St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-02-09
The Heating of our Houses.


us \ puff of ScOrched air from Il reg
lister, redolent of burning irom-"r of
boiled air from steam heater. The
thermometer is standing about a. We
advance to the paIlor. There matters
are even worse. for no outside cold has
entered with momentary freshness. The
plants i'll the window look yellow and
foIlorn. OminOuS cracks are visible
here and there in the tulnlture-naN. Il
strip of ornamental veneer has actually
split off from the piano and lies on the
carpet. Our hostess, coming forward
to greet lis. is wrapped i'll little shawl.
and remarks that it is an awful day ::
that she hasn't been out, of course. hut
even in the warm house has felt the
cold. In effect, she looks blue and
pinchcd. Whereat we wonder. for the
room ttrLs inSutfrrahly hot hut we place
ourselves beside her where she sits
covering over the register, and CONVEX
Sation goes on with what spirit it may
under these circumstances.
At the end of an hour we are surprised
to find ourselves Il little chilly. That
| is, our head is hot enough; little TOO
hot, perhaps both hands and feet are
cold, and we are inclined to agree with
our friend when she upinc> that the
girl must have let the fire 90 down.
But ylancing ut the thermometer. We
stare to see that the mercury has risen
instead of falling. It's now 1t ~. And.
after all. why should we wonder ! Ma
turc is inc\ liable in her rrtrihuti0uS.
and We, no less than the poor gr!aniolm
in the window, must suffer the pcEaltN
! 49, 4 ham
| late her laws of temperature.
! Bad enough. if this were all one can
| live and he useful umdrI the triiiing
! discomfort of cold cNtrrmitic>. :IS ON
/ worthy ioretathcrS sufficiently proved.
/ But how much of life and liic'> best
energies, of thought. nf wit. of good
mImor. of aspiration. goes down through
those holes in the floor into neither
silence A> from some knhold'> cave.
| the invisible gnomrS of the furnace
climb. emerge. and steal from lis the
choicest. finest. most intangible part oi
ourselves. No man ever lived and
worked his best III Il room heated over
t. Il sentence We should like to rugI;lNc
in letters of gold OH the iron plate at
every register and the front "t every
steam heater in the land from this day
forth and forever.
The time may come Nhru Il perfect
system of house warming. un, combine
ing fIc.tlthfulu,s.4, comfort. and .rnIInnA .
shall hc introduced. l;ut certain il i.
We have none such NOW. The hot water
furnace. iii which Il large chamber Well
supplied with fresh air is heated 10y coils
of pipe filled with boiling water. and
the warmth taken thence and dittuecd
over the house, approached more nearly
to the ideal than amy other i'll all Ir-
Sptct> save one: it il 81 costly that only
the most luNurinusly built mansions can
afford IL enjoy it. Open fires are not
/ sufficient. except III the most moderate
winter cold. t" supply the mtiliriallN
stimulated demand for heat made 10y
the human race to-day: and even in the
case of that cheapest of fuels. coke, they
cost more than the furnace. The big
base burning hall stoves. which make
many of our country houses 81 comforta-
! bic. take room which cannot nc afforded
/ III city entries. where each inch of space.
is precious. And the air-tight variety
-warcnted. 10y il good deacon who
dealt III the article in the days of our
youth. to bum up every hit Of moXiouS
gas which, as he was informed. abound
ed in the air. and the name ofw hicl wa>
Oxygen what can Ice said i'll it, favor
1t is best left to silence. and t" that
necessity on which it bases its sole claim
to human federation.
There remain, then. fol the average
house, only the hot-air furnace and the
steam heater. Both have in>cpaiahlr
evils connected with them. both adj
vantagcS equally inScparihic. In one.
ahundcut moisture is provided: in the
other, an untaiing supply. barring ar-
cldentS, of outer air. And either can he
made tolcrahly comfortable and Suf-
ticicntly wholesome only hy intelligent
watchtulncSS. by strict regulation of
heat. by observation of thermometers.
by periodicals of evap0ratorS and water
pans, by renewing the air of rooms
through open windows. and that per
petual vigilance which is the price of
most of the good things we enjoy, and,
above all, of that healthful food which
we consume with our lungs. and with
ont which we can enjoy nothing. Home
and Society, Scribncr's for February.
To lOrNG LApIES.-In marrying.
make your own match. DO not mar
ry any one to get rid of them. or to
obhgc them, or to save them. The
man who would go to destruction with
out you would quite likely 90 with
you, and perhaps drag you along also.
DO not marry i'll haste, lest YOU repent
ut your leisure. DO not marry for IL
home and Il living, when by burning
up Your corsets, and rolling up your
sleeves, and taking care of your health.
You can hc strong enough to earn your
own living, and provide ii home for
yourself. DO not let auntS, OF fathers
or mothers. sell you for money or posi-
ton, bondage. tears. and lifelong mis-
cry which YOU alone must endure DO
not place yourself hahitually IN the
company of amy suffer till You have de
cided the question of marriage human
wills are weak, and people are often
become bcwildered, and do not know
their error till il is too late. Get away
from their influences, settle your head
and make up your mind alone. y
promise may he made in All hour of
half-deliciouS ecstasy. which must he
redeemed through years of sorrow. toll.
and pain. DO not trust yoiu happi-
ness i'll the keeping of one who has no
heart, no head, no health. DO not
look too high, unless you wish Il com
panion who will despise YOU. Beware
of insane blood. unless You wish chill
dren that will fill your life with SORROW.
and close their own with suicide. Do
not marry hastily, contrary to the wish
es of parents, guardians. and friends ::
You may refuse to marry ut their bid
ding. hut you have no right to rush
hastily into welded life against their