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Show LESSENING THE HOUSEKEEPER'S DRUDGERY Simple Treatment of Walls, Floors and Furnishings the Secret for money alone is to be charged with the greatest atrocities ever perpetrated in the name of household decoration. The new home necessarily stands as a skeleton which is to be clothed with the vestments of our choosing ; whether they shall be grave or gay, artistic or inartistic, lies wholly with the judicious selection of the occupant. It is not a difficult thing to have ; artistic homes, attractive interiors, provided pro-vided we approach the problem in a systematic way, with a well-defined plan and even a moderately filled purse. Tbo Importance of the Wails The first thing to be considered is ' the walls of the room, for they furnish ; the keynote for the color scheme of the apartment. This is natural because the) wall presents the largest surface; it is! the thing upon which the eye rests at once upon entering the room We may) 1 be attracted later by some article, some person, some thing, but first of all the ' eye will rest upon the wall surface. The create an impression of sunshine. tht seem to bring a ray of additional li'-.t and warmth into the room. South i-nd west rooms require modified colors ' colors that will tone down the glaring sunlight and give a soft, cool and rest- . ful appearance. A room that is to be used for general purposes must certainly have a color that suits all purposes, a color that has general utility and is of a solid matt surface, that is not easily soiled, yet is sufficiently dainty in tone to reflect light and still furnish a suitable background for pictures, bric-a-brac and furniture. The woodwork of a room naturally must be included in the color scheme. If the woodwork is natural pine varnished, var-nished, a yellow wall could not be tolerated; tol-erated; but a soft brown or a light tan would harmonize with it delightfully. Enameled white woodwork calls for blues, tans, light greens and dainty wall colors. Mahogany calls for the deeper greens, rich browns, and so on down the chromatic scale. 'J'HE day is fast approaching when private houses will rival hospitals in cleanliness and sanitary furnishings. We arc beginning to love cleanliness and to abhor dust and dirt as breeders of disease dis-ease and discomfort. This love of cleanliness has brought about a change in our ideas of finishing and furnishing ur "uses- Wc arc demanding that they shall be easily cleaned, and we arc learning that we must have simple things and simple conditions. The modern housewife has for her working creed that of William Morris: Have nothing you do not know to be useful and think to be beautiful." Lessening the Drndgery That creed means less drudgery and greater enjoyment of life. It means that cozy corners and oriental dens arc no longer the ideals. Stuffiness and stale ,. it into an open, self-respecting closet? Bare Floor When carpets become worn and must be renewed, it is a good time to change to a bare floor and a few rugs. The finishing of the floor is a very simple matter. It may be painted, stained, oiled or waxed. In cither case it should be cleaned thoroughly, all stains removed and given a coat of ' filler:" If the floor was not made for a carpet, car-pet, there will probably be cracks which need filling. Futty, colored like the wood, is very satisfactory for this. If the boards arc knotty they should be painted; otherwise a transparent finish may be used. Stains made by paint or varnish arc easily removed with ammonia, but it should be put on with a brush. The whole floor may be cleansed in this way. m mm mf packing. They should then be wrapped several times with newspapers. The odor of printer's ink is not agreeable agree-able to moths, and one can afford to be generous with papers Be careful that they arc whole and that the openings of one wrapping arc covered by the next paper, be sure that no moths arc in the goods when packed. Before packing pack-ing furs, clean them by wiping with a soft cloth dipped in alcohol or cologne. Varying the "Wall Decorations Changing pictures from one room to another gives a pleasing variety and keeps the wall paper from becoming faded in spots Many persons like to pack away the greater part of their bric-a-brac, bringing out only a few pieces at a time and enjoying each piece. Those who know say that a mantelpiece mantel-piece should be used cither to hold necessities, or to display treasures. Obviously Ob-viously in the first instance it is allowable allow-able to crowd the shelf; but in the latter lat-ter case not more than three or four choice pieces arc proper. The ideal bedroom has received much attention lately. Preference is given to walls tinted in water-colors or painted in oils; picture molding and pictures arc absent; the floor is bare, the rugs light THE BOY'S ROOM. r : .-. f : ' ' ; .... .. 'Xi-i!- IL...!- j..v.J-'.,'i.',.,1i' . .. .'i a. . A WELL-DESIGNED LIVING-ROOM. V and easily handled; matting and the beautiful rag-carpet rugs, shown in large stores, arc lavpntes. Draperies arc simple and washable. None but absolutely necessary furniture is provided. Windows have cither Venetian Vene-tian blinds, giving an agreeable light and admitting the air while excluding the sun, or Holland shades arc placed, one on cither sash, instead of a single one on the casing. They arc never exposed ex-posed to wind or weather, and interfere in no way with ventilation. The bed stands well out into the room. Tso of Cleansera It seems needful to say a word about cleansing agents. Liquids like gasoline, alcohol, ether and chloroform vaporize almost instantly, and the vapor ignites at once if a flame is near. They should tfcvcr be used near a flame, aluvys in a s)rong current of air, and preferably out of doors. Even there fatal burns have been received re-ceived caused by the friction of rubbing Bedroom chairs should be comfort-ablcj comfort-ablcj and should include one with a straight back that can be used in front of a dressing tabic when doing the hair, adjusting collars and arranging the little things that make a woman's toilet complicated. com-plicated. A low rocker is very restful, and has the added advantage of making it easier to change shoes. In this room, as in all others, the carpet should be enough heavier in color to give a ground effect. In the choice of materials for draperies in sleeping rooms, upholsteries and pillow covers, select the inexpensive and dainty cotton materials, as they arc cily laundered. The bathroom fixtures should have heavy nickel trimming, and there should be an abundance of clean linen convenient con-venient and easy of access. It is a good thing where there arc several members in a family, to have nickel rods AN EFFECTIVE DINING-ROOM. When the Children are Small It will probably be best, when children chil-dren arc small and time limited, to put away one's best china, because a nick or crack cannot be borne patiently. Cheaper china that is dainty and pretty and easily replaced, if broken, will save much friction and worry. A great amount of trouble comes to the little woman who loves spotless table linen. A whole meal has been spoiled for everyone because of one luckless spot. Why not try u?ing doilies? When once the table is oiled or waxed it is no trouble to keep in order, and doilies are less trouble than tablecloths to launder. As soon as old enough, each child should have some share in the housework house-work The task should be simple and something he can do well. It should never be Such as to fret or overwhelm the child, and the reward should be mother's praise and not money. It is only fair to allow him as much time for his very own as he spends legitimately in housework. Children's Booms Older boys and girls are sure to have a craze for collecting things, an 1 take the greatest pleasure in arranging this collection in their own rooms. This desire should be respected and encouraged. en-couraged. The countless "decorations" mean an immense amount of labor to keep in good order, but a bargain should be made. Girls should be allowed to decorate exactly as they please, provided they take care of their ov-'nj rooms The same privilege should be granted to boys, provided pro-vided they give some service in return for the care of their rooms. The dining-room admits of any selection selec-tion of set furniture, but as far as possible pos-sible have everything in harmony with the woodwork of the room. If the decorations are red, do not use a mahogany ma-hogany dining set, but one of weathered oak. Old blue or orange or green arc perhaps the best setting for mahogany. In choosing a table, I confess I am partial par-tial to a round one, which will always be in good taste. A sideboard should never be elaborate. A simple buffet with a china cabinet and a small serving table is in much better taste, j If there is a small room for a cozy room or dfn, there could be nothing more appropriate than the Mission style of furniture. The walls should .be decorated in warm, rich color, and with the selection of furniture offered in Mission styles will fill every need. Fnrnlshlnp tho Bedroom In selecting furniture for bedrooms, avoid that which is clumsy and heavy. Metal beds, perfectly sanitary, can be procured in graceful designs and dainty colors. Dressers should be made so that they can easily be moved, and they should set up high enough from the floor to allow sweeping and dusting underneath. (--' (j-t., ...... , . -,- bh; -.. : ' j r ': 'J; . --: t ' iV--T'-- -1,11 V.v'kI - - h'-C-' ; j I iM:-;l Having chosen the color scheme, the next decision is the material with which to secure it, and the question, what shall we use to produce this color, become paramount. The Passing of Wall Paper There was a time to which we all hark back, when, without question, we purchased wall paper. It seemed the only possible material to use, and we pasted it on the wall, pulled it off again and repastcd more without a thought of anything better; but the better taste to-day has abandoned the use of wall paper because of, its unsanitary effects, as well as its inartistic appearance. Wall paper is unsanitary because it is porous, being nothing mora than a cheapabsorbent paper colored wi'h poisonous poi-sonous cheap inks, pasted on the wall with vegetable paste, which soui sours and always furnishes a lodging place for all kinds of .undesirable insects. Wall paper is inartistic in itself, because it is not a true expression of that which is best in art, being merely a printed imitation of another's work. The soft, velvety tintings ar? the ideal materials to use on the walls, but care must be taken that the tinting material chosen is the best one to use. The hot water calcimines arc invariably unsatisfactory, unsat-isfactory, disappointing and ineffectual, , for they crackle on the wall, rub olT and fade. The smallest tack driven in the wall breaks off a piece of the tinting three times as large as the tack, just because of the glue with which the calcimine cal-cimine is stuck to the walL The best class of colorings are made from a natural cement, and are mixed with cold water, completely eliminating all the undcsirablefcaturcs just spoken of. As in many other cases, the best in these is not really expensive, for one f ackagc will cover three hundred square cct of surface in a satisfactory manner at an expense of less than two cents a square yard. They do not fade, will not rub off and arc always durable and exceedingly ex-ceedingly artistic fcir arc giving way to clear, clean space, for we like to breathe deep these days. This state of affairs helps toward good housekeeping, for it eliminates much unnecessary work. The task is never an easy one, and even under the best conditions is bound to become irksome irk-some at times. If only those things which are cither useful or beautiful arc retained, a surprising amount of labor will be dispensed with. A glance about any house will convince one of this fact, and the rcstfulncss which follows the banishment of these things will surprise, as well as please. Some things cannot be banished. For instance, one may have furniture whose usefulness is impaired because of-the great weight of the pieces. These might be moved to another room where less frequent use would diminish the labor of caring for them ; or, other furnishings in the room could be simplified. Perhaps the floor could be stained and rugs used instead of a carpet; the draperies might be made of washable material. If the furniture is upholstered it could be covered with washable slips. Try to provide something which will be a direct contrast to the objectionable feature. The Attle and the Bonfire The attic and the bonfire arc two allies of the courageous housewife. In the first she stores things that are "under suspicion" until she fcejs that her judgment judg-ment is final; to the other she assigns things which arc of no use to anyone. Every house is full of such things. They have been put away at odd limes, having lost their first usefulness, but kept in the vague hope that they "might be of use some day." It has been necessary neces-sary to handle them, and clean them time and again, or else they have lurked in the dark corner of some kitchen cupboard, cup-board, covered with dust and dirt. By the way, what do you think of removing the front and doors of that little closet under the sink and making COMFORT IN THE SLEEPING-ROOM. CONVENIENCE AND CLEANLINESS MARK THIS KITCHEN. The ammonia darkens the wood somewhat; some-what; merely oiling with crude oil, olive oil, linseed or kerosene gives a good finish, provided a very small quantity is used and that it is thoroughly thor-oughly rubbed in and no superfluous oil left on the floor. Bemovln; Status When Summer comes, the heavy rugs and draperies can be taken out and receive re-ceive a thorough beating arid cleaning. Soiled spots can be removed by turpentine, turpen-tine, gasoline, alcohol, chloroform or ether. When the odor has disappeared the articles may be covered with clean newspapers and rolled or folded for silk wet in gasoline. No article should be put away until all odor of the cleanser has disappeared. Serious consequences have been known to result from using gasoline on carpets and then closing doors and windows. Gasoline used out of doors in cold weather injures the hands; the rapid evaporation and low temperature cause the skin to become thick and leathery, and months of care arc necessary to restore re-store it to normal condition Sometimes it seems that only the necessities of living arc allowable, or at least very few luxuries. This is especially espe-cially true where the home is brightened by little ones. for each individual, to save the confusion con-fusion in the use of towels. Simplicity tho Keynote The evolution of house furniture is still going on, and' after a period of elaborate designing and the use of tons of wood in construction, the simple styles of our ancestors arc the most popular to-day. It is not a step backward back-ward by any means, but a recognition that our forefathers knew the principles of comfort and adornment, and produced pro-duced many masterpieces in artistic furnishing. Merc money is not a safe guide in the finishing and the furnishing of a home, softer, the 'more harmonious the surface, sur-face, the better the impression vyill be, so the-first thing to do in decorating the new home, or redecorating the old, is to take up the matter of walls seriously. ; The color scheme of a room depends upon many things, but most of all upon the frontage, whether it be north or south, cast or west. Again, it depends on the use of the room, whether it is to b a living-room, a bedroom or a nursery, or a combination of all three. The srze of the room enters into the equation, and finally, the nature and the trim of the standing woodwork. North rooms and the cast rooms require re-quire warm, mellow colors colors that |