"The inoro scntinioiit of home, witli its thousand associations, lias, hkc a stronjj nnclior, 

 saved many a man from shipwreck in tlie storms of life. How nnieii tlie moral intliience 

 of that sentiment may be increased, hy making the home all that it shonld he, and how 

 mnch an attachment is strengthened hy every external sign of beauty that awakens lovo 

 in the young, are so well understood, that they need no demonstration here. All to 

 which the heart can attach itself in youth, and the memory linger fimdly over in riper 

 years, contributes largely to our stock of happiness, and to the elevation of the moral 

 character. For this reason, the condition of the family home, in this country where 

 every man may have a home, should bo raised, till it shall symbolize the best character 

 and pursuits, and the dearest affections and enjoyments of social life." 



Quickly after the ai)pearancc of Mr. Downinci's works, tlie architecture of tlie country, 

 and especially in the suburbs of cities and villages, assumed an entirely new aspect. 

 Taste was aroused, but not cultivated ; and thousands of variously fashioned cotta^^es and 

 villas started up as if by magic, — some tasteful and beautiful, many ugly, and not a 

 few ridiculous ; but all, even the worst, an improvement on the meagre, monotonous 

 structures of tlie olden time. Travelers noted the change, and spoke of it with agree- 

 able surprise. Mr. Dowxixo himself was encouraged with the evidences of Lis influ- 

 ence, and plied his pen industriously ; so that in a few years his works fonned several 

 Tolumes. Others entered the same field, and so Wueelek's ^^ Bural Homes" and 

 Allen's ^^ Farm House" came to the rescue. These works have all contnbuted their 

 mite; and to-day we see improvements going forward in all directions. There is no 

 lono-er an universal apathy on the subject, but nearly every man seems to desire to 

 make his dwellings, and even his out-buildings, not merely comfortable and convenient, 

 but to his mind, at least, in some degree beautiful. This is well. Our writers on this 

 subject have not labored wholly in vain. Such an impulse has been given to the public 

 mind as will eventually lead to a thorough reformation, and place our domestic archi- 

 tecture in a position worthy of a people so enlightened, prosperous, and independent. 



Much, however, has yet to be done. It can not be denied but that there is a voiy 

 general ignorance among the masses of the people, in regard to architecture. Much 

 as the works referred to have accomplished, in the way of arousing taste and feeling 

 on tho subject, they have done little, very little, to disseminate a knowledge of the 

 rudiments and details of architecture. They have portrayed the advantages of com- 

 fortable and convenient houses, the moral and social influence of tasteful and beautiful 

 homes, and they have laid before our eyes handsome pictures for us to imitate ; but 

 the piinciples of beauty and fitness, the details of structure, are as badly understood 

 as ever, and plans and elevations are scarcely intelligible to one in a thousand. This 

 is positively the case among even the well-read and most intelligent and refined por- 

 tion of the community ; and our belief is, that while such ignorance exists, we shall 

 continue to witness, as we do now, a large number of the attempts to build tasteful 

 houses resulting in blunders and deformities. 



AVhat we want, then, is a popular knowledge of architecture, and a cultivated pop- 

 ular taste. " Good sense," observes an eminent writer, " may exist without good taste ; 

 yet from their intimate connection, many persons are as much oftended at having their 

 taste as their understanding disputed. Hence, the most ignorant being generally the 

 obstinate, I have occasionally found that as a little learning is a dangerous 

 e taste is a troublesome one. Both taste and understanding require cultivation 



