Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/112

90 to the amount of money at the disposal of the building committee, but one of the most attractive floors is that of Tennessee marble. The finish is important, the so-called "honed" surface being the best. A polished surface which reflects the light is undesirable and gives one the feeling of being in a Roman bath. An illustration of this may be found in the Glyptothek in Copenhagen. The rich materials here used no longer form a background for the beautiful statues that are shown in this building, but instead overwhelm one with their grandeur and importance and above all with the myriad reflections which come from every side, thrown off by the polished marble. In this connection it may be said that a white marble is even more trying than a colored marble because the whiteness adds to the reflections a glare that is most objectionable. A soft gray or monochrome should be selected, both on this account and because it will show dirt less. All the corridors that are most used and the stairs should be finished in some material that can be easily washed, as otherwise the tracking of a large number of people will give a most unsightly appearance. An ordinary limestone wears off in dust much more quickly than the harder and firmer grained marble. In this connection, as well as in other points to be considered in the building,