The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-04-16
The Art of Home Establishment

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walton and study. and though not so high
a gift as that of Genius itself. is vet its
close companion and associate.
An elegant home, filled with costly speci-
desirable possession. both useful and beau
tiful, may always be within the reach of
wealth. Money will purchase all the lux
uries and ornaments of household. but
taste after all, must dictate the selection.
or the pleasing effect will be wanting. how
ever splendid aud expensive may be the
articles themselves. There is a harmoaev
of the eye as well as of the ear, without
which all will be discord. Quiet colors or
delicate shades for walls; rich. warm Grim
sons or greens for custains and covers, with
carpets either to match or contrast well. are
found in every tasteful drawing-room The
smaller the figures on the wallpaper the
better will be the effect, especially if pic
lures are to be hung upon it. Artists
choose plain ground for the walls of their
studios and galleries, as anything snowy Or
conspicuous would but draw away the Wis
itor's attention from the work themselves
Who can tell. after visit to an art gal
lery, what kind OF paper was on the wall,
or, indeed, if there were any at all
know that upon many points it would
be impossible to lay down any rules of
beauty, because different people have their
differing views. One will prefer to see the
sides of his dra ving-room clear and bare of
ornament, while another will line them with
the finest pictures he can procure. One
lady will delight herself in display of rare
and costly cabinet-furniture, mirrors, up
holstery, and the like, and her neighbar
will willingly bear with her old shabby
genteel chairs and tables, so that she may
decorate her walls with pictures, and her
corners and windows with brackets and
hanging baskets.
You enter the stately drawing-room of
Mrs. Cresus, and find all in precise order.
No hooks CT papers litter up the tables; he
flowers fill the vaces, too elegant for use,
but every chair is in place, and the few
books are piled in straight rows, with for
bidding exactness. From a glance around
such an apartment, one knows pretty well
the character and tastes of it's propretress.
She is one who is over-cleanly and scrupu-
lous, much fonder OF show than comfort
And yet she is happy in her stiff elegance,
and perhaps wonders how her neighbors,
the Brightsides, in yender plain house,
ho1 III
cheerful and contcnted.
But each one follows her own fancy, and
as present business and interests are deci-
dedly with the managing housewife, whose
have beautitied and adorned her little home
until it wears an appearance of real ele-
gance, we will enter in and take 4 nearer
view. 1t is a very plain and humble place,
worth in money only tenth of the FORM
er's mansion, but the moment one enters
he is at home-everything is so pleasant
and cheerful: for, to begin with, the trans
parent window shades let in enough of
heavens free sunlight to brighten up the
whole scene and show it to advantage
lGlC dit io tldi uul
only curtains of cheap Nottingham lace,
with cords and tassels to loop them back
The carpet is not elegant enough to be
worth saving, and half suspect that the
crimson drugget which covers the centre of
the room conceals also the parts that are
most worn. But what of that? Taste
and genius both dwell here, and all looks
lovely and neat. There is too much else to
he seen for us to waste time in snch con-
lectures, SO we walk at once to the broad
bay-window, where choice collection Of
blooming plants are tiourshing, and vines
of ivy and mduraRdia are climbing grace
fully around, forming green bower Lit
tic brackets, each one large enough to hold
a single pot, are fixed. enc above another,
up the sides. They are home made, not
very elegant, but look WE'LL and answer
the purpose admirably. When summer
time comes, and they are no longer needed,
they can be taken down and laid away for
the next season.
Then in the centre of this bay window
stands a rustic table, ornamented with
roughly twisted twigs and branches brought
from the woods, and nailed on to the still
rougher box which forms the foundation
Perhaps it is a common round cheese-boX,
or turned wooden trough, such as is used
in the kitchen for kneading bread; but hav
ing been first stained brown, and supplied
with few auger-holes for drainage, there
was nothing more needed but to nail on the
ornaments of burs and branches moss,
acorns, and pine-csnes, finishing with
coat of varnish After this it was soon
filled with earth. and made ready for the
plants. As for the stand, that was entirely
a matter of taste, and in this case was COM
posed of much the same materials as the
box.
The plants grew charmingly, and sundry
little creeping species clambercd over the
edges and were already entwined among
the outer twigs. Overhead was hanging
basket, whose pendent branches and sprays
of blue lobelia and kenilworth ivy almost
reached to its companions beneath. Alto
gether it was a charming bower of green,
and the little canary in his pretty cage
must have imagined it summertime, as
he sang out so clear and shrill from morn
ing until sunset.
Every day the lady herself examined her
plants, watered them, lsosened the earth,
or changed their places, training also the
young vines which grew SO rapidly. Not