SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1925.
THE CHINA MAIL.
EMPIRE FURNITURE
CLO
By LILIAN HAYDEN HIESTON.
There are two beauties in Empire furniture: One the exquisite mahogany and the other thie, beautifully chased. drnaments of brass upon the dark wood. The furniture itself was enmbersome. sellom graceful in line, and utterly. inappropriate for modern society use. Weird griffens and unknown monsters' of great size held up what were sup- posed to be dniaty dressing-table-tops and work baskets. tyres and other musical instruments were used as legs of stands and chairs; the Grecian Hennthus, left by the wine Greeks na it grew, was bent and distorted and turned downwards out of "all semblance to Helf, on chair legs or wardrobes: Horns of plenty poured fruits out pro- miscuously where they ought not lo’be; furniture. of massive size, only suitable for some great library or office was used in the smallest of Boudoirs; orna- mentation in gilt was, used in such excess that it last, its beauty and became only vulgar display. Napoleon's' soldiers, with their plebaian wives, were
at case in court Hfe. They nat awkwardly. in these walony where perhaps the ghoria of French kings
miled contemptuously upon them. They had heen taken from camp and street and shup to live in these sincely halls of the French aristocrats, and it was long before they could even keep from falling upon the polished Boark.
Characteristics Of Empire Styles.
Soft Fronch grays and the faint rose colour and the delicato green of the first willow leaves in spring disappear. ed as if by the magic of some evil fairy from France in this period of violent and aggressive green and vivid reds. Priceless. tapestries, were relegated to atties as being faded and uninteresting. Hand-carved furniture on which loving workmen had tolled gave place to turned articles, 'machine" made, lavishly adorned with gilt and ormolu; the stately beds with their high carved pests and hangings of delicate' silks were replaced by couch-like affairs with rolled over ends.
The modern bureau was born and named from the French word meaning a dekk, owing to the fact that the first articles of this kind werą tay hybrid, between a chest of drawers and a desk) The upper, dr in some cases the two upper drawerk were such only in appearance, the front letting down to form a desk upon which one could write. These were topped by, a mirror or by glasa,enclosed shelves for books. Ani other article of furniture was the pier. table, set against the wall and having
heavy marble top supported by fluted columns or griffens. Under the top was a mirrde facing the room. The sofas, so universally copied and used in Amarien in the early half of the Inst ceptury, were perhaps the denat objec tionable of Empire furnishings. These
had rolled over arms and the legs curved out towards the ends of the sofa and were elaborately ornamented with pineapples, heran of plenty, or hage. Hons' feet.
Elaborate Tables.
Tables were chiefly round with a Jarge column in the centre as support. This central support curved out into erouching animals or the legs and feet of lions, Many tables were bailt in other still weirder animals for the sup- several floors with huge sphinxes or porting power. The lotus buds and leaves were often used as ornaments intermingled with tyres, horns of plenty, capa of liberty, heads of warriors, Roman torches and other inappropriate devices. Animals and parts of women-like animals, borrowed from the sphinx, were to be found on chairs, tables, beda, sofar and work- tables..
"
It was a hybrid state of society and the furniture represented it. France had waded through torture and blood unspeakable" to be, free from one-man power and was now slave to a will such as no king had ever possessed. Dazed for a time by foreign conquests
she gave herself, whole-heartedly to the tyrant. France is aver ready to follow a real leader. There is nothing she reverences more than ability to 'com-
mand and lend. To her cost she followed Napoleon till her men were dead and her country ruined by wars, and she adores him still. He has been and is her ideal,, her idol, though per- haps no other human being caused her
WITH BRATT
more suffering. However, she might push him higher and ever higher upon an imperial thrape he was always one. of the people, ready to take a sleepy soldier's guard duty or talk and eat with the humblest man. It pleased the people that ho, one of them, lived in the gorgeous palaces of the dead French kings. It pleased them still more that he slept always on a narrow, iron camp-
bed, simpler than any one of their own. It pleased them enormovaly when for.. eign rulers, and the prond ladies of their courts, bowed before him and begged favours of him. French kings had the faculty of antagonizing their subjects. Napoleon had the rare ability of winning the adoring love of those he made work for him, of those he seat to a useless death for his own glory.
Seif And Formal. There is nothing homelike about the furnishings of the Empire period, cannot possibly make a room cozy restful with these ponderous, ove ornamented articles. They seer 20 able only for a Directora mesting for some great formal library, No wonder love malding palled upon pound Josephine and Napoleon surrounded by these monstrosities Imagine having s cozy, afternoon-ton flirtation surrounds ed by grinning monsters and crouching Bona and acornful sphinxes, Evan the beds with their huge rolled bolsters both ends, gave te promise of repór and the chairs, were impossible,
was amused once, when ↑ Ilved b the dear old "Quartier, close to the Boola Miche, by student's searchi Parts for old pieces of real Empir furniture for his bachelor. home... Hi gave a reception to show us the regular of weeks of money-spending search and was triumphant at the effect. The tiny rooms, were absurd with all that massive furniture and dark marble ank vivid colours. He was a very sensitive and music-loving, fellow and fond, of dainty, luxury-loving girls. I glanced around those little rooms and laugher for his chosen. life. I came to a as I thought how I suited, they are and, went back a year later and when it waw those same rooms I Babbled ovary words: "It was impossible, ridiculous with glad. He explained in zeeāless I sent everything to the Hotel Drong (the publle auction rooms).
WORLD THEATRE
STARTING TO-MORROW, 6 & 9.15 pm,
W
CONSTANCE TALMADGE
In
THE BEAUTY SHOP
"J
Miss Talmadge as a vivacious comedienne starring in this super feature ranks among the top notchers in the film world. Her exuberance of spirits and her pretty face would never alone have carried her to the high position she now holds. However" merry and care-free. she appears in her pictures ahe is a palustaking young artiste who has won unusual success through natural gifts as a comedienne and a wealth of experience
on the screen.
USUAL
PRICES
TO-DAY ONLY, 515 & 915 pm.
THE SURPRISE OF THE YEAR
$
CHARLES DICKENS'
IMMORTAL - MASTERPIECE
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND
DON'T MISS YOUR LAST CHANCE.
COMING.
COMING
MARY PHILBIN
IN HER LATEST WONDERFUL PRODUCTION
"THE GAIETY GIRL"
SCREENLAND.
וד
"THE GAIETY GIRL.”
Given a strange conflict of human loves and human motives, a spectacular locale in the glitter of London's Gaiety Music Hall, the Ritz, and, the gilded cafès, as contrasted to the majestic somnolence of an ancient British castle, home of royalty, and its musty traditions, and Universal turned out a masterpiece. But of course they had Mary Philbin,
too.
This is the formula for "The Galety Girl," latest starring vehicle of the little girl who leaped to meteoric fame almost over night in "Merry-Go-Round,'
"Can she do it again?" wisacres asked.
"DEFYING 'DESTINY."
power
In this unusual fine production, the versatile suur is given an oprit. tunity for the display of her emotional ability of a hitherto unrevealed. Every moment. is an unforgettable heart-throb.; every seene is a thrilling climax. The star is supported by an exceptionally brilliant cust... includ- ing Juckre Sanders, Russell Simpson, Tully Marshall ind others."
The story is a ruinantic drama centering around the lifelong love between a daughter of wealth and a son of poverty. Although starred by Gomes and public opinion, the man never loses the girl's love and trust. It tells about the rise and She did it in, "Fools High American youth with his red- fall and then rise again of a regular way"-and now, in The blooded romance appealingly woren Gaiety Girl," under King into the entire fabric. The picture Baggot's direction, eclipses both has a story to tell and in business her former productions. The like way goes ahead and tells it. new pictures, which comes to the There are no frills, no elaborate World Theatre very soon, shows scenic sideplay, just a regular plain a literally new Mary Philbin; entertaining tale that will modern girl plunged in the heart 100 per cent of film fans.
please Right of London's giddy whirl of off the handle the spectators are pleasure, although sick at heart. introduced to a realistic storm and Scenically the story is fire in which some, thrilling resenES - spectacular. But it is a spectacu are staged. Then follows some lar story just from the
dramatic moments in which the standpoint, too--a story of love hero is accused of stealing and passion, of a deception that bank fund, the trial in which he almost ruined an innocent girl's is found not guilty and his fleeing life, and all set in the hectic. back from the town-driven away by ground of London'a pleasure public opinion, Then a sequetice ground, the Gafety and the Ritz introduces plastic surgery in which where noblemen turn stage-door some very prominent scars are re- Johnnies.
moved from the hero's face. and he returns to make the town pay. From this point on there is
atory
Mary Philbin, as the heroine,
Some
is forced by poverty to seek the something doing every minute and stage, Tricked into marriage it all ends as most pictures do under the belief that her lover is with the little girl in the big moun's dead, she becomes the bride of arms...
the dissolute son of a war-made. inillionaire... The solution comes. like a bolt, out of the blue in its surprise.
The Fable of the Short Film
picture has been shown at so'
leading theatres at ime and
area, The
playing the Fables during that During one week in December particular week were the Famous no less than six theatres within Players Lasky Pre-release a stone's throw of each other in Theatre, the Rivoli as w the Times Square district of the National. New York were showing sop Theatre, the Strand, Film Fables, which is a recar to the Palace, Hi Not even a Chaplin or a Lloyd Broadway, and the Camed.
COMING!
COMING!
MONTE BLUE & IRENE RICH
DEFYING DESTINY
Grace Sanderson Michle
Posterbed MONTE BLUE
IRENE RICH
A Louis Wm. Chaudet Productiny
In this unusual. fine production the versatile star is given opportunity for
an
hitherto Every
the display of her emotional ability— of
power
unrevealed. moment is an -un- forgettable heart- throb: Every scene is a thrilling climax The star is supported
- an exceptionally strong cast com prising Jackie Saunders,, Russell Simpson and Tully
farshall.
WATCH FOR ITS OPENING DATE
WORLD THEATRE.
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