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  • The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine
  • Dec. 31, 1864
  • Page 4
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The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, Dec. 31, 1864: Page 4

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    Article ITALY. ← Page 2 of 2
    Article ART AS APPLIED TO FURNITURE. Page 1 of 2 →
Page 4

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Italy.

Lodge Les Amis de 1 'Avenir , received the folloAVing communication : — Private Cabinet of the P . S . G . G . Grand Master , Garibaldi . To all brethren of the universal Masonic brotherhood , greeting ,

I am most thankful to you for the complimentary expressions in which you have couched your delightful letter , dated August 15 th . I shall direct the Supremo Council of the Grand Orient of Palermo to enter upon a fraternal intercourse with your most respectable lodge .

To you , and to all the associates of the French Demoeratia inilit . ans , which is the hope of all mankind , I send fraternal greeting . Your devoted , G . GAEIBALDI , 33 ° . Orient of Caprera , Oct . 25 th , 1864 , V . E .

Supreme Council of the Grand Orient of Italy , of the ancient Scottish rite , adopted by the Orient of Palermo . Palermo , Nov . 2 Cth , 1 SG 4 , V . E . Dearest Brethren , —It gives us much plec sure to inform yon that our Most Illustrious Grand Master ,

G . Garibaldi , has transmitted to us tho original of the plate of your respectable lodge , bearing the date of August 15 th last . We hail Avith happiness ancl delight your proposal to enter upon a friendly intercourse Avith the lodges of our circle , and Ave hasten to ive them due notice of

g your intention ; and Ave forward to you their titles , as shown in the enclosed roll . You may , clearest brethren , freely confer with them in future , and rest assured that they will be , like us , most delighted to exchange sentiments of mutual fraternity , and co-operate Avith you to bring about

the realisation of our hearty wishes for the Masonic brotherhood . Accept , dearest brethren , our fraternal salutations .

Do _ u _ . ico ZACCAEIO , L . G . M . ad interim . A list of the fifty-one lodges of the circle of the Orient of Palermo , is appended to this communication .

Art As Applied To Furniture.

ART AS APPLIED TO FURNITURE .

At the last monthly meeting of the Bristol Society of Architect ^ , Mr . C . S . Fripp in tbe chair , after Mr . E . W . Godwin had made some observations on the progress of the students ' class , Mr . H . Crisp read a paper on Art as applied to

Domestic Furniture , of Avhich Ave give an outline : — The present century , he remarked , has Avitnessed a revival of art , and this revival has shown during the last few years a . decided advance , generally speaking , in the right direction . But Avith all this little , if any , encouragement has been given

to the manufacture of art furniture , the public , as a rule , being quite satisfied to place themselves in the upholsterers' hands , thus being entirely guided and controlled in their selection of the articles they may require , as to what is the correct thing for this room or that room , by the opinions and

assertions of a man who , though he may be a respectable and honest tradesman , is , with very feAv exceptions , no more competent to thus adjudicate than the veriest child . We may often meet with men , and Avomen too , whose knowledge of the fine arts and AA hose opinions thereon pass

current in the world , and sometimes happily right in their choice or judgment iu such matters . But , when they come to the question of furniture , all they really know of the matter is what they want , ancl what they like or dislike , and for AA'hich likes and dislikes they can assign no better reason than that they do so like or dislike . What course , therefore , is pursued by those persons of otherwise good

ancl cultivated VIOAVS when they are called upon to furnish their houses , and in the building and decoration of which they have , perhaps , given eAddence of the possession of cultivated minds ? They go to their upholsterer , and , if they do not actually ask for his opinion , they tacitly alloAV themselves

to be persuaded into this or that as "fashionable , " " genteel , " and "much in request . " The result is that , instead of having their walls covered with stories on grounds of plain or diapered colours , you see large and unmeaning patterns , " the last neAv design , " full of confusion and distortion .

The same thing applies to their curtains , and hideous and senseless scrolls , and twists , and mouldings , and caning , and perhaps gilding and tasteless decorations , are seen in their massive and expensiA r e furniture . It is really at times matter for Avonderment AVIIO and where are the designers of all these tortuous twists and absurdities ; and what makes the matter more offensive is that in

many things , such as glass frames , cornices , & c , all this elaboration and show is but mere deception , consisting of composition work stuck on in different pieces , Avhich many an innocent and unsuspecting purchaser , when too late , discovers to his surprise and cost . It is an easily proved fact that scarcely

ever is an article to be found coming from a modern upholsterer ' s shop Avhich cau in any AVay obtain credit for possessing tiie commonest principles of good design . HOAV often are to be seen articles of furniture , Avhich , if left almost entirely to then OAvn simple and necessary form of construction

and framework , Avould be good in design and pleasing to the eye , but which are turned into shapeless and ugly objects by ha \ dng the structure carefully concealed by all sorts of paddings , stuffings , carvings , and tAvistings . Take , for examplethe puffedand bloAvn-out settees and

, , couches in the fashionably-furnithed drawingrooms , snd the common easy-chair of the present day . When we see our domestic architecture improving - , whyshouldthe accessories to ourdwellings

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1864-12-31, Page 4” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 22 June 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_31121864/page/4/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
GRAND LODGE. Article 1
FREEMASONRY IN THE LEVANT. Article 2
ITALY. Article 3
ART AS APPLIED TO FURNITURE. Article 4
THE FORTHCOMING DUBLIN EXHIBITION. Article 5
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 6
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 8
THE EARLY GRAND AND HIGH KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. Article 9
THE MASONIC MIRROR. Article 9
PROVINCIAL. Article 9
ROYAL ARCH. Article 10
SCOTLAND. Article 10
IRELAND. Article 11
CHANNEL ISLANDS. Article 12
INDIA. Article 12
CHINA. Article 13
Obituary. Article 14
LITERARY EXTRACTS. Article 14
Poetry. Article 15
PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS. Article 16
Untitled Article 17
THE WEEK. Article 18
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Italy.

Lodge Les Amis de 1 'Avenir , received the folloAVing communication : — Private Cabinet of the P . S . G . G . Grand Master , Garibaldi . To all brethren of the universal Masonic brotherhood , greeting ,

I am most thankful to you for the complimentary expressions in which you have couched your delightful letter , dated August 15 th . I shall direct the Supremo Council of the Grand Orient of Palermo to enter upon a fraternal intercourse with your most respectable lodge .

To you , and to all the associates of the French Demoeratia inilit . ans , which is the hope of all mankind , I send fraternal greeting . Your devoted , G . GAEIBALDI , 33 ° . Orient of Caprera , Oct . 25 th , 1864 , V . E .

Supreme Council of the Grand Orient of Italy , of the ancient Scottish rite , adopted by the Orient of Palermo . Palermo , Nov . 2 Cth , 1 SG 4 , V . E . Dearest Brethren , —It gives us much plec sure to inform yon that our Most Illustrious Grand Master ,

G . Garibaldi , has transmitted to us tho original of the plate of your respectable lodge , bearing the date of August 15 th last . We hail Avith happiness ancl delight your proposal to enter upon a friendly intercourse Avith the lodges of our circle , and Ave hasten to ive them due notice of

g your intention ; and Ave forward to you their titles , as shown in the enclosed roll . You may , clearest brethren , freely confer with them in future , and rest assured that they will be , like us , most delighted to exchange sentiments of mutual fraternity , and co-operate Avith you to bring about

the realisation of our hearty wishes for the Masonic brotherhood . Accept , dearest brethren , our fraternal salutations .

Do _ u _ . ico ZACCAEIO , L . G . M . ad interim . A list of the fifty-one lodges of the circle of the Orient of Palermo , is appended to this communication .

Art As Applied To Furniture.

ART AS APPLIED TO FURNITURE .

At the last monthly meeting of the Bristol Society of Architect ^ , Mr . C . S . Fripp in tbe chair , after Mr . E . W . Godwin had made some observations on the progress of the students ' class , Mr . H . Crisp read a paper on Art as applied to

Domestic Furniture , of Avhich Ave give an outline : — The present century , he remarked , has Avitnessed a revival of art , and this revival has shown during the last few years a . decided advance , generally speaking , in the right direction . But Avith all this little , if any , encouragement has been given

to the manufacture of art furniture , the public , as a rule , being quite satisfied to place themselves in the upholsterers' hands , thus being entirely guided and controlled in their selection of the articles they may require , as to what is the correct thing for this room or that room , by the opinions and

assertions of a man who , though he may be a respectable and honest tradesman , is , with very feAv exceptions , no more competent to thus adjudicate than the veriest child . We may often meet with men , and Avomen too , whose knowledge of the fine arts and AA hose opinions thereon pass

current in the world , and sometimes happily right in their choice or judgment iu such matters . But , when they come to the question of furniture , all they really know of the matter is what they want , ancl what they like or dislike , and for AA'hich likes and dislikes they can assign no better reason than that they do so like or dislike . What course , therefore , is pursued by those persons of otherwise good

ancl cultivated VIOAVS when they are called upon to furnish their houses , and in the building and decoration of which they have , perhaps , given eAddence of the possession of cultivated minds ? They go to their upholsterer , and , if they do not actually ask for his opinion , they tacitly alloAV themselves

to be persuaded into this or that as "fashionable , " " genteel , " and "much in request . " The result is that , instead of having their walls covered with stories on grounds of plain or diapered colours , you see large and unmeaning patterns , " the last neAv design , " full of confusion and distortion .

The same thing applies to their curtains , and hideous and senseless scrolls , and twists , and mouldings , and caning , and perhaps gilding and tasteless decorations , are seen in their massive and expensiA r e furniture . It is really at times matter for Avonderment AVIIO and where are the designers of all these tortuous twists and absurdities ; and what makes the matter more offensive is that in

many things , such as glass frames , cornices , & c , all this elaboration and show is but mere deception , consisting of composition work stuck on in different pieces , Avhich many an innocent and unsuspecting purchaser , when too late , discovers to his surprise and cost . It is an easily proved fact that scarcely

ever is an article to be found coming from a modern upholsterer ' s shop Avhich cau in any AVay obtain credit for possessing tiie commonest principles of good design . HOAV often are to be seen articles of furniture , Avhich , if left almost entirely to then OAvn simple and necessary form of construction

and framework , Avould be good in design and pleasing to the eye , but which are turned into shapeless and ugly objects by ha \ dng the structure carefully concealed by all sorts of paddings , stuffings , carvings , and tAvistings . Take , for examplethe puffedand bloAvn-out settees and

, , couches in the fashionably-furnithed drawingrooms , snd the common easy-chair of the present day . When we see our domestic architecture improving - , whyshouldthe accessories to ourdwellings

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