Antiquarian Sophistication of the "I" and the "Eye" Upon the "It" - Part Seven - "Echelon"

Antiquarian Sophistication of the "I" and the "Eye" Upon the "It"

Part Seven

"Echelon"

            With the ...evil... of the antiquarian interest controlled by natural economic force... and that economic force tamped down with a ratio clause that is short titled “I  (‘I’ and ‘eye’) do not know”... I may let the fun begin. 

            What is the evil?

            The evil is the ‘how valuable’ is ‘it’ (‘it’ being the third foundation point of the ‘I’, ‘eye’ and ‘it’ ratio of the antiquarian sophistication clause).  IF....

            ‘It’ is NOT Valuable (“worth money”) “anymore”... then... that is that.

            Right?

            Well... not quite that right... but good enough these days and... surely pointed to continue in “that direction”

            That direction?

            AWAY from the traditional Wasp echelon of ‘old New England homes’ filled with old New England “antiques”.

            Yes... THAT direction.

            And... reminding that I am speaking of the ‘how valuable is it’... the abandonment of these homes and... their antiques... is ‘piled in the corner’ of ‘old ways’ now trashed by

            Trash

            With

            “Bad taste”; the “I KNOW” what is “GOOD” and

            Do not know that, in fact,

            I... do ...not ...know.

            Yes... now... with the money (‘new money’) removed, the old muttered ways are...:  Wait a moment.

            Is there a “very snotty” – “very snotty” here now... once the “MONEY” is gone?

            Yes there is; a very snotty – very snotty.  And do not worry; you’ll never notice it.  It is ‘above your head’ (“piled in the corner” Part Five).  Yes and when you walk out of the (old New England home) building... YOU are the one that LEAVES

            THAT.  The ‘not worth anything’ antiques are STILL THERE.  Mustered like Minute Men on the first floors and upper floors and “IN” the ‘guest bedrooms’ too...   While you are mesmerized by a “GEE-OH-LOCATOR”...:  Your great , great... great-great “Ankle” Jenks.... a man who always knew where he was, where he had been and WHERE HE WAS GOING... without ever-any ‘tech gear’...; his old ‘shaving mirror’ that he ‘wintered with’ in his “TENT” outside of “WASHINGTON” in the winter of 1864...:  He came home sick but... did not die.  That shaving mirror came home too.  It has been ‘in there’ (Ankle Jenks’ old New England home) and is still almost in there NOW and is not ‘worth any money’ “NOW” so...

            When they hired me to clean out the house... when they “decided” to “sell it”.... that shaving mirror was still in there when I showed up inclusive of I reading the old hand written label in  Jenks’ hand pasted to the back that said “what it (the shaving mirror) is”.

            Since it was not worth any money (?) I gave it (denoted it) to the local Historical Society.  No.  It IS worth money and I gave it to the local historical society.

            Why did I do that?

            So you couldn’t have it.  It is... these days... THAT snotty.

            Of me.

            It (antiquarian sophistication) has been taken into the ‘my own hands’ now that ‘the money is gone’.  You don’t know.  Your not going to notice.  The Wasp etiquette is abandoned by the money grubbers after being looted for cash and ...piled in the corner... and ‘bad taste’ surrounds it and

            “IT IS SO TACKY” at the homes of the “YOU are the one that LEAVES” (from above).  I mean... it is really bad

            IF

            You are of the that old Wasp echelon... in the old New England echelon... in the old New England home echelon...; those closed up “HOUSES” on “UPPER MAIN STREET.  That is very-snotty... very-snotty.  To close up the house.

            “Ankle” Jenks...:  His ‘captain’ from the winter in the tent in Washington would walk by the “Jenks’ Place” “of evening” “with belle” “ON ARM”.  Cordial tipped hats exchanged... and nothing more.  After the captain and his belle ‘footed along’, old ‘Ankle’ would get up out of his rocker and walk BACK along the porch, stop at the back porch edge and... spit... off the back of the porch.  Ankle Jenks was a very-snotty... very snotty... Wasp... who would... too... KILL his old captain... if he was given a chance.  He never killed his captain.  He never had a chance.  That is why I did not want you to ‘get’ his ‘shaving mirror’.  That is because of ... ‘how valuable it is’.  One cannot fake the old Wasp etiquette of the old Wasp echelon.  And you risk your life if you try to.

            Ankle drank whiskey and never said a word about it.  No one ever saw him drink whiskey.  They did, always, see him sitting in his rocking chair on the front porch.  Of the Jenks’ Place.  It was always that simple.

            The house was, too, full of antiques.

            It was that simple.

            Too.

            Ankle Jenks.  The home.  The antiques.

            I cleaned it out.

            It is a bed and breakfast now.

            “One cannot fake the old Wasp etiquette of the old Wasp echelon.  And you risk your life if you try to.”

            The Jenks’ Place is a perfect example of that.

            Once one suddenly understands (enlightenment)... that if the antiques are not worth any money anymore... they then, again, become the sole property of the Wasp echelon.  Again.  YOU do not want them... in fact you do not even know what they are... or care... once the ‘money is gone’.  And:  Once the bed and breakfast fails... ‘someone’ may ‘step in’.  They may close up the house after filling it with old New England antiques (purchased at a nominal price) and ...sit on the porch.  And spit off of the back of the porch.  Too.  One may even drink whiskey to ‘kill their captain’ ...and never let anyone know.  Again; THAT very snotty – very snotty... Wasp echelon.  No one will ever know.  That this is an antiquarian sophistication of an ‘I’ and an ‘eye’ upon an ‘it’.  Don’t worry:  If you missed it, no one will ever notice.  

            That is the traumatic point of the traumatic point of the antiquarian sophistication of the ‘I’ and the ‘eye’ upon the ‘it’.  The old New England antiques, still abundant, are not worth any money anymore so are no longer ‘abundant’?  The antiques have gone home to the houses and the houses have been closed up.  Oh, certainly, there are still a perpetual of antiques dealers (often by title only) circling the flea markets, estate sales, weekly auctions and... the ambiguously titled “Antiques Show” (“TODAY”).  The latter is a curious bird in the cage;  an “Antiques “Show”.  What

            Is that?

            I ‘do them’?  I ‘show’ antiques?  I guess so.  Huh.  Actually, many times I just bring ‘antiques’ to ‘show’ that someone who does NOT ‘know’ would feel are ‘fine’ ‘antiques’ to ‘show’.  You know; “Keep it simple”... “stupid”.  Who’s stupid?

            It cannot be me...:  I have my antiques closed up in my traditional Wasp echelon of my ‘old New England home’ filled with... old New England “antiques”.  I do not ‘show them’ to... anyone

            At all

            Ever

            Well that is rancid.  Isn’t it.  Instead of piling them in the corners, I have selectively placed them (the ‘my antiques’) in their traditional format of old New England Wasp etiquette domestic display.  They are ‘there’ and generally ‘there’ in the ‘same place’ for as long as anyone can remember with... no management.  Deferment.  Monitoring.  Or comment.  My ‘I’, using my ‘eye’, is perpetually satisfied by... ‘it’

            And that IS ‘it’... these days:

            The traditional Wasp echelon of ‘old New England homes’ filled with old New England “antiques”.  It is the simplest and easiest action that any old New England homeowner may do:  Study New England antiques (New England design).  Use the then disciplined ‘I’ to manage the ‘eye’.  Go out seeking ‘it’.  Upon finding an ‘it’, acquire it nominally and quietly, “bringing it all back home” (Bob Dylan).  Place it appropriately.  Sort of.  Never do anything else with it again.  Ever.  Close up the house.  And live there peacefully.  Should someone ever actually be there (in your home) and comment on one of your antiques, say ‘thank you’ and nothing more.  If they push the point, say that it ‘has always been there’ and ‘came from the family’.  And nothing more.

            If you become good at this (antiquarian sophistication) you will, over and over, ‘change’ your ‘home’ based on the... ever more sophisticated antiquarian sense you garner from your ...ever more sophisticated study of your ever broadening perspectives of your antiquarian interests.  Your closed up old New England home... may actually become ‘a museum’... just as so many old New England homes have become... in the past and do...to this day.

The End