﻿March, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  93 
  

  

  cessful 
  architecture. 
  The 
  mind 
  must 
  

   have 
  championship. 
  The 
  fashioning 
  

   of 
  deal-wood 
  is 
  no 
  companionship 
  no 
  

   matter 
  how 
  ingenious. 
  Why 
  do 
  we 
  

   neglect 
  the 
  natural 
  grandeur 
  of 
  

   America 
  — 
  the 
  Yosemite 
  Valley 
  and 
  

   the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  for 
  Europe, 
  

   every 
  summer 
  — 
  that 
  is 
  every 
  summer 
  

   we 
  can? 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  ancient 
  civilization, 
  

   the 
  same 
  personal 
  element 
  that 
  lurks 
  

   in 
  every 
  nook 
  and 
  corner 
  of 
  "Witch 
  

   Wood." 
  The 
  very 
  panels 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  front 
  door 
  have 
  their 
  story, 
  the 
  

   cross 
  of 
  St. 
  Andrew 
  was 
  the 
  talisman 
  

   used 
  in 
  "Scarlet 
  Letter" 
  days 
  to 
  drive 
  

   the 
  witches 
  off. 
  The 
  secret 
  closet 
  on 
  

   the 
  stairway 
  (see 
  plan) 
  concealed 
  by 
  

   the 
  stair 
  paneling, 
  if 
  there 
  be 
  no 
  real 
  

   ghosts 
  in 
  a 
  new 
  house, 
  yet 
  contains 
  

   an 
  imaginary 
  treasure 
  box 
  hidden 
  by 
  

   a 
  rich 
  tory 
  relative 
  during 
  the 
  revolu- 
  

   tion, 
  not 
  to 
  forget 
  the 
  relics 
  of 
  the 
  

   regicide 
  who 
  owed 
  his 
  life 
  to 
  the 
  se- 
  

   curity 
  of 
  this 
  deftly 
  contrived 
  retreat. 
  

   The 
  secret 
  closet 
  is 
  a 
  mezzanine 
  affair 
  

   fitted 
  into 
  the 
  huge 
  chimney 
  stack. 
  

  

  And 
  then 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  ample 
  clustered 
  chimney 
  itself, 
  the 
  

   central 
  mainstay 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  fabric 
  around 
  which 
  life, 
  in 
  the 
  

   times 
  of 
  our 
  forefathers, 
  revolved. 
  The 
  chimney 
  at 
  "Witch 
  

   Wood," 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  plan, 
  has 
  a 
  passage 
  through 
  

  

  A 
  Large 
  Open 
  Fireplace 
  with 
  Paneled 
  Over 
  

   mantel 
  Is 
  Placed 
  in 
  the 
  Living-room 
  

  

  not 
  very 
  clear 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  views 
  

   herewith 
  presented. 
  

  

  Mrs. 
  Cromwell 
  looked 
  at 
  her 
  

   furniture, 
  and 
  remarked: 
  "I 
  have 
  

   scarcely 
  a 
  piece 
  that 
  properly 
  belongs 
  

   here. 
  We 
  shall 
  have 
  to 
  live 
  up 
  to 
  

   this 
  house 
  by 
  slow 
  degrees." 
  But 
  

   better 
  this 
  way 
  than 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  repre- 
  

   sentative 
  collection 
  of 
  historical 
  

   furniture 
  in 
  a 
  poor 
  architectural 
  set- 
  

   ting. 
  That 
  is 
  an 
  almost 
  hopeless 
  

   anachronism 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  practically 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  do 
  anything 
  with 
  the 
  

   house, 
  especially 
  if 
  the 
  furniture 
  be 
  

   of 
  the 
  vintage 
  of 
  say 
  1875. 
  Every 
  

   cultivated 
  person, 
  nowadays, 
  is 
  a 
  

   furniture 
  collector 
  who 
  is 
  constantly 
  

   weeding 
  out 
  and 
  improving 
  his 
  stock. 
  

   Another 
  decided 
  advantage 
  the 
  

   architect 
  had 
  was 
  permission 
  to 
  use 
  

   the 
  small 
  sized 
  lights 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  upper 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  

   windows. 
  Not 
  many 
  of 
  an 
  archi- 
  

   tect's 
  patrons 
  will 
  readily 
  agree 
  to 
  

   this, 
  and 
  he 
  often 
  had 
  much 
  con- 
  

   cern 
  how 
  to 
  gain 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  so 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  one's 
  happiness 
  with 
  the 
  big 
  sheets 
  of 
  plate 
  glass 
  

   clients 
  have 
  demanded. 
  Indeed 
  the 
  sash 
  bars 
  do 
  not 
  obscure 
  

   the 
  vision 
  as 
  is 
  always 
  argued, 
  more 
  than 
  one's 
  vision 
  is 
  

   obscured 
  by 
  the 
  projection 
  of 
  the 
  nose. 
  One 
  may 
  look 
  cross- 
  

  

  An 
  Artistic 
  Inglenook 
  in 
  the 
  Dining-room 
  Has 
  

   a 
  Paneled 
  Seat 
  and 
  a 
  Colonial 
  Mantel 
  

  

  A 
  Stairway 
  Within 
  the 
  Stately 
  Doorway 
  Is 
  

   the 
  Feature 
  of 
  the 
  Paneled 
  Hall 
  

  

  A 
  Quaint 
  China 
  Cabinet 
  Is 
  Built 
  in 
  the 
  Corner 
  

   of 
  the 
  Dining-room 
  

  

  it, 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  a 
  development 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  day, 
  but 
  with 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  advantages, 
  the 
  two 
  piers 
  being 
  united 
  by 
  an 
  arch 
  in 
  the 
  

   attic. 
  

  

  We 
  do 
  not 
  expect 
  every 
  one, 
  however, 
  to 
  note 
  all 
  the 
  his- 
  

   torical 
  development 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  faithfully 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  

   this 
  Highland 
  Mills 
  cottage. 
  The 
  orthodox 
  details, 
  one 
  

   after 
  another, 
  will 
  impress 
  themselves 
  upon 
  the 
  much 
  in- 
  

   terested 
  reader, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  overhanging 
  upon 
  which 
  he 
  will 
  

   one 
  day 
  discover 
  the 
  molded 
  chamfers 
  which, 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  

   mill 
  that 
  did 
  the 
  work 
  due 
  credit, 
  are 
  beautifully 
  executed, 
  

   likewise 
  the 
  molded 
  drops, 
  all 
  very 
  satisfactory. 
  The 
  ex- 
  

   periments 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  were 
  not 
  less 
  successful, 
  but 
  are 
  

  

  eyed, 
  and 
  encounter 
  the 
  objection, 
  but 
  one 
  does 
  not 
  care 
  to 
  

   look 
  cross-eyed 
  habitually. 
  It 
  all 
  depends 
  upon 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  

   focus 
  chosen. 
  There 
  are 
  always 
  kindly 
  disposed 
  friends 
  to 
  

   tell 
  the 
  owner 
  he 
  is 
  making 
  a 
  great 
  mistake 
  with 
  the 
  small 
  

   lights 
  of 
  glass 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  afterward 
  to 
  find 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  

   will 
  admit 
  having 
  thought 
  the 
  small 
  panes 
  anything 
  other 
  

   than 
  perfectly 
  entrancing. 
  

  

  This 
  waiting 
  to 
  see 
  which 
  way 
  the 
  cat 
  is 
  going 
  to 
  jump 
  in 
  

   a 
  matter 
  of 
  art 
  is 
  an 
  evidence 
  of 
  either 
  prejudice 
  or 
  fatuity. 
  

   In 
  an 
  age 
  of 
  magazines 
  and 
  free 
  libraries 
  an 
  education 
  suffi- 
  

   cient 
  to 
  distinguish 
  between 
  what 
  is 
  true 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  false 
  in 
  

   architecture 
  is 
  easily 
  within 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  everybody. 
  

  

  