St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-07-20
Suggestions to House Builders.

First, let your cellars be large, well
ventilated and lined with stone or
cemented above the level of the ground.
The breath of life in furnace-heated
houses depends literally on the air OF
the cellar, unless there be a fue for
fresh air extending from the furnace
out-of- doOrs (neyer the case in cheap,
snowy houses.) The air of the whole
house is sucked through this narrow
and often unclean apartment, the care
of which is usually intrusted to lgno-
rant servants. We have spoken IN
previous number of the malaria en-
gendered by massing quantities of veg
etables in the cellars as is the practice
in farm houses during the winter. The
lining of stone or cement not only pre-
vents dampness but is absolutely ne
cessary in streets through which the
sewers pass, as protection from rats.
Terriers, ferrets, traps or poison are
feeble defences against the legions
which swarm in nightly from neigh
boring culvert. Next to the cellars
comes the kitchen, which should be
large, airy and sunny. To take no
higher ground, cOnveniences in this
department are a polite investment
which pays full interest of capital,
especially to the house keeper who
does not live in laIge city. Station
ary tubs, closets beneath the dressers
for flour, dry groceries, spices, etc.,
will be likely to tempt into her house
hold a better class of servants, and
when she is forced to turn cook and
baker herself, will take half the bur
den from her weary hands. An addi-
ton to comfort much neglected by
builders is the lighting of stair-ways,
closets, pantries. We have in our
minds eye a modest little house, in a
closely built neighbOrhood of dark
dwellings, which gives you sunny,
cheerful welcome in every corner; a
result produced not only by windows
wherever window is practicable, but
by a sky-light of plate glass which
sends down sunshine through three
floors of closets, halls and pantries. A
mistake made also, which resolves it
self into question of humanity, is the
placing the servants chambers on the
top of the house, be that three or seven
stories above the kitchen. Passing
along a city street at night one cannot
look up at the dim lights burning in
these far skyey attics without a groan
of compassion for the wearied wretches
dragging themselves to their beds up
yonder after the days hard labor
''HOme and Society,"; Seribner for Juty
A SINGULAR FACT.-A recent trav-
eller in Mexico, who visited the mines
there during his journeys, says that he
was much astOnished at seeing the men
who carry the ore come out of the mine
each with one eye shut. The foreman
seeing his surprise, explained the mat
, ter. He said the candles belonging tC
the tardterOs (who drill and blast), dc
not give sufficient light in the shafts
where it is, consequently quite dark
bat where, nevertheless, the tardterO'
see well enough not to run their heads
against the rocks. But on emerging
. into day light they would be blinded
did they not take precautionary meas
ures. For this reason as they approach
, the mouth of the shaft, at the poin
where they catch the first glimpse o
light, they drop the eyelid of one eye
and keep this down while dischargins
their ore, and until they have re-ascend
ed the shaft. When they are again il
the dark, they open the eye kept hith
erto in reserve, and at once they SCI
everything distinctly; while the othe
, eye previously open and blinded some
: what by the daylight, perceives nothing
at all.