CHAT ABOUT ROOM DECORATION, &c.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1856, 4 February 1880, Page 3

CHAT ABOUT ROOM DECORATION, &c.

Fashions in room decoration (says a correspondent of the " Queen ") vary as swiftly as fashions in dress, and every month shows some new device for the bedizening of our homes. It is impossible for people to adopt every novel freak in the matter of room ornament, and the best plan is that they should choose the ideas that are the most suitable to their taste and the most easily adapted to their materials and circumstances. We are learning that houses to be attractive should be individual ; and we may rest assured that the fact that variety is charming is as true of this as it is of many other matters. If one is paying a leng round of calls, and has the memory of six or seven drawing-rooms all pretty and costly, but all showing signs of having rather been furnished with regard to the taste of a fashionable upholsterer than to that of their mifltrespes, what a relief it is to enter a room entirely different, where everything, however simple, bears the look of having been approved and chosen and arranged by one with a fine eye for beauty of color and form, and a delicate instinct for harmony of line. This art of room arrangement is one which saves much money, for a woman who owns it does not need to discard unfashionable furniture or out-of-date ornaments, which would be an eyesore in many rooms. By her faculty of arrangement she discerns just the place where the angular table will fit in and look well and appropriate, and in what corner tbe objectionable console will not be obstrusive aDd will lighten the room by its gleam of mirror and gilding. Among the many pretty notions which have been lately introduced for the beautifying of our dwelling place, is that of "over doors." The devices introduced for this purpose are numerous, and I would mention one or two of the newest before proceeding to other hints. Most people are acquainted with stag's antlers, convex eaele mirrors, masques of statues on oval velvet shields, and even clusters or Japanese or peacock screens, as decorations to be placed above doors ; but the fancy of a half-moon shaped design in Venetian mosaic sunk in a deep band of dark velvet, may be new to many, and would have in many rich rooms a very beautiful effect. An arrangement of blue china, and shelves and brackets of ebonised or enamelled wood, always looks well, and a plaster frieze in basso-relievo, so long as tbe door is wide, will be effective in many rooms; the ground of the frieze might even be colored of a faint greed or blue, so as to give it the appearance of a Wedgewood plaque. If you hang a picture over a door, do not let it be a small water-color sketch or anything of that kind, so that its beauty is entirely lost on anybody under eight feet high ; thi picture that looks best over doors are still life pieces of flowers or fruit, &c. Door panels and " over mantels" I have before discussed in these columns, so will not say anything about them at present; but I should like to utter a word of protest againßt supplying the place of lace or muslin curtainß by an edging of lace—usually guipure d'art —tacked on to the edge of the heavy curtains of cloth, or silk, or velvet. A band of old laco, or rich-patterned macrame insertion, placed on a velvet curtain near the edge, is often beautiful ; but the limp, draggled appearance of an edging of coarse guipure must be seen to be appreciated. There is a work coming into use for curtain borders, mantelpieces, &c, which I think is very handsome in its effect; it is partly a revival of the cretonne work which was in fashion two or three years ago, but is much more satisfactory, and consists of a band of cretonne, of an Indian or Persian pattern, placed on a strip of some dark hued satin, and the patterns outlined and worked over with different coloured silks, so as to have the appearance of rich eastern embroidery. I fancy very beautiful cushions m'ght be made by the simple outlining in this manner of a square of one of Liberty's Indian cretonnes; and tea cosies, or afternoon teacloths, or antimacassars might be worked in the same way, wi'.b. an especially gorgeous result if gold thread were mingled with the silks. If a strip of the Indian cretonne were placed round a fquare of toi'e Colbert, and worked in this matt- r, it would very much resemble the Persian embroidery worked on linen ciape, and would amply repay the workwoman for her lahour. The same kind of embroidery might be done on a groundwork of some dull rich-coloured Indian silk, such as can likewise be obtained at Liberty's in Regent street. Filoselle should be used, not embroidery Bilk. I wonder people can bear the piano fronts of red silk and fretwork, when they can be so easily removed, and crewel work, or eilk, or Persian embroidery put in their places But if the original front be removed the work which forms its substitute should be really good, both in design and execution A small velvet or Roman satin cloth for tbe top of the piano is affected by many people; but it has the disadvantage of being sure to slide off the moment the top of the instrument is opened.

M.& CliliNlQuY'iS LEUTUBES. Mr Ohitu'quy delivered his second lecture last night in the Oddfellows' Hall. The subject was, "Is the Church of Rome a Branch of the Church of Christ, or is it Old Heathenism under a Christian name ?" The advertised hour of commencing the lecture was half-past seven o'clock, but Mr Chiniquy prefaced it by giving a supplementary address, in which he exhorted every one to purchase his books, at the same time disclaiming any personal emolument from their sale. He referred to the ac ion of a local bookseller, whom he averred had stolen his lectures and had them printed, and was sellirg them at a reduced price, which _he characterised as an injurious theft. During the lecturer's remarks, *ihe implements which Mr Chiniquy had used when a Roman Catholic Priest to make the sacramental wafers, were handed round for the inspection of the audience. As on the previous evening the hall was densely crowded, a large number of pe/sons being seated on the platform, conspicuous amongst them being the Ministers of the various Dissenting Churches in Christchurch. The chair was taken by the Rev. O. Dallaston, and the proceedings were initiated by the choir singing one of Moody and Sankey's hymns, after which the Rev. Mr Walker offered up a prayer. The rev. chairman introduced the lecturer in a few apnropriate remarks, referring to the work of Mr Chiniquy, as entitling him to be remembered as a Reformer, side by Bide with the names of Luther, Calvin, and Knox. Mr Chiniquy opened his lecture by asking for the praj era of his hearers to support him in the painful task he had undertaken. He asked them to take his grey hairs and advanced age as the proofs of his sincerity and pure motives in exposing the deceptions in which he had formerly believed. Had he consulted his own personal comfort and convenience he would net have been addressing them now, but he was, out of his great Jove for them, constrained to speak. He then proceeded to dilate on the doctrine of the worship of the "false Christ," which he said was undermining the great English nation. The great Episcopalian Church was divided into two parts, the first earnest and sincere Protestants, the second was a band of Jesuits in disguise, who remained in the Episcopalian Church by orders of the Romish Church. These disguised Episcopalian ministers were more mischievous than the Jesuits themselves. He cite lin confirmation of his words, Fusey and Newman. If they purchased his books they would obtain more information on this point. Luther had worked good by his books, and be followed in his steps. The leoturer then went into the Bubject matter of his address, which he characterised as a " terrible mystery of iniquity," and referred to his controversial arguments with the Roman Catholio priesthood, which had eventuated in his antagonists becoming the best Protestants in the world. The Roman Catholios professed to worship Christ, but it was a false Christ, made every morning by the priest and his servant girl. All who disbelieved in this were cursed by the Church of Rome. It was not Chiniquy that told them this, it was the Roman Catholics themselves who said it. The language of the canons of the Counoil of Trent were explioit on this point. At the request of the lecturer the chairman read extracts from the authority in question in confirmation of his assertions. The lecturer thin entered into an elaborate explanation of the method used for making the sacramental wafers, which he designated as "false Christs " by the priesthood, and pointed out that these " false Christs" had been foretold by the Saviour, who had solemnly warned his followers against them. The words of Scripture were confirmatory of this.; their interpretation was perfectly plain, and it was confirmed by the Roman Catholio clergy, who boldly asserted that the sacramental wafer was the actual body of Jesus Christ If this question was put to a Roman Catholic priest, and he denied it, he (Mr Chiniquy) would consent to be hung. He could almost absolve the Persian for his worship of the magnificent sun—a life giver to the rich and poor—there was some reason for their adoration, but the worship of a wafer made by a servant girl was the most degrading idolatry that was ever known. It was pitiable to think that the benighted Siamese worshipped a white elephant. That at least was a beaßt of marvellous intelligence, but the poor Roman Catholics were deserving of more pity for their blind idolatry. God pulverised the golden idols worshipped by the Israelites as a sign of His indignation, andbe (MrOhiniquy) in like manner, would pulverise the wafer god of the Roman Catholics. The leeturer went on to dilate on the conduct of certain individual members of the Catholic clergy, and cited the names of some who had brought scandal on the Church by their infamous conduct, and he said these were the men who tried to show the world that they had more power than Q-od. Their idolatry was that spoken of by St. Paul in the second chapter of St. Paul's Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. There was only one great ching in the Church of Rome, and that was the power of the Pope and the priests. The miracles of Joshua were childish compared to the power claimed by them. The religion of the Church of Rome was the death of all respect for God. This portion of the lecture was illustrated by similes that provoked considerable laughter from the audienoe, which the lecturer deprecated, but at the same time it appeared to stimulate him to still more daring imagery of very questionable taste. From this point the lecturer dwelt on the danger arising from Roman Catholio influence over Protestantism, from the supineneßS of the latter as contrasted with the earnestness of the Roman Catholios themselves, and he urged on his hearers the fact that their most potent weapons were watchfulness and prayer. With a few concluding remarks from the chairman, the proceedings terminated with the choir singing the Evening Hymn.