Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-12-21
The Family Sitting.Roona.

The Family Sitting-Room.
I'VE copy the following article from
The HOUSE AND GARDEN, monthly
magazine, published at Cleveland, o.
This is the pleasantest room in the
house. It is that to which the heart of
the abeent, or home e-sick child always
turns it is the Caaha OF every domestic
Mecca. 1t is the room that makes home;
there the family lives, and there the fam
lily life aows in its purest, sweetest
stream; and hence, We call it the family
room. There is the fountain of the
household life; hence, to many of us it
Is sknown as the tiviRg-roon,. Though these
words are not found in any dictionary,
they are found in every heart. Here the
family sit together-here, those domes-
tic accomplishments, writing, sewing and
reading, are carried on. Here the chill
dren play; here, even the cat purrs, and
the family dog has his place. This is
the only room that is found in every
house-large or small. There may be
no parlor, no diniug-room, no bedroom,
no kitchen, but a family room there al
ways is. II may be used for a drawing
room, or dining-room, or sleeping
room, or even kitchen, but it always
remains the family room. All other
uses are temporary and exigent, this is
permanent and perpetual
AS this is the pleasantest room in the
heart, it should Le made the pleasantest
room in the house 1t should be large
and airy; its location should invite the
sunshine and the air. The furniture
should be plain enough to be formal, snd
not too plain TO be comfortable. IF
there is room, few flower pots should
grace one of the windows. A bookcase SO
is indispensable, and children's books
to fll one or more Of its shelves. "Rob-
inson Crusoe," /" Arabian Nights" aud
Pilgrims Progress" should not be
wanting iu any family that can afford
them Engrayings, now so cheap and
good, and particularly stereoseopic
views, ought to be the aim of every
household. And here let US say, that
every one can afford to get what he really
wants. What We can t afford to get, is
what our envy orvanity Graves. The
best things for US are those which our
hearts desires-which We can appreci-
ate--which express our character, and
are an extension of ourselves. Whether
such things are books, pictures, or fow-
crs, we can get them; and these, as be-
1onginS to the heart, belong to the fam.
lily room.
The window Of this room should have
a good outlook /; for from it come many
thoughts and suggestions to stimulate
and adorn the inner life. From the
window of this room the children FIRST
study Nature. Here, eagerly crowding
to the panes, they listen to the monot
onous rain, or watch the falling leaf.
Here they follow the snow as it comes
down in exciting whirls; or dreamily,
and with distended eyes, gaze at the
large fakes sinking to the ground so
pure and noiselessly, as if shaken from
the wings of an angel. Here it is, that
each day starts afresh the stream of
household life. Here, after breakfast,
when the larger children have gone to
school, and the father to his business,
playing about her, sits doing her more
quiet work peacefully and evenly the
current flows ON past noon till tea-time,
when the larger children, with stronger
voices and louder tread. have come from
school, and the father from his business;
then the stream deepens and widens,
and the family life is again at full tide
From this point it begins to ebb. One
after another Of the tributaries dries up.
Little hands grow still, little voices are
hushed, little eyes closed the roar of
the CRATE is hushed, its eyes of fame
grow dim, and one by one-the red Goals
are quietly sinking to sleep, under the
gray ashes the candle is near the sock
ct, and the mother thoughtfully laying
aside her work, gathers up. the loose
things, putting aside the children toys,
and little shoes and stockings, quietly
takes the candle, and like a guardian
angel passes out of the family room, and
the day is done. Who can forget the
family room? 1t is the family school
room, and should be made the house
hold shrine. Let the parlor, with its
fnery and formslity. be forgotten the
thought Of the bedroom may never
wake in the mind of the absent child,
but let not the sitting the living
room, the family room die out in the
heart of your children, fer from that
sacred cell is the future house of your
child to grow.