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32 THE SOUTHERN CHAPTER, A. I. A.

1. There is a great want of sufficient practical, theoretical and scien-
tific education of the architectural student of today.

2. A want of practical knowlegde of the contractor.

3. A want of acquaintance on the part of the public in the principles
of taste and scientific building.

It is too plain to the profession that the limited knowledge displayed
by some claiming to be practitioners in the execution of their work,
leads them into absurd extravagances and labor under the mistaken
structural-meanness for economy and thus mislead and often discourage
the many projects for fine buildings from even being placed in the hands
of the more skilled.

The builder, lacking the proper practical and scientific knowledge
enters now upon the work to attempt to carry out these gross absurdities,
and further tries to induce and influence the minds of those building to
break confidence with the architect and execute the work from hap-
hazard conglomeration of his confused mind from what the plans were intended to convey, evidence of which appears too often in the prepos-
terously inconvenient and grotesque masses of folly, totally devoid of all
taste and architectural structure in our chief cities.

There are some extenuating circumstances sometimes surrounding all
this, such as the proprietor attempting to build with insufficient funds,
and the employment of a builder without reputation or knowledge.

Of course, we admit that there are competent and honorable members
of the building fraternity and the architectural profession are ready to
recognize such and are much indebted to them.

The public universally are ready to admit too, that they lack the es-
sential knowledge necessary to make them in a certain measure, to un-
derstand just what they want, and to what extent they ought to place
reliance upon the architectural services employed. They certainly know
when to appreciate well designed and executed building when the
proper care has been bestowed upon it. Why, how much of the detail
of many of our buildings of today are worthy of imitation? But take
Greeks, Romans and Europeans of the early and middle ages, and you
will find a delightful field of research. But with all this it is a fact that
the architect of today has less control, or is less able to influence the em-
ployer in the design, arrangements or material of the structures put into
his hands for skillful manipulation as a physician would have in building
up the physical condition from the patient's own prescription. Take
for instance the unscrupulous attempts by Buddensieck to the fruitless
efforts of the State capitol of New York, endangering life and property
as well as squandering of public and private funds; ask is it reasonable
to expect comfort and credit from the investment.

Knowledge, tradition and science has to be employed in designing and
in the execution of edifices, and yet it is often expected from the hetero-
genous mass of opinion to combine some daring innovations with ill-
contrived plans for an experimental attempt to produce something out
of nothing.