Press enter after choosing selection

How Not To Make A Home

How Not To Make A Home image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
December
Year
1865
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

It has been our evil fortune, lately, to have to spend day afler day in trying to get a house to live in. Our eufferiDgs in the prolonged, delusive, and futile search for a protection from the appro&ching winter, and a shrine in whioh to deposit our domestic goods, have been too great that we should recount ihem unasked ; when we found however, that although, n answer to advertisements and the invitation of agenta, xe came and saw, repeatedly, but in no case conquered, we determined, as tho experience was not to be shunned, that we would try what we could extract from it in the way ither of amusement or nstruction. After as honorable fashion as we could, we would play spy ; we would see for ourselves how the ordinary run of Americans live, and how they fuinish their houses. If there should be anything to praise, we would praise it, and il anything. to be noended, we would try to poiut out the way. Let us" prernise that the houses we have been dealing so treacherously with have not been first class houses, although the occupants have in every case, without exception, endeavored to make us beiieve that they were ; nor have they beec very low down in the domestic architectural scale. They were average types of American middle-class dweiliñs, and it is with some compunction and more eh grin that we record our impression that anything more grim, ulbeautiful, and chcerless, it would, we hope, be imponsible to find. ïhere seems to be no love of beauty - no natural taste; and nothing could be more reasomibly expected, these being want ing, thau that there should be no real love of comfort. And, aceordiugly, there is none. Three evils are rapidly destroying all vestiges of whatever notions of comfort and eleganc-j the old time may have left us, and although there are sorne encouraging signs that we are at tho turu of the tide, and that each one of these evils is fast losing ground, yet the reasons, for hope are too faint as yet to be accepted for valid, and we must expect to wait for some years before our social life shall have thoroughly righted itself. The names of these thiee troublcsomc hinderers of our social progresa are, " Love of Display," " Devotion to Fashion," " Indiflerenoo to Home " This last, however, as we shall show, is rather a conaequence of the others than an independent evil. If we coi'ld put down the others, and mske each home peculiar and üttractive ín itself', indifference would soon come. First, then, for Love of Display. If anybody thinks that this vice belongs exclusively to those who can afíord to gratify it without stint, and that it must bo a "stranger to the little three-story houses we have been visitng, we beg to assure him that he 18 mistaken. Of course there is less money to gratify it, and the result of whatever efforts are made in that direction is always raeagre and often comical, but its existence is not to be denied. Two things, however, we will frankly admit: First, the re sult in the poorer houses is generally in quite as good taste as the far more lavish and expeusive manifestations in the houses of the rich. . Fifth avenue chairs aud tables, carpets, frescocs and curtains, are as ugly in their way as thosc of "wiiy-over-by-East-river"and "way-over by-Ñorth-river" respectively. Each one has less fortúnate neighbors to dazzlc, rivals tooutshine, and a "standing" to keep up. " Love of display " has a life-lease of at lease one sinall roo.ni, suitable for a single gentleman, in alinoet every human heart, and wbatever dress he may wear he cannot conceal his individuality. And second - this love of display may have its good side. It may be playing its part in education, and helping to develop faculties that under atoo rigorous régimen would never show themselves. It is an atnbition, even though a low one; and, evil thing as it is, we dare say bas some sort of goodness in it, if we only had the wisdom to direct it, since we canuot kill it, and ought not, we supposc, to desire it. But these things allowed there stands the difficulty ; a painted peacook, no less rancorousinvoice, and no less ugly-footed, because we grant crested head and shiniugneck. We are killing siucerity, and siniplicity, and domestic happiness, by our desiro for display, by our determination to appear as well as our richeet acquaintances if we oannot excelthem ; and the ambition shows itself in our dress. In going tbrough these houses from cellar to garret (and we may remark in parenthesis tbat both cellars and garrets proper aro ranidly disappearing in New York) we have made this general observatioi) ; that there is one room ia overy house whioh is devoted to the aslooisbmeat and delight of thü outside world, and bus no rclation, or yery little bevond mere possession, to tbe family that oceupies the dwelling. This room is palled " the parlor," or, whon special elegance is to be predicated, " the diauing-room." As we sliall show in auother article, its lurniture is regulated, both in the uumber of the pieoes and in their abape, material, and quality, by the supposed demand of fashion; but what we wish to reraark now is, that the love ot display makes this room its Htronghold, and if it cannot, by reason ol insufficieut means or some peculiarity in the household, assert iteway over the whole establishment, it will at least entrenoh itseli bere and reigu uudisputed. Even the poorest houses we visited had gathered in one room - and that always a room in the best part of the house, the suuniest, brightest, and largest - whatever they onned, which, in their eyes, was pretty, elegant, or rieh. Whaiever Other room wanted a carpet, this had one ; from Brussels to ingraii), the best that tbe master or mistress could afford. Here was gathered furnii ture whose oost ofteu exceeded that oany otbea three rooms. Nay, we have seen ii exceed the cost of all the other rooms. Here was a pier-glass refleeting the whole figuro and the whole room in its clear surfaee, wh:lo in the wife's bedroom a small looking-glsss on the bureau must serve, and the servants under the roofs must 6ee their visages darkly in scraps of glass seoured by tacks to the wall. Here were curtains and chairs covered with worstcd embroidery, and showily bound books, aud elaborately hideous gas fixtures, aud porcelain, or make-believe bronze ornamenta ; in short, whatever could be got together to make a show. We say to make a ahow, for even in the best houses tbis is the only motive ; we speak it boldly. This room, so adorned, whether wilh costly-ugly or cheap ugly things, js not for the delight and uwe of the lamily ; it is for the astonishment and crushing of friends, ueighbord, and chance visitors. In many cases it is kept carefully locked ; in most cases it is seldom entered, kept slightly warmed, dimly lignted, and, to avoid dusting and sweepiug - those destructive processes - the artioles are shrouded in linen and hid from sight. Even where matters are a little freer, the detestable " anti-Macassar' perches his meddlesome and reticulated form upon tho chaira and sofas, aud poli'ely suggests the necessity of guarding these delicate fabrics against tbe visitors' dirty head. Of oourse, this is a coarse vvay of piöting it ; but that s the EngliS! of it. And everywbere through tbe apartrneot we are made to feel, and evcry member of tho fanily is given to understand, that this room is a solemn, sequestereul spot, a place of splendor, a shrine not to be lightly entered and on no account whatever to bo used. Ot course, there are many houses both of rich and poor, to which this des cription will uot apply. Many houses have splendidly furnisheil parlors, and comfort and convenieuee and elogance in every other room. Some bousos have rooms comfottably furniahed throughout, and have no room that is not in daily eommon use. But the first class must, of necessity, be rare; and the second is, as everybody will adinit, notalargeoue As we stop and run over the hst of our acqu ai n lances, rich and poor, we hardly reeail one in whose house the living room is the parlor, and where'the parlor is not better iurniwhed than any room the family habilually oceupies. Indeed, it will be admitted that it s a principie in our housekeeping, to have a parlor, and to furnish it as handsotnely as our means will afford ; and then, as the room does not look comf'ortable, aud we cannot really affjrd to use the expensive things we have put ioto it, we dtr'not occupy it - we shut it up, and the family life-bcgins and grows up entirely outside of this room, which representa not the affection8, nor the mutual interests, nor the occupation of the fumïly, but is a test only of lts wealth, its pride, and what is ialsely called its taste. Now, the very first step to be taken by a young couple beginuiüg housekeeping in America is, that there be no " best room," no parlor as distinct from living room, bettor furuished than any other, with chairs and tables too costly for daily use, with pictures that are seldom seen,with carpets that they will fear to tread on, thinking of how much money it took to buy them ; with mirrors that refloct from year to year no warmth, no cheer, no familiar daily üfe, but only cold magaificenco, or tawdry finery, or cheap but dear ornaments, painfully acquired by saving whero saving was the worst economy. Next to what is more commonly undorstood as economy, this one principie, fairly lived up to - tbat the house exists lor the family, first of all, and is for their use and comfort ; and that tho family must uot be hampered and hindered in their daily lifo by'artificlal arrangementa - will Iny the foundation for more solid happiness than our young couple can hope for under tho present condition ; and supposing them to have established their living room on the natural basis, we will teil them in a future number how thoy ought to furnish it, A manufactory of paper shirt collars is to be started at Bloomington, III., in a few days. Tbere is now no branch of business of this kind ín the State. The demand for paper collars and cuffs is said to be very large.J

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus