Kansas weekly herald. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan. Territory [Kan.]) 1854-1858, 1855-07-07
II ShO1-tLettes. Oas E3tr0Ug.
< 1 g0aece. II.
" A little house well fHed.v

49," Lug ASAAN PSSf1S PAkdO HACA1oC1fCO
on their sober good sense, especially as to
the AIT of living. They datter themselves
that they know how to make the most, and
the best, Of their condition and means.-
And the southern or western man some
times sneers at our s' cute calculations for
saving our money. Yet we are bold
enough to say, that in many particulars,
New England men, aye, New England
farmers, are the most extravagant people
in the world. We intend to speak to that
class Of our farmers, who are owners of
the farms they till, and who are ambitious
to 1--we in as good as other people; not to
the poor and destitute, but to the substan-
tial. solid citizen farmer. The farmer ex-
travagant! we seem to hear echoed and
re-echoed on every side. DO we not work
early and late? Do not our wives give
their whole time to labor-do we not con-
stantly study economy and save every cent
that can possibly be saveds
Perhaps you do all this our friend and
brother. Almost every man works too
hard, in New England, and has too little
leisure, and great many men are too con.
tinually preaching economy, and making
families uncomfortable by complaining that
their expenses are too great and that they
cannot afford to eat, drink and wear what
is proper and decent, when the fault is en-
tirely their own. Let US name some of
the particulars, in which not only farmers
but most others who have homes of their
own, live extravagantly ; that is to say,
live beyond their means-live in a style
that rather detracts from than promotes the
comfort of the family,
Our houses are too large and too costly.
We have usually one or two rooms that
are merely for show; parlor. perhaps
two with folding doors between that are
only open for company, that are too nice
for children to play In, too large to be
warmed readily in winter, in short like
dandy, too nice for anything useful. And
then often there is part of the house un-
finished, large attic which might accom-
modate small family, occupied now by a
few old boxes and white beans, and a few
lunches of catnip and penny-royal, and
some broken chair and table. The up
per story was probably put on because you
wanted house as large as your neighbor's
Now, house, should In some measure, fit
a family, as suit of clothes should fit an
individual. Although it is not perhaps al
ways safe to count your children before
they are born, and therefore the capacity
Of your house, must often be by estima-
ton yet everywhere, are houses going up,
with perfect understanding thata consid-
cradle part of the room is to be useless,
either kept for an annual party, or to re-
main unfinished. IF we who plan and
build such houses, would reflect upon it
fairly, we should see that no rational man
would entertain for us any more respect,
for living in house which we do not fill,
than for wearing suit of clothes made for
a person of twice our size.
Let us have Sc a little house well filled"
with no spare room except chamber for
our friends, md no lumber room or gar
ret, for ghosts and rats and mice to inhabit
The thousand dollars which even careful
men generally expend, in building ga house
to live IN" merely to conform to fashion,
or an architectural whim, costs the poor
wife and children many lecture upon
penny economy which might otherwise
have been saved. And when you have
built or purchased a house too large for
your wants, the evil is but just commenced.
Your large and numerous rooms require
large and numerous carpets, and curtains
and sofas, and other adornings. But that
is not all, nor the worst of it. The house
and the furniture must be taken off
swept and busted daily, and scrubbed and
secured Spring and Fall. when house
cleaning time comes round. You must
either pay for help to do all this, or per-
haps what is more common, allow addi-
tional burdens to fall on your wife, who
has already ceaseless round of cares.
And then, again, we are extravagant in
our household furniture. The ladies must
come In for share of our lecture on this
topic. The furniture of house is mainly
for use and comfort. Carpets, and sofas
and chairs and tables are chiefly designed
to promote warmth and quiet, and physical
enjoyment IN some way. A carpeted floor
is warmer In winter, and the children
make less disturbance on it than bare
boards; and besides, they require much
less labor to keep them In nice order: Let
comfort then be regarded, principally in
selecting furniture: We live IN the coun-
try, and it is not only unnecessary, but
absolutely In bad taste, 10 furnish our
houses like fashionable saloons, in the city.
N indicates no refined taste, only that we
have, or have had, money, if our. rooms
are filed with tapestry and marble and
black walnut. Rosewood, the furniture
man, viii 6t out your house in magnificent
style il. you will only furnish the CASH
He knows the fashions better than you,
and is entitled to all the credit of the show,
after all.
3 But nice perception of the fitness of
things, which is good taste-the faculty of
producing harmony. between the occupants
of the house and the house itself. and be-
tween the house and the furniture surrounds
ings, this is what you do not bay ct the up
holsters This is haun,,d nrice ID M t4ar