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Stop to Listen Now, Mr. Roosjohn-Gibbings is a de- signer oi‘ modern furniture and a good one, and his understanding of contem- porary furniture is sound and his de- signs have beauty along with stream- lines and functionalism. 'So his cri- ticisms deserve serious consideration But we believe that he has overlooked the essential reasons why American people like traditional furniture and why they haven‘t taken to so-caiied modern furniture. Mr. Robsjohn-Gibbings makes the point, that, until the nineteenth 'cen8 tury, each age developed a new style to lit its needs and preferred that new .«atyur. He's right so far. But then he goes on to say: “But with the coming of the Industrial Revolution there ap- pears. a large group of industrial mil- lionaires who. for the first time in the history of the world, buy the furniture of the older aristocracy in order to emulate them and become identified with them. The fashion of using an- tique furniture was originated by these nouveaux riches of the nineteenth century." And further along he expands this idea, “The idea of buying antique fur- niture spread from the nouveaux riches of Europe to the middle classes, and when the new millionaires of America arrived in Europe, they found antique furniture buying an established part of the social life they had determined to emulate. These American nouveaux richesegbrought back the antique fas- hion to America. where it has spread through the entire country by the ig- norance, snobbery and commercial in- stincts of’ the early architects interior decorators. magazines and finally, the Grand Rapids furniture industry.” (By Elizabeth MacRae Boyklm Today we're going to beg to disagree. wand with an expert. There's a new book out called "Good-bye Mr. Chip- pendale" in which T. H. 30ij- Gibbings takes witty but eflectlve issue with the vogue for both antiquesand reproductions of antiques for American homes. The End of an Era The Industrial Revolutipn had a lot more to do with this situation than simply create a “few millionaires who became ’social climbers. The really significant thing was that it marked the end of hand-made furnituresâ€"ana there is the crux of the matter. That’s a simple pat explanation, but it skips over some pretty important points in the story. Wilien the machine first began to create new types of furniture it didn’t take people long to realize that some- thing important and wonderful was passing out of our civilization. This is meant as no reflection on the machine â€"â€"it needs no defense as testified by its universal acceptance. But that first machine turned furniture of the latter part of the nineteenth century directed the thoughts of thinking people almost at once to the fact that that old type of furniture of previous generations would never be made again, that it had a great beauty and craftsmanship that would become rare indeed as time went by. well as the millionairesâ€"and the scho- lars who gave face and substance to this instinctive reaching out to cherish this vanishing art of hand-craftsman- ship in furniture. Forthright and Simple At the same time, the manufacturers of machine-made furniture were grop- mg for new forms to fit the new me- dium, and for decades turning out little that could compete in beauty with the old styles. (Towering General Grant. golden oak and mission belong here). Naturally the public that could word the more wonderful old furniture bought it. The machine advanced in skill faster than in design-83 a result it turned to making copies of the sim- pler traditional styles because they were more satisfying to live with than any. thing the designers had been able to work out for the then new technique. It hasn’t been the regal showy anti- ques that were copied in the really big quantities; the plainer. forthright liv- able pieces than had a simple charm and :1 classic directness of line and pur- It well lars th is this ship pose Evmtually came the so-called m dem furniture which seemed certainy to reflect our timeâ€"in mood st. lead. It. made the pomt of being functional too. though there wasn‘t enough dif- ference between the functionalist! 0f the new and the functionalkm of the old. The requem rebuke. repeated by Mr. Robsjohn-Gibbings, flat the Amer- THURSDAY. JUNE 1511;, 19+: INSURANCE OF EVERY mu REAL ESTATE Phone 10'! TM writ) 21 Pine Street N. Have YOI' checked lg to know how much YOU would LOSE if 3’0“? building. household :urnitm, stock or fixtures were destroyed by fire? Do you know that building «as have (one up considerably since the outbreak of war.’ Do you new that‘nre Insurance rates were never lower than at the present time? We shall be pleased to quote rates and give you information without ohlignliun un your part. SULLIVAN. NEWTON was the scholars who saw this as MR. and MRS. PROPERTY OWNER Here are Some Reasons Why the American Public Prefer Antiques or Reproductions of Traditional Furniture - A Reply to “Good bye Mr. Chippendale. ” WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH MODERN (Est 1912) PLEASANT HOMES But they don't like it. And this isn't just the fault of the architects, decora- . tors, magazines, or even of Grand Ra- ' pids, as Mr. Robsjohn-Gibbings accuses. {All of these groups have given modern {an enthusiastic send-off, have played it up, tried to interest the public in it. Grand Rapids has hired the best mod- ern designers and put large investments in lines 'of modern furniture â€" the stores have presented it with great fan- nare. These groups still do their best thy modernâ€"make more over it actually than public interest has warrantedâ€" dolng so on the theits that it is news, ; that it belongs to our time. ’ican public should have accepted mod- ern furniture as enthusiastic as they accepted modern kitchens is based on the assumption that modern furniture was as much of an improvement over the old as were modern kitchens. And it wasn’t.-- The functionalism of the new kitchens was so obviously and in- comparably superior to the old that they were accepted practically on sight. Antiques function all Right While ‘on the score of utility, the dif- ference between a well-made Sheraton type chest of drawers and a modern version was not enough to matter . . . so naturally the looks became the de- ciding factorâ€"the same goes for tables chairs, desks. In short, antique styles of furniture did function about as well as modernâ€"and sometimes better. And even the double-duty idea was some- thing the l8th century English cabinet makes had explored delightfully. And as for the remarks which Mr. Robsjohn-Gibbings and other modern designers make about over-stuffed chairs, well, comfort steps in there and decides the matter. All the posture engineering in the world hasn’t as yet provided as good sitting as a fat old upholstered chair. And even if a mo- dern streamlined chair should feel as comfortable, it doesn't look as comfort- able. And looks are sometimes as impor- tant as 10gic to the buying public. In point of logic, modern furniture does fit into the tempo of a machine age, of a democracy. It is easy to care for, simple to live with. It has an efficient sophisticated look that people ought to want in such a period as ours'. For a long time, it was thought that the cost of modern was the hitch, since the good modern furniture often costs‘ more than an equal quality of tradi- tional reproduction and often more even than a good antique. But then there has come quite a good deal of pleasant forthright modern furniture at low cost and designed especially for the very government housing projects Mr. Robsjolm-Gibbings worries about there being no proper furniture to suit . . . but still the public didn‘t like it. The Public Has Been Exposed It isn’t that the public hasn’t been exposed to modern furnitureâ€"it is that furniture hasn't yet found a spirit, a vernacular that creates the kind of bthzabeth MacRea Boykin This amiable corner in a cottage living room answers some of the ques- tions the modern designers bring up as to why people still like old-fas- hioned furniture. It has a genial mellow warmth, a friendly quality that most modern furniture, for all its merits, hasn’t . quite been able to achieve. The old kitchen cupboard“ at the right’makes a fine stand for ferns and greenery in this pleasantly informal room. The chair shows its kinship to our beloved Windsor and the nice little table puts on no airs but serves its purpose usefully. Note the interesting but simple window treatment. In addition to the vanishing angle which gives real antiques the lure of rarety, there is that other quality that counts most in the furnishing of a home. The quality of graciousness, warmth, repose. For even in an em like oursâ€"perhaps we should say es- pecially in an era like ours where a mechanized streamlined world presses so‘closely about usâ€"man looks upon his home as sanctuary, as haven. He wants ease and softness and a sense or leisure there . . . The smaller the home the more important these qualities be- come. Honest and Unpretentious Every sort of antique has been tried on the publicâ€"just as has every sort of modern streamlining. But the Amer- ican public has accepted the furniture best suited to its needs and moodsâ€" not the ornate or the showyâ€"but rather the designs of 18th century Eng- land and Federal America that had a simple dignity and the unpretentious livable things of colonial America. These are the big sellers, the mass taste, and they speak pretty well for the honesty of the average American taste. The modern designers are banking at good deal on modernized taste of the man in the armed forces, believing that when he comes home from the war, he’ll want the same streamlined pre- cision in the home that he’s had in his plane or tank or ship. Maybe he will . . . but more likely he‘ll be even more eager for that feeling of warmth and ease and sanctuary. He won’t have particularly sentimental attachments for the kind of a world he's been living inâ€"hc’ll want good working equipment in the kitchen. of course, but he’ll choose his furniture, as he chooses his wife, because he likes it. In other words, the modern designers have been much too concerned in giv- ing the Arnerican public modern furni- ture as a dose or a prescription like vitamin plus instead of contriving a tasty dish that has all the healthy ele- As for modern furnitureâ€"certainly it has a. future and a great one. And Mr. Robsthn-Gibbings is making an important contribution to that future. But the public acceptance of modern furniture depends on what Mr. Robs- j'ohn-Gibbings and his colleagues can produce. When they have achieved a style that is right for the peopleâ€"then the people will accept it, just as they have accepted modern kitchens. But in. addition to the efficiency and streamlining they give to this furni- ture, they mustn’t forget the warmth and friendliness and charm that people want even more than they want effi- ciency in their furnitureâ€"for the very reasons we’ve mentioned aboveâ€"that home is sanctuary and must be that in a very real sense. homes that people of to-day want to live in. And when it does, it will be acceptedâ€"â€"just as have modern textiles, modern glass, modern silver, modern ceramics have been accepted. Grand Rapids has always been will- ing and eager and even has taken the initiative about modern furniture. But when, season after season, they take a licking on modern, they’re going to make the things people do want. Out of all the wealth of past furni- ture designs have come a heritage oi designs for chairs, tables. chests; desks. sofas that seem to have these qualities. And if you walk through any depart- ment store furniture department, you will find that these are pieces that are reproduced. Not the k’mgly. queenly, regal stuff that would be the sort of thing we‘d use today if Mr. Robsjohn- Gibbings were correct in his contenr tions that present American taste is based on adesire to emulate an old social order. THE PORCUPINE ADVANCE. TIMMINS. ONTARIO (By Agnes Adams) When we in the United States feel hampered by rationing and temporary food shortages, it might divert us from our complaints to consider the rations of our allies. Iris Morley, London “Observer" cor- respondent. writes from Moscow: "For the purposes of rationing, the Soviet population, except collective far- mers who live off their own produce. are divided into fourcatagorles. These get the following monthly allowance: Russians Allot Food Rations for Individual Needs “Workersâ€"4 lbs. 14 oz. meat; 1 lb‘ 2 oz. sugar; 1 lb. 12 oz. fats; 4 lb. 6 oz. cereals; 12' oz. bread (daily) Recipeé for Steak and Kid- ney Pie and Buttermilk Crust. . : “Employees «those not. doing manual work)-â€"2 lbs. 10 oz. meat; 1012 oz. su- gar; 14 oz. fats; 3 lbs. 412 oz. cereals; l-Ib. to 1 lb. 3% oz. bread daily. “Children same as employees, except 1 1b. 5 oz. meat; 2 lbs. 10 oz. cereals; 10 oz. bread daily. “Dependants-J lb. 5 oz. meat; 3!: oz. sugar; 7 oz. fats; 2 lbs. 3'9.» oz. cereals; 10 oz. bread (daily). All get 15 oz. salt. 3 boxes of matches, 1 oz. tea 5% oz. coffee per month.” Steak and Kidney Pie 13.. lb. round steak 1‘4; lbs. kidneys 1 tablespoon chopped onion 1 tablespoon minced parsley 11.. lb. mushrooms. sliced ‘,._. teaspoon salt Pepper E1. teaspoon soda 1 cup sifted flour 1 teaspoon baking powder , 1/1.- teaspoon salt 1-8 cup cold shortening E cup buttermilk (or sour milk) Cut steak into half-inch cubes. Re- move membrane from kidneys, and cut into one-half inch thickness. Dredge with flour. Brown in pan in which pie is to be baked. adding a little fat, if ments in it and is irresistible into the bargain. «Released by Consolidated News Features Inc.) Buttermilk (trust Z": “"5915;- M W the steak has not enough to keep the meat from burning. Add mushrooms. onion. parsley and salt and enough water to just be seen beneath ingre- dients (about 3. cup). Cover casserole and cook in a moderate oven for 1 hour. «Remove cover. and replace with biscuit dough made by cuttlng shorten- ing into the mixed dry ingredients, then adding buttermilk. Roll out to 3. inch thlclmess on a floured board, cut into blscult shapes. place on top of 'casserole and bake 12 minutes (or slightly longer) in a hot oven. . (Released by The Bell Syndicatelnc.) Much Interest in New Study Book of Missionary Society Announcement M a d e a t June Meeting of the First United Church. ' Although the next regular meeting of . the First United Church Woman's Missionary Society will not be held until September, the title of the new Study book has been announced al- ready and has created considerable in- terest. It is ”West of the Date Line," by Constance M. Hallock, and is the story of Christian pioneering in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia. It promises a mose interesting study of the South Sea Islands were the first foreign missionary of our Canadian church. Dr. John Geddie, pioneered so courageously and successfully, and along the shores of Papua where to-day the “fuzzy-wuzzy" angels are demon- strating Christianity in action. In these parts and the Netherland East Indies up the Malayan land bridge to Thailand. French Indo-China and Burma lies the way to parts of the world church which are still new to us. Mrs. J. Harnden. the President, was in the chair for the June meeting, Mrs. Franks, secretary and Mrs. W. Barber, treasurer, giving their reports. Mrs. T. Coulson, Christian Steward- ship secretary, presented a plan for the raising of much needed funds by the members, during the summer vacation. Mrs. Geo. Golden led the service of worship on the theme, “The Life Through Fellowship in Christ." Sums of money were voted to the Victor Girls’ Home and to aid in the purchase of vacation school supplies FOR OVERSEAS SERVIC E .Yes sir, I wear it on my arm and I’m proud of it. For, (3.8. means General Service â€"â€"on any fighting front anywhere in the world. It means that I want to go overseas. Canada needs a 10t of men like you and me. I know it’s going to be tough, but the job has got to be done. 80, sign up as a volunteer for overseas service. Remember it takes months of thorough train- ing to make you fighting fit. Come on fellowsâ€"~let’s go! for use in the Mission Field in the: noon tea was served and a social halt Canadian West. under the dix eotion Oil 110“? enjoyed. Helgi Hongisto student minister from Timmins. Three Births Registered Mrs. A. Rose, literature secretan'., in Timmins Last Week-end spoke on the special May numbe1 of? the Missionary Monthly which had‘ Bornâ€"On May 17 1944, to Mr. and DillCh to say about the most important: MX‘S L Gngne Rae St N...a 30" (J03. generation to- day â€"ehi1dren and y-outh (1311 Ludger Leon Robert.) â€"â€"the potential power of the future and; Bornâ€"On May 31, 1944. to Mr. and the leade1s of to-mmrow. Among the Mrs. p. Heimbechner, Vimy Roadâ€"u most outstanding articles was that of daughter. D1'- Marion Hilliard on "The Adoles- Bom-0n June 5, 1944. to Mr. and 061% Girl.’ Frank and informative” Mrs. E. Gilbert. Cedar Northâ€"a daugh- written out of her wide experience and. ter 10innnei. understanding knowledge. I Miss Mayowna gave a lively and very interesting account of the Conferences which she‘ recently attended in To- ronto‘Church. W. M. \S., Dominion Board and Ontario Giris‘ Work Board. At. the closo‘of the meeting, after- o‘day, as always, the ‘Salada’ . label is your guarantee of a uniform blend of fine quality teas. Daughter (leaving for holiday): "Goodbye‘ Dad. Don't forget to write, even if it‘s only a cheque.”-â€"Milvvrt.nu Sun. WEAR IT ON YOUR ARM BE SURE TO MUTE PAGE m