAFTSMANalso reward the effort. The restoration oftown-halls and corporation-houses, now soactive throughout the small country of whatmay almost be called city-republics, is noattempt to galvanize a dead civic li fe. Themuseums of the streets residing in therestored public buildings stand as familiarand powerful witnesses of the times whenGhent and Bruges, Brussels and Antwcrpstood before the world as models of munici-pal constitution, of financial honor and SLIC-cess. They suggest to the alert, intelligent,laborious people who daily throng thesquares above which they rear their high-stepped gables and their bril liantly gildedfacades, the possibili ties of industrial cnter-prise and colonization. The memories ofthe Oriental and Italian commerce so suc-cessfully pursued by the Fleming of theMiddle Ages, inspire the Belgian of to-daywho transfers his capital to the Congo FreeState or to the forests of Canada.

The extension of this principle to Amer-ica in a broad, general sense is both possibleand practicable, as has been proven by anumber of highly successful experiments.A strong sense of natiormlity is an impera-tive need in our cities of the coast and theMiddle West, which receive the first forceof the shock sustained by our institutionsfrom the contact of immense masses of for-eigners. Our Americans in process re-quire that element of education whichresides in such memorials as the Sham Tab-let in Boston, the figure of Nathan Hak inthe City Hall Square, New York, and thegreat Lincoln statue in Chicago. It cannot be regarded otherwise than as a melnn-choly fact that the historic quarter of Bos-ton has been abandoned to a population ofpoor Hebrews, Italians and Portuguese ;

that the belfry which stands as a beacon-light in our history, now sends out the voicesof its bells to mingle with the Yiddish of theactto. The museum of the street, asconstituted by the Old North Church, isevrn more necessary t,o the place which itconsecrates than are the town-halls and thecorporation-houses to the public squares ofBelgium ; since the Church represents thepurest and highest ideal of self-sacrifice, ofdevotion to an uncertain C~LISC, and of apatriotism sent~nicntal, lofty, and far re-moved from a love of city or country which,if closely studied, is found to have its root inthe imp&c to accumulate riches and tosurpass ones rival in splendor.

Surely the museum of the street is acrying need of our cities. But in our newcountry, it must serve a new purpose. Itmust be oriented toward the future, ratherthan toward the past. Its task is not torestore, but to educate. There must be noart for arts sake in the studio accept-ance of the term: that is no tours de forceof the rchitect, sculptor, or decorator,should be imposed upon the public by mu-nicipal authorities, who must, if worthy, beat once the guardians of funds and the pro-moters of taste. Let us hope that the pres-ent impulse toward civic improvement maybe carried forward to all that it now prom-ises; so that, at no distant day, the typicalAmerican street may display a simple,structural style of archit,ecture expressingour national ideals of democracy; that ourcity parks, by their unadorned beauty, mayperpetuate the memory of the great lover ofNature who devoted his li fe t,o create themwherever population had massed itself;finally, that our public squares may, in theirmonuments and statues, witness the influence



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of the grave genius of Saint-Gaudens, theAmerican sculptor, who to the pure sim-plicity of the Greek joins the intensity ofthe modern man. In a word, let us, likethe nations of older civilization, cultivatean art which shall not rise and fall with thevicissitudes of private fortunes, but ratherbe a fire built upon the market place, whereevery one may light his torch.

In full sympathy with the Americanmovement toward civic improvement andthe cst,ablishnient of a purer, higher type ofmunicipal art, The Craftsman proceeds tothe formation in its columns of a depart-ment devoted to the treatment of all ques-tions relative to the cause. In this under-taking, by which it is hoped to render a realservice to the public, the Editors will relyfor support and success upon the constantcooperation of a large number of the ablestarchitects, sculptors and decorative artistsof our country, as well as upon the occa-sional aid of foreign writers of distinction.

To open the scrics there has been chosenan architect who is now president of the ArtCommission of the City of New York, andthe former president of the Municipal ArtSociety, and of the Reform Club. Mr.Warner, for several decades, has been iden-tified, almost to *the degree of leadership,with nearly every important qu&ion ofurban improvement. He is, therefore, inauthoritative position to discuss the subjectwhich he has accepted. In his article cn-titled The Importance of Municipal Im-provements, he develops the idea of t.hecity, from the time when it was but a fort-ress, a seat of power, temporal or spiritual,or a focus of commerce. down to our own

day, when a more complex concept canalone satisfy the needs of civilization. Hewrites that the twentieth century city mustbe planned and studied as the normal focusof a constantly growing proportion of thewhole li fe of a people-in which there is noexcuse for sacrificing all other ends to anyone; but rather an obvious need and grow-ing disposition to see how far all uses maybe at once accommodated. He treats ofthe means of ingress and egress and of in-terior transport, as the basis of th,e possi-bilities of any given city ; placing next inimportance, after the proper developmentof these facilities, the provision for an at-mosphere unsullied by smoke, for cheap fuel,clean streets and an abundant water-supply.He emphasizes the necessity of creatingCivic Centers: that is, the use of naturalplaces of public resort as sites for greatpublic buildings. Such treatment, he just-ly says, shows the ideal of a city to be thatof an organism rather than of an aggre-g;ttion; distinguishing it from the mass-ing of humanity that has sometimes beencalled such, as a definite head, with welldefined subordinate centers, distinguishes aman from a jelly-fish.

Adjunct to Mr. Warners treatment ofthe city as a vitalized, self-conscious whole,a special question, insistent in every centerof population, is discussed by M. CharlesGans, doctor of laws, and advocate at theAppellate Court of Paris. M. Ganss paperupon The Workingmans Dwelling inFrance is the substance of the thesis pre-sented by him to the University of Paris, incandidacy for the doctorate. It is a solidcontribution to the literature of its species.It reveals depth of research and power oflogic ; while it exhales a love of humanity

URRI ET ORB1

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THE CRAFTSMANwhich argues well for the intellectual andmoral attitude of republican France. Italso abounds in quotable passages whichdeserve place beside certain chapters inRuskins latter-day gospel. Such, strongand exquisite in their simplicity, are expres-sions of pure, generous thought like these:

The people have the right,not only to knowledge, but also, and to astil l higher degree, to beauty. To socializescience is well, but beauty also demands andrequires to be socialized.

Society, if it imposes dutiesupon the individual, also contracts towardhim obligations : the first of which is toassociate him in the general progress.

All human beings have needof casting aside the material cares of exist-ence ; of raising the soul toward the Ideal ;of refreshing it at that source of pure de-light which is the art-sensation.

The enjoyment afforded bybeauty is no sterile pleasure. It is, on thecontrary, the mother of intellectual forceand of moral purity.

From such encouraging beginnings asare made by the papers of Mr. Warner andM. Gans, it is hoped that The Craft,smanssympathy with one of the greatest of mod-ern movements will be productive of a goodappreciable and measurable; that it may betranslated from words int,o action.

The series of papers upon cognate sub-jects will continue throughout the year1904, and, as now proposed, stands as fol-lows as to subject, each paper to be written363

by a recognized authority in his own field:FIRST GROUP

I . The Importance of Municipal Improre-ments.

II . The History of Village Improvement inthe I J nitcd States.

II I . The Commercial Value of Design.

IV. City Plan.V. Parks.VI . Street Fixtures.

THIHD GROUPVII. Architecture ; foreign point of view.VIII. Architecture ; American point ofview.IX. Painting ; foreign point of view.X. Painting ; American point of view.XI . SculptLc; foreign point of view.XII. Sculpture ; American point of view.

THE IMIORT.$NCE OF MUNI CIPALIMPROVEMENTS. J OHN DI?WITTWARNERI its essentials, the city, as an institu-tion, is as old as the race. But thepresent problem is peculiarly a Twen-tieth Century one. Not but that greatand beautiful cities have existed, by whoseexperience we may be guided as to one oranother of even the more important itemswith which we have to deal; but that, untilnow, municipal development, so far as con-sciously planned, hi*s been but an incidentof self-defense, government, religion, orcommerce. Indeed, in their more importantaspects, most cities now existing are the un-calculated survival of the fittest in the



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attrition of human aggregates-the laterincidents of original development as a fort-ress, a court, a temple, a market, a workshop,with a tendency toward combination of sev-eral or all of these ; but of gravitation rathertlian conscious mutual intent.

Of the old cities now extant two charac-teristics arc, therefore, common-one thevirtual combination of all the principal fea-tures of cities; and the other the frequentlygrotcsquc unfitness of each, as an originalproposition, for what to-day are the princi-pal ends it serves-commerce, for example,being hopelessly handicapped at a sitechosen for a fortress that is now in ruin, orfor a cathedral now long the memorial ofburned out zeal, or for a court of an extinctlocal dynasty.

The Twentieth Century City must beplanned and studied as the normal focus ofa constantly growing proportion of thewhole li fe of a people-in which there is noexcuse for sacrificing all other ends to anyone; but rather an obvious need, and grow-ing disposition to see how far all uses maybe at once accommodated. For the condi-tions of modern civil ization leave ever morehopelessly in the rear the city-no matterhow ideally fitted for one use-that is sosituated as not to be generally available forothers. To thrive, therefore, a city mustbe made attractive for all purposes-not allpurposes that cities have some time served;but those that cities now serve.

In our greatest cities-London, NewYork, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Constantinople,Pekin, Chicago, St. Petersburg, Glasgow,St. Louis, Buenos Ayres, we have survivalsor examples of every class-but all nowthoroughly modern in this-that, howeverthey were originally developed, no really

great city is now dependent upon remaininga center of war, government or religion; orwould not survive the loss of all such advan-tages; or would not be ruined by failure ofllcr commerce, and crippled by that of hernlanufactures ; or where, with late raising ofstandards of li fe and comfort, the extent towhich it is the chosen residence of those whoare free to go elsewhere is not a great andincreasing factor in its prosperity and pros-pects.

In short, as contrasted with the city ofthe past, t,he city of to-day is best charac-terized by the dwindling of military, politi-cal and ecclesiastical factors, and the growthof business and domestic ones. Less andless can it be left to grow. More andmore must it be planned and built. To theessential use of each old city other uses werecasually added. In the new city, mutualcooperation towards service of all interestsmust be its foundation principle.

Perhaps the most important point to bekept in mind is that late increase in facilitiesfor communication and transport has madeof each city a potential center for a widerdistrict than it used to reach, and at thesame time has left it rivaled by others, anditself in danger of losing influence, in thevery field where it has hitherto been supreme.This means that, for an indefinite time tocome-until t,he world is thoroughly read-justed as a single limited country-a citycannot stand still. It must grow or decay.

It can never be too often recalled that Artis not a thing to be done, but the right wayto do whatever is to be done. MunicipalArt is, therefore, simply the best way tomake a city what it ought to be---best fittedfor all ends of a city-a city of to-day-acity of the future.

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feol it without waiting to reason it out, andprobably none who, having thought, wil lraise any question. Take growth in pros-pcrou: citizenship. The individual factorsof such cit,izenship, wherever they may haveattained their prosperity, arc precisely thosewho have t,hereby becomc most free to choosethe location of their residcncc, and most dis-posed to do so with refcrencc to pleasant li fefor thcmselvcs or other families. As be-twccn any given city and every other atwliicll such citizens might settle, there is,therefore, a most practical rivalry as towhich shall offer the most potent attractions.To most, this wil l largely mean t,lie mostbeautiful, healthful and comfortable placeof residence. And it goes without sayingthat far more than residence is thus involved.For in proport,ion as one is held at a city, orbrought back to it by his comfort-histastes-his home associations, in like pro-portion wil l that city tend to be the place ofhis investments, the arena of his enterprise,the beneficiary of his bounty.

AS a business proposition, therefore,Municipal Art in its widest sense is the mosttempting investment, possibie for a city sofavored as easily to be made beautiful--nmost esscntinl one for one less fortunatelyplaced, and one of the most profitable possi-ble that, either can make.

Again : The principle of democracy-that the public expenditure should be mostfavored that most equally benefits the great-cst number-suggests adequatc-libcral-investment in public art,. For, after all , at-tracted and held as are the well to do by itsaggregate at a given city or neighbor-hood, keen enjoyment of its details charac-terizes our masses far more than our classes.In our courts, on our exchanges, in our

legislatures, at work in our laboratories, wefind many distinguished and worthy menwho l~vc cultivated one or a few senses atthe expense of the rest, and who have becomeblind to color, dcnf to music, or dumb to feel-111g. Ihit your avcrnge fellow-citizen is notso. K ine out of ten, taken at random fromyour schools, your workshops, your llolidaycrowds, can still see and hear ; and theirheartstr ings sound true to every touch ofscntililcnt. lhe niasscs of no city have everfailed to appreciate a great temple, a beau-tiful park, a dignified statue, an effectivehistoric painting, a stirring drama, a strainof lofty music, or a rhyme that deserved tobe popular.

Not, only this, but public art is peculiarlyfor the eri,joyment and profit of the greatmasses of those in straitened or moderatecircumstances, rather than of the well-to-do.One whose home is one of ideal comfort,and fil led with art


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THE CRAF~FSMANbe almost exclusively, not of those who havecrucified their senses to serve their ambition,but those who are yet in touch with nature.It is upon public art, therefore-the art thatinspires the proletariat, the thousandsfrom whom will rise the leaders of the future-that we must rely for any inspirationbroad enough or virile enough to count inculture.

Art for the citys sake--Art for its peo-ples sake. Such is the end sought. Butin seeking it there is found, more certainlythan in any other way, the most effectivepromotion of what we hear called Art forArts sake-much or li ttle as one may caretherefor. For Public Art is the only greatArt, the inspirer of all other Art. On theAcropolis, in our cathedrals, in sculptural ormural adornment of buildings dedicated tochurch or state, we find the ark of the oldcovenant between humanity and beauty, andthe evangel of the new one. Shut in, as itwere, to serve its owner, private art is but ahearth fire that warms only it,s builder, andleaves but few or no embers that can everglow again after the breath of his fortuneshas ceased to fan it. But Public Art is afire built in the market place, from whicheach citizen borrows live coals for his own11omc ; an inspiration of those whose tastesand impulses are, in the future, to representthe private as well as the public culture ofArt among us-of those through whomevery cult of the beautiful can in the end bebest promoted, and by whom must be cher-ished if it is to prosper.

If the general proposition needed furthersupport, it could be found in the recent andgrowing practice throughout the world.During the past generation Vienna has beenre-planned and decorated-not especially as566

a nntional stronghold, a cathedral town, animperial residence, a university center, butas all these at once ; nnd more than all as anattr:u+\ .c place for residence, business andsojourn of the mil lion, who but shortlysince would have been left t,o thcmselres asfar as concerned provision for art or beauty.Berlin has been similarly developed until , inaught but the ripening of time, it rivalsParis. Paris, more largely from businessconsiderations, has been so constantly add-ing to her attractions that it has been fairlyre-transfigured since the days of the empire.In London, the (appnrcntlp) most hopelessof problems in city beautification has beenradically attacked by t,he cutting of anavenue from the Strand to High Holborn.In New York, Chicago and Boston, ringsystems of park areas-inland and waterfront-have been laid out, within which, onscale never before conceived of, these citiesarc t,ransforming themselves on more or lesssystematic plans. VV7ashington, from thefirst a show city, has so proved itself com-modious and convenient, about in proportionto its show features, as to have practicallydecided Congress on a scheme of extensionand beautification not before or elsewherehad; while in such cases as that of Cleve-land, Springfield, and many another largeror smaller city, the tendency of our time isshown. It may, therefo+q now be assumedthat the business instinct of our city coun-cils, popular interest among our citizens,and art in its broadest sense are at agrce-ment and effectively cooperating towardbeautification of our cities.

The richness and variety oi the resourcesto be exploited are as yet scarcely appre-ciated by those who have studied the sub-ject. Not until to an understanding of



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the st.rcct systems of Washington and Paris,and the art of designing civic groups-suchi,s at 1ienna is largely realized, at Berlinpromised, developing at Washington, anddreamed of at New 170rk--are added useof color as lavish as at Moscow, but betterguidctl ; the harmonies and contrasts of suchpark schen~es as those of Boston and NewYork ; river treatments as elaborate andcharacteristic as those of Paris and Newlrork; the subtile fitness, each for its place,of scores of richly decorated plazas and ap-propriate adornment of their civic buildingsthat dignify and grace the cities best en-titled to be called such-can one see, evenin his minds eye, the City of the Futurethe beauty, the wonder, and the glory that itis to be.

TIIE \ VORICINGMANS DWELL INGIN FRANCE. BY CHARLES GANS.TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCHBY IRENE SARGENT

T E future historian who shall studyour epoch in sufficient perspectiveto include its entirety in one glance,and shall sweep away the minorfacts obscuring it, will try to understand thepli ilosopliy of our contemporaneous socialliistorv. He wil l see, without doubt, onedominant idea rise and prevail: that is, theprinciple first accepted by our times of theright of every man to existence. The work-ing CI RSSCS, hat is, the very considerableportion of the worlds population who livesolely upon the product of manual labor,have been too long misunderstood and sacri-ficed. Furthermore, it is incontestable thatthey themselves have been largely responsi-

ble for this situation. Submitting forcenturic:; to injustice, they had accustomedthcmselvcs and others to the idea that theirown social state was normal, inevitable andunsuscept~ble to change. Again, the work-ing classes I lad no share of profit-althoughthey suffered--in the social revolutionswliich occurred at the beginning of the nine-teenth century. The Revolution of 1789was effect,4 outside their limits. Theycould not or would not profit by it, and themiddle classes who effected it for their ownadvantage, continued to regard the work-ingman as an indeterminate quantity, as abeing who, having his hunger and thirstsatisfied, ought to be contented and happy.

Toward the middle of the nineteenthcentury, ho~~ever, the working classes awak-ened suddenly to a sense of their condition.But quickly they relapsed into their formerstate of apathy.

I t is only within a period of thirty yearsthat this unfortunate condition has begunto modify. On one hand, education becom-ing gradually more general and almostcompulsory among these classes, created newneeds, and also new aspirations. On theother hand, men of liberal mind, of broadintell igence and free from old-time preju-dices, arising outside the working classes,appreciated and approved t,he demands new-ly formulated. The convictions of suchmen swept others into the movement, and,little by little, a principle to-day undisputed,acquired strength and controlling power :the principle of the right of every man toexistence, that is, to physical and moralhealth.

This dominant thought had importantconsequences in France, where individualsfriendly to such ideas necessarily existed in

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THE CRAFTSMANlarger numbers than elsewhere. It createda movcmrnt which rapidly spread and devel-oped. Scarcely inst,itutcd, it was propa-gated from man to man. All those whotllink, all those who comprchcnd, were ledaway by the beauty of the idea. And now,to-day, in a11 classes of society, amongtradespeople, manufacturers, authors, scien-tists, and art,ists, there arc men, who, con-vinced of the justice of the tlieory, are mak-ing interesting and serious attcnlpts to X-complish what they believe to be a socialtlut). . Carried forward by the movement,the legislator has been forced to aid it, andof late years numerous laws have been cn-acted with the object of bettering the condi-tion of the workingman. This universalimpulse, stil l active, has produced cxcellcntrcsu1ts.

The thought which, of necessity, camefirst to the original apostles of the principleof the right to csist,cnce was the imperativeneed of removing the workingman from thedwelling then inhabited by him, which wasnot only unhealthy for his body, but de-structive to his mind. It appeared impos-sible to rcformcrs to afford to the humanbeing a healthy moral and intellectual esist-ence, if his material esistcnce were not, firstEanified by removing him from the hovel inwhich he was confined, and which ren-dering home-life impossible, attracted himt,o the vulgar and demoralizing but in-espcnsirc pleasures alone within hismeaiis and reach. The reformers easilyunderstood that before adorning the mindsof the poor, it was necessary to cleanse them,and that beings born in vile places, deprivedof family life, constrained during childhoodand youth to wander in the street, and laterto lounge and prowl about the wineshops,368

wcrc incapable of the effort of reflcsionwhich alone could afford them intellectualam1 moral existence. This thought wasafterward followed by effective realization.

At this time, the question formulated it-self in terms much more simple than thosein which it is to-day included. It was thena mcrc question of removing the working-11la1l from those odious tencmcnts in theartis:Ln-quarters of cities, which confinedwithin four cracked and tlnmp walls anincrcdiblc number of individuals. It was aquestion of creating a hearth for the work-ingmnn, of inspiring him with a taste forfamily life and home pleasures. Since then,this idea has become definite ; this conceptionhas broadened. &it,, at first, the onlythought was to provide for the workingmana dwelling in which comfort and hygienicmeasures should operate alike upon hismoral and his physical health. This wasonly a beginning, but pet a movement whichnecessitated a pronounced effort.

The l~ouscs inhabited by the workingmenwcrc most defective in arrangement. Somc-times they were old buildings, dating fromtimes when the respect for cleanliness andsanitation did not as yet exist. TllC IlCCCS-sity of fitting them to contain a large mm:-bcr of tenants had made them still more tobe condemned. There wcrc other houseswhich had been built for the express purposeof lodging workingirlen, and with the soleaim of util izing every inch of ground. nutwhatever their origin, t.heir appearance,sometimes picturesque, revealed an ahsolutecontempt for the rules of hygiene and evenof the most rudimentary morals. It mustbc added that many of these houses stillcsist. Their condit,ion IS pitiable. InP aris, they consist gcncrally of immense



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buildings into which one penetrates by anarrow alley, damp and dark, closed by agate. At the very entrance one is stifled bya mixture of nauseating odors. Advancingwith uncertainty in the gloom, one stumblesupon the first steps of a decayed staircase.Often, one cannot reach these halls withoutfirst passing through the shop of a nine-seller. In some instances, the entrance iswide, but gives into a court containing allthe closets of the house, and into which flowsthe polluted water which has seryed domesticpurposes, while here also the artisan tenantsply their various trades: all of which influ-ences burden the air with reeking odors andgerms of disease. Finally, if one succeedsin penetrating into the separate lodgings,one notes that they are almost all composedof a single room, in which an entire familyis confined. This observation is corrobo-rated by the tables prepared in 1891 by Dr.Bertil lon, which show that 28,475 familiesof three persons, 10,479 families of four,3,462 of five, 1,161 of six, and 504 of morethan seven individuals, were occupying inParis lodgings consisting of a single room.In the provinces, the same-sometimes evenworse-conditions obtained. Therefore,one can readily conceive that against suchevils the first struggle was instituted.

I regard the enterprise of constructingcheap dwell ings, said the celebrated econo-mist, J ules Simon, as the most worthy thatcan be undertaken. I regard it as a workof li fe-saving among morally abandonedchildren. The family must everywhere bereconstructed. We say to the workmanwho labors hard, who exercises an exactingtrade : Stay at home after your days work.Take your recreation in your own lodgings !But what are these lodgings ? What is this

room in which air does not circulate, light iswanting, smoke stifles the occupants, andvile odors pursue tlicm ; in which the entirefamily-father, mother, children of differ-ent sex, well and il l, large and small, groveltogether in a promiscuousness dangerousalike for health and morals ?

To the men of high purpose who resolvedt,o accomplish this task, a single, practicalmeans was offered in Paris and the largecities. It WilS necessary to construct large,economical and well-arranged buildings inwhich each family might secure at a lowrent two well ventilated rooms. This enter-prise was the beginning of the Working-mans Dwell ing (maison our&re). It wasalready a step in advance, but yet only asingle stage, on the long route which wasthen projected.

The idea of the Workingmans Dwellingwas not wholly new. The Emperor Napo-leon Third who, having at once fear andneed of the working classes, ordered the con-struct,ion of lodgings destined for them. Anumber of such houses were therefore builton the Boulevard Mazas, in the Rue Roche-chouart, and on the Boulevard des Bati-gnolles. They were of immense size andwere let at rentals within the means of allpurses. But the question of finding tenantsfor them became a serious one, since work-ingmen refused to enter them. They felta deep aversion toward living in these greathouses of which the exteriors, resemblingbarracks, repelled them almost as much asthe fear of being constantly under the sur-veillance---then so severe-of the policeauthorities. The Emperors project wasnecessarily abandoned.

The workingman of the present day cannot experience the same fear from the polit-

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THE CRAFTSMANof real estate, by giving credit to purchasers,and by modifying to their advantage thelaws of inheritance. The Company haspursued with directness and dignity thepolicy to which it is bound. The effects ofthe law already mentioned and of the vigi-lant and repeated efforts of the Companyand its members have been important. In1894, there existed only twenty-eight asso-ciations for the building of low-priced dwell-ings. In 1902, they had increased to nearlycigbty ; while to-day they number one hun-dred fifty seven. The greater part of thesecompanies are so organized as to permittheir tenants to purchase dwell ings upon asystem of annual liquidation usually dis-tributed over a period of twenty years, andwhich allows payments to be made in smallsums: these payments added to a low rent,compost a total not exceeding the price paidby an ordinary tenant for a lodging ofequal value. Furthermore, if these associa-tions have become so numerous, it is becauseit has been demonstrated through the effortsof the promoters of this idea, that thesebuildings are something more than the real-ization of a philanthropic idea: that theyare an excellent financial investment. Thus,in every direction, there have arisen housesof varying models, responding in each local-ity to the demands of climate and of man-ners and customs, as also to the tastes of theinhabitants.

This is indeed an important point. Thearchitect who has conceived a type at oncesimple and elegant, comfortable and eco-nomical of a workingmans dwelling, hasdone nothing useful, if he has not firstconsulted the tastes and the customs of theregion in which the dwelling is to be located.For these elements are essentially variable.379

If, for example, houses of such character areto be built in the North of France, whereminers are in great number, it will be possi-ble to attract occupants only by makingprovision for the keeping of domestic ani-mals which these laborers need, and also byproviding a bright, cheerful room which thetenant,s may adorn according to their de-sires. Thus, some time since, the MiningAssociation of Anzin abandoned what arecalled corons: that is to say, an assemblageof similar houses forming in reality one vasttenement, a single story in height, and divid-ed into adjacent courts. This Associationdevised separate houses for each family, inaccordance with the conditions and tastes ofthe region. Each house includes a largeliving room and a smaller room on thegrountl-floor ; then, two rooms on the secondfloor. The small garden contains a laundry,a piggery, a chicken coop and a rabbit war-ren. Further, it is arranged so as to allowthe cooking to be done outside in favorableweather. Thus the principal room can bearranged as a parlor, and adorned as seemsbest to the occupants.In the South of France, open-air li fe ismore usual, but it is necessary for the houseto be well venti lated, and arranged SO as tobe easily cleaned, since houscwifery in thisregion is less conscientious than in theNorth.

In certain districts families are large, andthe plan must be so arranged as to increasethe number of rooms. In other localities itis indispensable to provide a flower andvegetable garden.

It will be seen that t,he types of working-mens dwellings actually existing are numer-ous and varied. To create them, associa-tions, industrial proprietors and philanthro-



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pists have &voted their best powers. Fora long time, the general principle observedwas the grouping of the individual houses.Space was thus economized, as well as thestudy of plans and the cspc~m of materials.Ille small dwellings, exactly similar, placedside by side, formed a block.

This was a defective system, and it wasnot long before the flaw became evident. Ifthe dwell ings were individual in the sensethat a single family inhabited each, theylacked individuality in that each one prc-ciscly resembled its neighbor. No one hadsuspected that this might be a serious fault.But it was quickly seen that the absolutesimilarity of these buildings was to be re-gretted, not only by reason of t.hcir non-adaptabil ity to the tastes of the separateoccupants, but also and above all , becausethis similarity destroyed the effect of rela-tive isolation of which every one has need,who has worked all day, surrounded by otherindividuals.

This defect was far from being compen-sated by economy of construction. It wasnecessary to provide a remedy. Purchaserswere therefore given their choice bctwccntwo or three types of buildings. The resultswere excellent. The association of Passy-Autcuil made a point of differentiating theirhouses to however slight a degree, and theSoci6tC du Nouveau Persan, foundedmore recently at Pcrsnn, in the departmentof Seine et Oise, has built fourteen housespresenting great diversity of type, andvarying in price from 5,200 to 9,100francs, purchasable by annual paymentscomposed of 3.25 of the price, for rental,3.25 for liquidation, and 1.50 for generalexpenses.

But the best system yet put into effect is

the bold and very successful attempt of 3%.Lccnlinrdt, an arclii tcct at Montpell ier. Inthat cit,y, in 7901, he built fourteen houses,lcaving to each purchaser the liberty ofchoosing the interior arrangement of hisdwell ing. This is, without doubt, a schemewhich will find imitators.

Hut there is a tendency still more inter-esting, as well for its immediate results, asfor its possible consequences. This is theeffort to make the dwelling beautiful.

Up to a very recent point of time, thegcncral defect of the dwellings, howeverpractical they were, was that they had beenconceived 1)~ men in whom the desire foreconomy-a perfectly legitimate oncex-chided the desire for beauty. Aestheticconsiderations were purposely neglected.Tllis conception was necessarily modified bya current of ideas which must be noted here.

The apostle of the principles of the Con-vention, Danton, said of education that,after bread, it was the first necessity of man.In rcccnt years, under the influence of cer-tain enlightened men, the conscioustiess hasarisen that if lin0WlCdgC is a necessity, it isalso one of the rights of man. Society, if itimposes duties upon the individual, also con-tracts toward him obliffations, the first ofwhich is to associate him with the generalprogress. This simple idea, as soon asformulated, developed rapidly. An im-portant movement took form and, in alldirections, there arose associations of scien-tists, students, thinkers, whose aim was tocommunicate to the workingmen the knowl-edge which they themselves had ignored.This is not the time or place to describe indetail the interesting movement whose resultwas the creation of the Peoples University,and the Socihtbs de Conf&enccs, where, any

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TYE CRAFTSMANBut it is not at all necessary to restrict

examination to exhibitions, in order to findworkingmcns dwell ings planned in ac-cordance with the most advanced and ra-tional formulas. Among the recently builthouses of this class, there are very interest-ing specimens ; notably t,hosc of M. Leen-hardt at Montpellier.

This architect we have already mentionedas one who, in 1900-1901, built fourteenhouses, with this distinctive point,: that hegave en& purchaser the right to choose,under his own supervision, the interior ar-rangement which best pleased him. Thesehouses, whether detached or grouped, aresituated on the outskirts of the city, thushaving a hold upon both town and country,and standing upon elevated ground. Thewalls are built of the gray, mottled stone ofthe region, without exterior coating ; so thatthe structural material remains agreeablyapparent to the cyc. The decoration con-sists principally in the effect produced bythe projections of the variegated stones setwith raked-out joints, and also in thecolor. The ornamental features are com-pleted by a band of cement marked withmoldings, up to which reach all the windowsof the first story. The roof, projecting,tiled, having apparent rafters and ironwork,and provided with an caves-trough, sur-mounts the whole with strong, simple andbeautiful effect. The woodwork, treatedonly with boiling water, has retained itsnatural color. The ironwork, simply black-ened, projects vigorously from a light back-ground. The interior staircases are instone,-since wood is li ttle used in the South-and have iron balusters, with a handrailof walnut. The whole has a charming effect,376

is solidly constructed, and is rc:~sonable inprice (5,100 to 8,000 francs).

Thus the advance made in several yearsleas been considerable ; it has followed a constant direction, owing to the efforts of thosewho are interested in the work, owing alsoto the skill of certain architects who devotethemselves to it.

It has seemed advisable to ask th: .opinionupon this question of a most skilful archi-tect, whose mind is particularly open to newideas and to int,eresting artistic efforts: &I .Louis Bonnier.

It is necessary above all, he said, tointerest the workingman in his dwell ing, andfor that reason to give to the constructionan agreeable effect; but, at the same time,to avoid all ornament which is useless: thatis to say, without practical util ity. Indeed,there must be nothing which does not serve:I well-defined purpose. Every ornamentwhich serves no structural end is an expenseincurred to the injury of comfort. Onemust build to produce the simple and thecomfortable. Furthermore, the artistic im-pression gains more from simplicity wellunderstood, than from ornament more orless successful.

Certainly it is impossible to establishabsolute rules. Construction must varyaccording to the climate, to the manners andcustoms of the people, and to the materialsfound in the region, which should alwayshave the preftrence.

Still , the tastes of the inhabitants shouldnot be absolutely respected, since it is neces-sary to educate the masses in an artisticsense, and there is no better means of tkc-complishing this purpose, than to approachthe people on the side of their interest, byoffering them comfortable and inexpensive



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dwellings. Therefore, the house must bein keeping with the character and aspect ofthe region. but it must also be modified bythe taste and judgment of the builder.

From the practical point of view thewalls must be as thick as possible. Betweentwo combinations of equal price, that oneshould be chosen which wil l permit thet,hicker walls. For example, a wall 0.22centimeter thick, in brick, costing as muchas a wall 0.40 thick, in rubble, should berejected in favor of the stone. Indeed, thethick wall gives, both summer and winter, atemperature opposite from that of the ex-terior ; thus representing in winter an im-portant saving of coal.

The house should be carefully isolatedfrom the soil , and the windows of differentdimensions, according to the size of theroom to bc venti lated, and also according tothe point of compass and the view.

The interior should contain a large roomin which the cooking is done. This kitchenshould occupy a considcra.ble part of thehouse. The small bed-rooms are more easilyventilated. The walls may be tinted incolors calculated to influence happily thetaste of the workingman.

It is well to give each individual a housewhich differs in some slight degree fromthat of his neighbor. But it is costly todifferentiate too markedly. A simple andpractical means, is to assure the individual-ity of one of these houses by differentgroupings, by a reversion of arrangement:both of which devices allow the use of thesame materials, without such similarity be-coming too apparent.

Such is the Workingmans Dwelling asdevised by M. Bonnier, who has himselfbuilt a small house of attractive appearance,

the elegance of which results from the ar-rangement of the roof, from the careful useof the mill-stone of the distr ict, as well asof small brick arches which are not satisfiedto adorn, but which play a practical part inthe structural scheme. Thus, for 4,000francs, this architect has beep able to builda house including four rooms, with theadditions of a stable and a carriage reposi-tory.

So, from timid beginnings, constant ef-forts and a great display of energy uponone side, and artistic taste upon the other,the formula of construction for the work-ingmans dwell ing seems to have beenevolved. Simple and apparent structuralmaterials, no applied, and, therefore, use-less ornament, the exact adaptation of formto purpose: such are the factors of thisformula. The required and desirable beautywill result inevitably from the skilful ar-rangement of the functional parts whichhave been happily conceived.

I feudal times there were tolls uponeverything. A high civilization abol-ishes tolls and furnishes the necessariesof li fe to all equally. Now air, light, roadsatid water stand on a differsnt footing fromfood and clothes. Food and clothing areproduced in separate pieces, are infinitelyvaried, and are adapted to an infinite varietyof personal wants and tastes. Air, light,water passage (in their public and collectiveuse) have not this character : and their pub-lic use should be free to all citizens.

FREDERIC HARRISOX-THE IDEAL CITY

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THE CRAFTSMANTHE LATEST CERAMIC PRODUCTSOF Si?VRES

The following article, printed in theFrench magazine, Art et D&oration, forNovember, 1904, is partially reproduced inEnglish. It offers int,erest as a proof ofthe force and pervasiveness of the new artmovement which has seized and possesses oneof the firmest strongholds of tradition. Theil lustrations, selcctcd from a large numbershown in the French article, if unaccom-panied by the text, would fail to be recog-nized as to their origin by those who arefamiliar with the historical products of theShvres manufactory.

I is now three years since the closeof the Universal Exposition of 1900,which marked a distinct technical andartistic progress in the work of theSPvres manufactory. This result was thefruit of prolonged efforts, pursued now inthis, and now in that direction, but with asuccess which, although varying, seemed toprove that an institution already very old,had still within it germs of vitality.

The effects of these sustained efforts wereseen in 1900; so that S&vres, having modi-fied its work, appeared, even to its worst de-tractors, to have entered into a secondyouth.

Perfection had not been reached in thenew work, and there were yet many pointsopen to criticism ; but it was evident that theState establishment had broken with thetraditions of works which might be classedas official and pueri le: that is, the smallcoffee-cups in kings blue, and the vases

destined for gifts to the Ministers and thePresident of the Republic.

It has been said somewhat maliciouslythat if the royal manufactory of Copen-hagen had not shown its porcelains in 1889,the exhibit of the Shvres manufactory of1900 could not have been made. This is astatement without basis; for in full justiceto the recent accomplishments and the pres-ent work of the Danish manufactory, it maybe said that these products are good, not forthe reason that they were made in Copen-hagen, but because they. are specimens of amodern and vitalized art ; because this estab-lishment, instead of producing pieces of asuperannuated style, devoted itself to thedecoration of porcelain in accordance withthe artistic tendencies of the nineteenthcentury.

At the moment when the S&vres manufac-tory broke with official and stupid tradi-tions, and with errors resulting from afaulty organization, it was fitted, owing tothe laboratories and workshops which it pos-sessed, to enter upon experiments much moresignificant than those lying within the pos-sibili ties of other establishments.

It can not be said that works such as thoseproduced at Copenhagen have been withoutinfluence upon the experiments at Sevres;but this influence proceeds less from Copen-hagen, considered in itself, than from theprinciples of which this manufactory, for abrief space, was one of the few worthy rep-resentatives. Therefore, from the timewhen SPvres acknowledged these principles,it was able to apply them with greater pre-cision and imtnediately to create works,which by beauty of substance, richness ofdecoration, perfection of workmanship, canbe classed with the ceramic masterpieces



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CERAMIC PRODUCTSproduced at Si%res during the eighteenthcentury, whose claim to merit lies in the factthat they belong absolutely to their period:representing it faithfully in both defectsand quali ties. The same can not be saidof the works which issued from the manu-factory during the greater part of the nine-teenth century. The latter indicated noth-ing, not even the taste of the period of theirbirth ; for, from the artistic point of view,they were always behind their time. Theywere types of those works to which the titleof official or governmental can be justly ap-plied. They represented routine ratherthan art. As the products of administra-tors who seemed much less interested in theirart than in gaining their rights to retire-ment and pension, they cast reproach anddiscredit upon an establishment, which, byvirtue of the scientific researches there pur-sued, ranks as the first porcelain manufac-tory of the world.

Today, we find altogether different con-ditions. S&res is no longer an isolatedplace of activity. I t is friendly to all inno-vations; to all experiments. In this oldhome of tradition, Cros has recently workedat his glass pastes, and Thesmar at his cl&8on98Jenameled upon soft paste. Porcelainhas been set aside for gr&; sculptors of allstyles furnish models for biscuit ware, and,indeed, in all that concerns modern ceramicart, there are few experiments that have notbeen made- at S&vres.

I f, then, the products of the nianufactoryare not always above reproach, one can nolonger, with justice, as would have been thecase twenty years since, blame the manufac-tory itself, but rather the times in which welive. SBvres participates in the movement.which forces art into new paths, and if one

criticises the manufactory itself, one can ex-tend the judgment in a general way to mod-ern art, which the products of S&es thor-oughly represent ; since the defects found inthese ceramics are faults common to all con-temporaneous works. This fact shouldplease us, as it argues well for the future ofthe institution: indicating that it is thou-

- ___, -_- --Porcelein vom br M. Wbleur

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. THE: CXAFTSMAN .. . .oughly vitalized and that it is obedient tothe evolution of art. I t is praiseworthyforsuch an institution not to arrest its own de-velopment ; to open wide its doors to artistswho are not marshalled in the forces of themanufactory, and to give these artists thepower to translate their thought into realitythrough the aid of processes elaborated in ascientific laboratory unique of its kind ;

Tend ml 8tatne. Winter, for open&executed in u&u: Henri Cn decoration.)B

through the aid. also of hands exquisitelyskilful. Such indeed are the true functionsof a State establishment.

Aa in the eighteenth century, the inanu-factory of. S&es does not today derive.&models from a single official artist or even amall group of designers. It pursues abroader policy and whenever a sculptor pre-sents a model ada.pted to execution in cer-amics, he is sure to be well received.

The manufactory is sometimes criticisedfor producing pieces other than duplicatesof those which were made for Pompadour orDu Barry. At the present time it wouldnot be difl lcult for the S&w establishment,with its great scientific resources, to effectsuch reproductions, since private industriessometimes successfully accomplish the sameungrateful task. But if this policy werefollowed, the same reproach would be made-as that which is often addressed to the royalDresden manufactory amely, that of de-basing, by copies more or less perfect, theold pieces produced in the eighteenth cent-ury. But the day when SQvres should en-gage in such a policy ought to be the lastone of its existence.

Instead, the manufactory lives, and al-though sometimes producing questionableworks, it shows that it has ,left the beatenpath of old ideas to follow the call of mod-ern influences.

Up to the most recent years, the produotion of biscuit ware at S&vres was almost en-tirely l imited to the rendering of certain oldmodels,-some of them good, the othersverging upon mediocrity. The really linemodels preserved in the Museum were oftenneglected, because much time and moneywould have been required to re-establishtheir production. The system of.repetition



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. THE CRAFTSMANern caryatides whose heavy hips recall theinnovations in sculpture made by Carpeaux,who dared to represent women as they are,and not as they appear in academic draw-ings, or in cold, grecoroman statues whichare the parallels of these.

S&es has produced bears, dogs, cats,birds and, lastly, the pigs of M. Cordier.Such models provoke the question why these

Biscuit figurine. Palm Sunday, by Law-hBlairsy

animals have hitherto been despised bysculptors, who have limited themselves to amere sketch of the wild boar. The dom&icpig is certainly interesting in both form andmovement, and it is not his fault if man hasapplied an evil sense to his name. He isvery interesting in his attitudes and action,which reveal an animal capable of develop-ment, if he were confided to persons moreintelligent than his usual keepers. I t re-mains for art as well as for pork-butchersto rehabilitate the pig, and for the formerto sweep away the foolish prejudice whichhas heretofore admitted him to her province,only upon condition that he was wild anddressed in bristles which spoiled the effect ofhis anatomy.

But the S&res biscuit ware is not con-flned to representations of animals, singleor in groups. I t is found in busts ap-proaching the natural size of human heads.Among these, several charming models mustbe mentioned, as, for example, Love, byLeonard, for which some sprite or valkyr ofthe fountain in the Rue de Grenelle wouldseem to have posed. This work is exquisiteand altogether worthy of Skvres. A bustof a little boy by Houssin is equally delicatein modeling, but the artist has hesitated inface of certain details : as, for instance, thehair, which he might have rendered moreminutely, while retaining a breadth of treat-ment peculiar to the ceramic art. Masterssuch as Houdon, and before him the sculp-tors of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,did not fear to admit such details and totranslate them with scrupulous precision.But they did not therefore fall into drynessand triviality. This is a criticism of smallpoints, but they are still points of value.Biscuit ware, like marble, demands of the



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CERAMIC PRODUCTSartist hat he ehall not mass too freely. Awork of sculpture is not a sketch, and thisfact is ignored to-day by certain sculptorswho allow workmen to translate literally intomarble a rough draft in clay or wax.Expressly for Skvres, M. Larche has ex-ecuted a centerpiece indicative of thoughtand talent. He has grouped about a fe-male figure, symbolizing the year, othergraceful and smaller forms typifying theseasons; while children, whose faces clusterabout the central figure, represent the days.

The conception is a happy one, and, takenseparately, each one of the figures ha5 realmerit. The whole result is less satisfying,when the figures are assembled and grouped,by reason of a very. apparent fault of, scale ;the central figure being too small for thelength of base. In this fact lies a seriouserror in architecture, and even in sculpture :,for in attempting, to group figures,. the art-ist falls under fixed laws of proportion.

beensculptured in marble ; it even send5 outoriginal works, and Henri Cros, known forhis experiment5 in gla5s pastes, ha5 juetmodeled four terminal statues, the seasons,in fine half-antique, half-modern style, re-plete with that indefinable charm which ispeculiar to him. The effect of these works,standing in the shade

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The Craftsman - 1904 - 01 - January