Henry Van Dyke - The Mansion

Sep 28, 2026

A character-driven opening to The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke portrays the Weightman mansion as a study in calm wealth, carefully invested rather than displayed. Through vivid description of its restrained opulence and its conservative, morally coded architecture, the narrative connects John Weightman’s business success and religious doctrine to the home’s appearance. The text sets up the tension between the father’s prudence and Harold Weightman’s yearning for freedom and fresh action.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages34

Reading Time52 min

AccessFree to download

The Mansion

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Mansion

# Henry Van Dyke The Mansion Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2022 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation # AETERNA PUBLISHING 2010 ## The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke ## TABLE OF CONTENTS THE MANSION………… …………………………… ………………………………1 ## The Mansion There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansionthat spoke not of money squandered,but of wealth prudently applied.Standing on acorner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence,it looked upon the swellingtide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain. The house was not beautiful.There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone,its heavy cornices,its broad,staring windows of plate glass,its carvedand bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop,to charm theeye or fascinate the imagination.But it was eminently respectable,and in its wayimposing.It seemed to say that the glittering shops of the jewelers,the milliners,theconfectioners,the florists,the picture-dealers,the furriers,the makers of rare andcostly antiquities,retail traders in luxuries of life,were beneath the notice of a housethat had its foundations in the high finance,and was built literally and figuratively in theshadow of St.Petronius'Church. At the same time there was something self-pleased and congratulatory in theway in which the mansion held its own amid the changing neighborhood.It almostseemed to be lifted up a little,among the tall buildings near at hand,as if it felt therising value of the land on which it stood. John Weightman was like the house into which he had built himself thirty years ago,and in which his ideals and ambitions were incrusted.He was aself-made man.But in making himself he had chosen a highly esteemed pattern andworked according to the approved rules.There was nothing irregular,questionable,flamboyant about him. He was solid,correct,and justly successful. His minor tastes,of course,had been carefully kept up to date. At the proper time,pictures of the Barbizon masters,old English plate and portraits,bronzes by Barye and marbles by Rodin,Persian carpets and Chinese porcelains,had been introduced to the mansion.It contained a LouisQuinze reception-room,an Empire drawing-room,a Jacobean dining-room,and various apartments dimly reminiscent of the styles of furniture affected by deceasedmonarchs.That the hallways were too short for the historic perspective did not makemuch difference.American decorative art is capable de tout,it absorbs all periods.Of each period Mr.Weightman wished to have something of the best.He understoodits value,present as a certificate,and prospective as an investment. It was only in the architecture of his town house that he remained conservative,immovable,one might almost say Early-Victorian-Christian.His country houseat Dulwich-on-the-Sound was a palace of the Italian Renaissance.But in town headhered to an architecture which had moral associations,the Nineteenth-Century-Brownstone epoch.It was a symbol of his social position,his religious doctrine,andeven,in a way,of his business creed. "A man of fixed principles,"he would say,"should express them in the looks ofhis house.New York changes its domestic architecture too rapidly.It is like divorce.It is not dignified.I don't like it.Extravagance and fickleness are advertised in mostof these new houses.I wish to be known for different qualities.Dignity and prudenceare the things that people trust.Every one knows that I can afford to live in thehouse that suits me.It is a guarantee to the public.It inspires confidence.It helps myinfluence.There is a text in the Bible about'a house that hath foundations.'That isthe proper kind of a mansion for a solid man." Harold Weightman had often listened to his father discoursing in this fashionon the fundamental principles of life,and always with a divided mind.He admiredimmensely his father's talents and the single-minded energy with which he improvedt

FAQs

How does the mansion’s appearance reflect John Weightman’s values?

The mansion’s reserved opulence and conservative style embody prudence, dignity, and moral principles rather than flashy extravagance.

What does John Weightman believe about architecture and social influence?

He argues that a man’s fixed principles should be expressed in his house, and that New York’s rapid architectural changes lack dignity and signal fickleness.

What internal conflict does Harold Weightman experience?

Harold admires his father’s energy and talents, yet feels disquieted by his philosophy, pushing him at times toward indulgence and at others toward work for the poor.

Sep 28, 2026

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