Art Out-of-Doors 



with the well-known Longfellow house in 

 Cambridge. 



But the introduction of classical fashions 

 in architecture meant the erection of por- 

 ticos, and the addition which they made 

 to comfort has never again been dispensed 

 with. When classic forms were abandoned 

 in favor of what has been dubbed our 



vernacular " style of architecture — when 

 little temples gave way to plain, square, box- 

 like houses with gabled roofs — the portico 

 vanished, but its place was taken by a modi- 

 fication of the veranda v/hich had long been 

 in use in all southern lands. I speak of the 

 course of things in our Northern States ; at 

 the South, where Spanish influence was felt, 

 verandas and balconies seem to have been 

 used from the earliest times. 



When we say a ' ' vernacular ' ^ style of 

 architecture, we mean one which has been 

 the unaffected outcome of universal needs 

 and desires and, therefore, whatever its de- 

 fects from an artistic point of view, must 

 have a large mieasure of practical fitness to 

 recommend it. Many factors of such a style 

 must persevere if progress in art is to mean 



124 



