AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



July, 1906 



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The Library Has an Arched Ceiling ; the Fireplace Has a Gilded Over-Mantel with Carved Columns ; the Furnishings and Drapery are Green 



and in the recesses immediately adjoining are paneled seats 

 below windows glazed with leaded glass. The walls are 

 paneled in wood throughout and the furnishings and drap- 

 eries are of green brocade. 



French gray is the prevailing coloring of the dining-room. 

 The fireplace has a marble facing encased within the wood 

 frame; above is a built-in mirror, richly carved. On either 

 side are china closets. The furniture is upholstered in coral 

 brocade, and the rug, tapestry, draperies and wall decora- 

 tions are of similar tone. The ceiling, which is supported on 



a decorated cornice, is plain, save for two severe circles in 

 the center from which the chandelier depends. 



The terrace without the house is a lounging place of sin- 

 gular beauty and interest. A broad cement floor adjoins the 

 house and is covered by an awning which is removed in 

 winter, thus permitting free entry to sunlight in the winter 

 season. The ends of the terrace are enclosed within a low 

 stone wall, but the opened railing of iron in the center gives 

 an opportunity for an uninterrupted view of the land- 

 scape without. 



Parks — Large and Small 



I HAT parks are the breathing places of cities 

 has become an aphorism. It is a statement 

 soundly true, and yet it by no means ex- 

 presses the modern conception of parks. It 

 is the older point of view that parks were 

 breathing places, places for recreation and 

 rest, for pleasant passing to and fro, for gentle driving and 

 riding, if one had the means, for quiet retreat on a sum- 

 mer's day or for a family picnic at stated seasons. Very 

 useful the parks were for all these purposes, and others like 

 them, but they hardly correspond to the modern ideas of 

 parks. 



In the modern city parks are not breathing spots and 

 places of resort alone or resort only, but they are absolute 

 necessities, an essential part of the utilities of every com- 

 munity, large and small. This places them in an entirely 

 new aspect, and one much more important than they could 

 have under the earlier notion. So long as a park is looked 

 upon as a mere pleasure resort it will receive but secondary 

 consideration. There are so many essential things that re- 

 quire the public money that any object which has simply 



pleasure for its end and aim is apt to receive scant attention 

 from even the most careless of city fathers. Parks are no 

 longer regarded as " frills " in municipal councils, but are 

 viewed, and rightly, as among the first of essentials. 



At the beginning the parks were confined to the larger 

 cities. Where great numbers of people were brought to- 

 gether it seemed obviously necessary to provide some public 

 place, if not for recreation, at least for open-air enjoyment. 

 Our most notable parks are still associated with our largest 

 cities, but many smaller communities have come to know 

 their value, and park after park has been added to our small 

 towns as a regular feature of town development. 



And with this new idea as to the value of parks has come 

 their rapid extension in the large cities. Parks that seemed 

 ample enough for communities of considerable size are now 

 found quite too small for modern needs. It has not often 

 been found possible to extend the size of existing parks, nor 

 has that always been desirable. As cities have grown the 

 problems of transportation have become more complex. A 

 park advantageously situated twenty-five years ago is now- 

 only convenient to a portion of the population. Hence there 



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