The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-08-13
outside Glitter and Inside Gloom

Many homes ate elegantly furnished
with small addition to domestic comfort
In this fast age, the Mrs. Potiphars of
ten live in palatial residences. overlaid
with gorgeous decorations for tbe eyes o
fashionable visitors, while the homo.lov.
ing Mr.. Potiphar sighcs for the quiet
ease Of the humble old homestead. The
Marysville Tribune gives an amusing
sketch of the inner life of one oe these
comfcrtcss households
81 declare, Mr. SMITH this is too bad
Here you are stretched out on the sofa,
mussiDg it up, and my nice carpet is all
spoiled by the tramp of your course
boots. I shall be ashamed to bring any
one into the parlor again--and 1 have
taken go much pains to keep everything
nice. l do think Mr.. Smith, you are
the most thoughtless nan I ever did see
you don't appear to care how much
trouble you give me. II had no more
care than you have, we woulo soon have
a nice looking house--it would not be
long till our new house aud furniture
would be just as bad as the DID," said
John Smiths wife to him, as she saw
him in the parlor taking nap on the
sofa,
Mr.. Smith rose up early and answered
u was tired and sleepy, Mary and the
weather SO bot, and this room SO quiet
and cool, and The sofa looked so inviting,
that could not resist the temptation to
suoose little l thought when wo we're
building a new house. and furnishing it
thus, that we were doing it because
the old house and furniture were not SO
comfortable and desirable, and that 1
and my own dear Mary, would indulge
ourselves in a little quiet leasure in these
nice rooms, and if VIC choose, in lounging
on the sofa aud rocking i'll these cush
toned arm.cbairs, away from the noise of
the family, and the smell of the cooking
stove. rtr
Il did not dream Of displeasing you,
Mary, and thought it would give you
pleasure to see me enjoying a nap on the
sofa, this warm afternoon. l noticed
when Merchant Swell, or Colonel Big
man. and their families are here, you ap-
pear to be delighted to have sofas and
arm chairs for them to sit in or lounge
upon, thought the house and the So
fas were to use that we wero seeking
our own pleasure when we paid large
sum Of money for them but l suppose
was mistaken, and that the house and
furniture are for strangers, and that we
are to sit in the old kitchen, and if
want to take a nap, or rest little when
fatigucd, am to lie down on slab in
the wood house ; and you want to rest,
you can go to the cLildren's trundle-bed:
in tie little close bedroom, where the
flies can nave chance at you"
The irony of Mr.. Smiths reply only
provoked his wife, and seeing himself
threatened with repetition of Mrs.
Smiths speech, with unpleasant addi-
tions and variations, and knowing that
he would get tired of gaining victories
over her in argument, before she would
think of getting tired of defeat, he took
himself out, and left Mrs. Smith to fix
up and dust out, and lock him out Of
lis own house, and took seat on an
old chair in the kitchen, which Mrs.
Smith said was good enough to use every
day-in the kitchen where no one sees
it. .....
Poor mistaken Mrs Smith, thought /.
And yet many are like her. They want
fine honse. and when they get it they
want an clubhouse built to live in, and
they conGne their families to few small
rooms, poorly furnished, while the main
room, we'll furnished. is never seen by
tho family, only when. visitors come
Both house and furniture are too grand
for use. The carpet is too fine for their
husbands to walk on--the mirrors are
too fine for him to look into-the furni-
ture is all'too fine for him to see or use.
just SO it goes-we DRESS We women, l
mean, and | am sorry that many men
are as foolish as we are, TO please others,
or rather to excite their remarks-we
build houses, and furnish them for those
outside of the family, and live as poorly
when we are rich as we did when we
were poor as poorly in the new house
as in the old.
1t is fatal day TO enjoyment when
family gets house aud furniture too
fine for use and set many have an am.
bition to have 1t SO. Better would il be
If they were contented with such house
and such furniture ss is suited to every.
day use-the house largo enough to ac-
commodate ones friends, and the furi.
ture such as all use when at homo.