The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-05-31
The Farmers Home.

latelugence alone Will llIt men OUT OF
the caves Of ignorance and place them
above the jewellers in mud huts. In this
country, where every man il sovereign
and has access to free schools, there is no
excuse for ignorance, nor for lack Of
self-respect; nor is there any good reason
for the half-dedged notion that Is quite
common, that fari11e1 and their families
must occupy lower positions In social life
than Professional men and theft families.
Equal Intelligence viii secure equal pc.
sition, equal influence, equal usefulness,
without regard To the particular class to
which one, in this country, belongs, or to
the particular sphere in which he moves.
We are led into these reflections be-
cause we know that the farmer and his
family, as they have steadily advanced
since the organization of Harvard Univer.
sity in 1886, to the present time, owe it all
to the increase of knowledge among the
class TO which they belong. Among the
good things which knowledge brings, and
teaches us to enjoy and value, and which
assist in giving us position and influence
in life, we may class good hoise. It
may be, and often is, that fine house is
not home in the true sense Of the word,
for complete home includes not only
tasteful house, in q heallhful locality, but
also cultivated minds and affections in the
occupants.
But we must leave these aesthetic con-
siderations for the more practical details
which in the construction of home are
of the most immediate importance. The
first matter relates to site for the house.
1t Is q great mistake to select low situa-
ton, which is done sometimes Ia order 10
secure the advantages OF reaching water
more readily aud to avoid the strong
winds which rake the higher points. As
cold air settles into the lowest places it is
found that though not liable to wind-cnr-
rents, these locations are colder and more
damp than the hills. 1t is important then
to place tho house on high, dry ground,
where the cold, damp air will drain off in
quick moving currents. Stagnant air is
as bad for the health as stagnant water.
As refinement and beauty are among
the highest qualities of the works Of the
Creator; SO Ia constructing dwelling we
should seek to place ohf house where it
will be in harmony with all around. IT
should not stand too near the highway nor
within smelling distance of the barn-yard
and pig pens. If a good farmer can be
known by his barn, an intelligent one may
be known by the location he selects for
his house. Many farmhouse in this
country of boosted intelligence takes a
place inferior to that Of the barn.
If possible, the farmhouse should com.
mand pleasant outlook. This Is i'm.
possible sometimes on large, level prai.
ries, but even, on those there are slight
elevations, and these are always prefer
able to the lower portions. Water settles
away more quickly, the soil is warmer,
because drier, vegetation starts earlier in
spring and frosts are not so severe.
Next in importance is sunshine. The
house should stand in the sunshine all the
| day. There is life and health in sunshine !;
palsies, rheumatisms and neuralgies
where there Is none. Trees should not
envelope the house SO as to exclude sun
slime, but occupy places at respectful
distance. Trees are more needed for pro-
lection against cold winds than for shad.
ing the dwelling. If they are introduced
| for the purpose of characterization they are
quite as effective at little distance from
the walls of the house. If sunlight
takes the color out of the carpets, it trans
fers it to the complexion of the children I;
If there is no sunlight in the house there
will be little in the souls of the occupants.
AuOtueT Important COuSlueIdtlOu we may
mention Is that plants cannot be grown
satisfactorily without sunlight at all times
of the day.
A farmers house shoHld be two full
stories, and broad on the foundation.
Never build cellar nor a cellar kitchen
below. They are, at best, damp,
noisome, unwholesome reservoirs of NAL
aria and nervous diseases. They are sci.
dom effectually ventilated, owing 10 the
fact that the damp, cold air settles to the
ground, while ventilation is secured only
BY means of windows at the top. A
two-story house costs but little more than
one or one-and -a-half story. The wall
and roof cost no more, and when it is fin
ished there is an air of comfort and
character of force about it which are
worth good deal, for there is indeed
comfort within as well as expression
without. The rooms are high and airy,
the windows are also high, admitting
better ventilation. The posts should be
at least twenty feet in length.
As to outward finish, that is of less mo-
ment, though in an artistic and refined
sense, we'll worthy of consideration ana
study.-Detrost Tribune.