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Show I I I Architectural Ideals I Some Reasons Why This Art Has Remained Backward in America I By A. O. TREGANZA I 1 Western architecture has a distinct advantage over eastern American architecture in that there is less of it. Buildings of the past three decades have suffered like everything else through the general predominance of the money-getting habit. Lately a new spirit has been spreading over the country and western architecture may be its chief beneficiary for it comes at the j beginning of a period when the West is just beginning to catch up j to its future, and when the desire for a "city beautiful" is finding ! an outlet in the striving for more in architecture than mere materials J plus engineering. A demand is growing for a national school of architecture. We no longer try to build an example of the Gothic along side of an example of the Classic, with perhaps a good sample of Queen Anne facing them across the street. The question then becomes important, "What of America's buildings represents the beginning of a movement towards a National style?" Buildings which ten years ago we looked upon with admiring admir-ing eyes and thought to be wonderful, have been torn clown and supplanted sup-planted by those which at present look equally wonderful. We must judge of a people's literateur by their best work, the few masterpieces they produce, not by their business letters. So with our architecture. Those structures which are permanent and are not affected by changing ideas and fluctuating values, our government gov-ernment buildings, great educational institutions, libraries, churches, etc. ; these should be the true standard of our ability to express ourselves our-selves architecturally. A nation's people rarely countenance public doings that are not I in accord and do not meet with their feelings and sentiments. Then in judging of our public architecture let us do so knowing that it is of our own manufacture, and that if we find it lacking in any qualities we must know that those same qualities are lacking in our lives. The architect who works to-day is simply an interpreter of the national life of his time, expressing her all as an open book by which other nations may take her measure. Let us see ourselves as other nations see us, let us compare ourselves with other nations, as it is only by comparison that we know the good from the bad. Italy derives an annual income of $50,000,000 from those who 1 travel there for the purpose of seeing her art in architecture. Through the encouragement of the higher arts France derives a yearly reward of $150,000,000 from those who are attracted there, or a five per cent, income on three billions of dollars. America through her lack of encouragement en-couragement in these arts has a yearly outgoing of nearly one-tenth of a total of the before mentioned amounts, or $20,000,000 which 'r those of our people who can afford it pay France and Italy for the privilege of seeing that which is the noblest and most elevating of man's handiwork. We, as Americans, boast of our great advancement in commerce and goodness knows what all. In our blindness we are doing homage to France and Italy to the extent of $20,000,000 per annum and in so doing admitting their grdatness over us. Twenty million dollars' I worth of encouragement to them with practically no thought of our selves. This is a good example of where charity does not begin I at home. I Is it through a lack of pride, or is it through ignorance that we as a people are so lacking in that most noble of the three arts, that ! which elevates men's minds to the better and higher things of life. I 4 It may with a small proportion be a little of both lack of pride and ignorance, but with the majority it is a case of near-sightedness. We are deceiving ourselves as to what constitutes greatness and glory. The glasses through which the majority of Americans have been in ! the habit of looking are especially conducive to near-sightedness. iGold rims, a silver disk lens stamped with the American eagle, and worn very close to the eyes. What a godsend were we as an American people to adopt the monocle. It would at least leave the H vision of one eye unobstructed so that in time it would become H normal. H "The strength of nations is measured by their commerce or their conquests, but the glory of a people is measured by their art and H literature." In some cases the wealth of a people is measured by H their collection of art. The American sculptor who said this evidently H wore no glasses of American manufacture. H Why is it that we do not have the architecture of Europe for H the glory of our own? It is a lack of education with the masses, H by their not having those things kept constantly before them where H they may see, know, and feel their meaning and value; that and noth- H ing else. It is a true saying that "A man's nature becomes a part of that which he sees." If the American is always to have placed H before him the words, strength and power, as the goal which he H must reach, and that symbolized only by the dollar sign, his nature H must of necessity become a part of it, but such must not be the case. H We cannot afford it, cither individually or as a nation, for we H would be sacrificing all that which is best in man's nature. H We have reached a point in our nation's career where we must H decide whether we shall have a place in history architecturally. H It may seem that we are fast reaching upwards in sculpture, H painting, music, drama, etc., and we arc developing, but less rapidly, H the phonetic side of Architecture. H There are several reasons for this. In the first place the painter, H sculptor, musician, or actor, generally speaking, performs his work H unrestricted by others; he is free to give expression to his feelings and H emotions as they reveal themselves to him, thus putting all the in- H dividuality and merit of which he is capable into his work. In this H he has the best of the architect, although such should not be the case. H Generally speaking, the architect works, spending another man's or H men's money, consequently subordinate to another's ideas. When he H has such feelings and emotions as would lead him to throw his whole I soul and every energy into that which he may have to do, thereby H giving to it the individuality, that definite purpose and meaning, H which represents a thought or motive well expressed, he must always I be hampered by the thought that the Omnipotent One who has placed H such implicit confidence and abiding faith in his ability, may happen H around and after a careful scrutiny of what has been done, will, with I all due respect to the architect's feelings, and for which the architect H should be truly grateful, offer such suggestions and changes as he H deems are most befitting and elevating to the theme in hand. , H It is undoubtedly only after years of study that he, the owner, H has been able to qualify himself to make these instantaneous criti- H cisms, which show such a keen conception of the fitness of every- H thing. H We have in America as great talent in architecture, as we have in H any of the other higher arts, but until Americans can go to an archi- H tcct the same as to a doctor, lawyer, or any other professional man, H state their case, and then have confidence in his ability to execute and H conduct that case in the proper way, we need not hope to look for H better things. H That we are not reaching upwards in the other high arts as fast H as we should, is proven in the very fact that we cannot hold in our H country the best and greatest talent, which should be rightly ours. H They go to Paris, Munich, Rome, London. Why? Because there H their entire surroundings are of a like nature as their own, not alone H because they come in ""direct contact with those following their same H line of art, but it is due to that close relation which all the great arts I have one with the other, and through this close affiliation each in- H spires and assists in the growth of the other, the surroundings and H environments producing an atmosphere of like feeling and nature, I (Continued on Pago 1G.) H ARCHITECTURAL IDEALS (Continued from Pago 3.) That same power which moves the soul of the great singer, moves also the being of the great artist, as it comes from the same source. Here arc two examples of what has just been stated, as I heard them word for word : "I have been so inspired and lifted up by grand music that I have felt I could paint as I had never painted before, even though the canvas were sixty feet off and I were compelled to throw the brushes at it." This was said by one of our American , artists who is very close to, if not in the first ranks. "When I am worn out and need an inspiration for my work there is nothing that will give those higher and better feelings than to chuck it all, and go to hear a fine rendition by a master orchestra." This was said by one of our foremost architects. It is true that we arc comparatively a young nation, and strength and power are things for which we have been compelled to struggle hard, and it is well that they have been kept always before vs, bit', now that such are ours, surely we may spend a very small portion of time and money in bringing before us such things as may, in the future, teach us to know arid feel the higher gifts of man, and as a result, to demand that which shall be reckoned in our future history as our nation's glory; that which shall show a refinement in sentiment senti-ment and taste of our nation as a whole. The meanest beggar in Italy to-day has a keener sense of appreciation ap-preciation and love of the true and beautiful than seventy-five per cent, of our Americans, and it is due wholly to his constant association and coming in contact with such things, until he knows them to such an extent that they have become a part of his' life and nature, and it is thus that his nation's architecture represents his sentiments and feelings. Were even a small proportion of such an amount as w.t pay France and Italy each year to see their Phonetic arts, spent in our own country for public or even private improvements, where tho'sc same people who go afar could see them all the time, and where those; who cannot afford the luxury of travel could see and know their meaning by constant actual association, our minds would of necessity u.rn more and more to their up-building and growth. As each new public ;.rchitcctural improvement was made and carefully studied, it would mean that something better must be forthcoming with each following new step. I say this, knowing that when we as a people undertake a purpose, we accomplish it, and that we should go ahead and nut backward. I should like to make myself clear as regards the meaning of "public architectural improvements," by giving a correct definition of the word architecture, for which I shall take Fergusson as authority. au-thority. Architecture is ornamental and ornamented construction; therefore architecture is not limited to buildings or places of shelter which is the commonly accepted meaning of the word. It means anything any-thing that may come under the head of construction by means of building materials, such as bridges, monuments, approaches, boulevards, boule-vards, entrances, etc. Strip Italy of her fountains, monumental statues, terraces, bridges and approaches, leaving nothing but her buildings and you have robbed her of one-third of her architectural beauty. Do the same with France, destroy her boulevards, gardens, etc.,' and Americans would lose somewhat of their ardor to view her architectural beauties. The architectural surroundings and settings, such as gateways, approaches, fountains, boulevards leading to, and many other things, these arc more than half the making of many a monumental building. Take for instance, some of the Verouian and Florentine bridges with their approaches, the' are in themselves architectural monuments monu-ments that would do credit to any nation. A leading weekly magazine maga-zine recently showed only too plainly the vast difference between the bridges built in France and those of our country. In France they are made a thing of beauty. The bridge itself is given all the Phonetic qualities possible, the approaches arc studied with the most delicate sense of fitness, and all the space and room needed is give.i. In America it is a question of how much steel it will take to carry a given load over a given span, and how little space it is possible to get along with. In France it is architecture. In America it is purely engineering without a thought for beauty. It is not for lack of room that we do not 7iavc these beautiful boulevards, grand approaches to bridges, and all that which mig' tend to elevate our minds as we go about our daily life. In America we have all out of doors, and so many opportunities where nature herself could be called upon to furnish fur-nish half the enchantment and beauty of the scene, but no, here again is where our public improvements are simply a eflection of our individual daily life. For an example of the indivit1 J A man with abundant means buys a little once by twice lot, finds out he can make a deal with his friend, and incidentally a little profit by- selling him one-half, and then have room to build on his now little once by half lot which is left. He goes on his way rejoicing, thinking he has achieved a greatness by having made a good speculation in property, and at the same time securing for himself a most enviable and beautiful beauti-ful building lot. The erection of a home is then commenced on the prize lot, and at completion, lo and behold, there is no lot; it has A become all house. It reminds one of an. infant wearing a Vaquero w sombrero. Where is the infant? This is only one of many different ways in which no thought has been given to the surroundings that should be so productive of that quiet, restful simplicity, and retiring privacy which should be the environment of every home. Some may ask the question Has America the talent and genius, has she those who arc inspired with Phonetic thought and feeling sufficient to give her that which she needs? Those of you who visited the Columbian Exposition at Chicago cannot stop to think twice and ask' the question a second time. There in one mighty jump we hurdled all nations since the time of Greece. Unrestricted by expense, ex-pense, not cramped for room, the pent up genius and starved talent, of that little army of co-workers at Chicago, burst forth, giving to jft the world an architectural display of such perfection and great magnitude mag-nitude as the world has never before nor since seen. Some of the greatest men of Europe came to see, those who were most capable and competent to judge, and they were unanimous in giving the one " verdict, that we had sounded a higher keynote than has ever been heard in any other nation. Of all the buildings in that mighty array the Fine Arts stood out alone. As a classical monument it has no equal in existence to-day, and it is to the memory of Mr. Atwood that we owe the honor of this great glory. A most peculiar thing about the exposition, especially noted by those in charge, and causing much comment at the time, was that all who came devoted much more of their time to studying and admiring the buildings than they did in looking at the exhibits. This goes to show that we as a nation, can and do appreciate good things, and know them when we see them, but we are such a utilitarian and commercial com-mercial people, and these phases of life have been so strongly inculcated incul-cated in our natures, through our struggles for existence and a footing with other nations, that we have let them be crowded out and slip from us. The one and only remedy is to get such things before us as soon as possible and keep them there so that they may be a constant reminder re-minder to us of what their true worth and value really are. There has been much discussion as to why we do not have an architecture that is truly and distinctively our own, a style that shall have its birth in our own country. The answer to that is: Let us have archiecturc in its true sense and meaning, and we shall not be long in finding out whether or not our American talent and genius shall be able to evolve for us a style that is truly our own. Do not understand by this that I am at all confident that we shall evolve a new and independent style, for equally as good if not better men have striven through all ages to try and excel that which was done by the Greeks, but as yet no one has succeeded. The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders of architecture, as given expression to by the Greeks, are more nearly perfection than has ever been reached through any other lines. Just as often as men have turned from the classic orders in the past 2000 years, just so often have they returned, finding that no other so nearly fulfills the meaning of the words beauty in architecture. archi-tecture. Even though we as a nation should never evolve a new and distinctive dis-tinctive style, we may still have that which shall be known and called an American style, by our application of the classics to our wants and needs as a people and nation, the same as has been done by every nation before our time. The question has been asked many times when the subject has come up in this form, why. with architects knowing all this do they u not start a reformation. No matter how strong or talented a man may be if he is bound hand and foot by lack of opportunity, he is able to help himself but little, and it is for those who know what those bonds are to assist him in loosing them. Make for him that opportunity, oppor-tunity, and with all the love he has for his profession and country. the architect will make all there is of that opportunity. AN INTERESTED QUESTION. The young wife of a prominent New York physician teaches a Sunday school class of small boys. One Sunday not long ago. after she had finished telling them the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, she said : "Is there any question you would like to ask me before we go on ! 0 with the catechism?" "Yes'm," answered little Sammy Eastwood. "Well, what is it, Sammy?" "Will you give me a ride in your automobile?" The question was not answered then, but as a matter of record Sammy got the ride. New York Times. j |