The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-04-19
W0MAN'S WORK,
Aunt Helen'S Home Talks---COlor in
Dress---0ur Letter Box, &c.

in my own life are connected with library
rooms" said Aunt Helen at the next meeting
of the little family, "that in the plan of our
home / shall give the library precedence over
all other rooms. We must secure for this room,
first of all, dryness, light, warmth and perfect
ventilation. There should be mechanical
means for modifying the light according to the
exigencies of the hour or the needs of the
occupant. On the floor there should be good
Brussels carpet, in order that the FOOTBALLS OF
corners and goers may be deadened. The walls
should be of those colors which are most rest
full to the eye All the belongings of the room
should be genuine, and here, above all other
places, should we remember that degradation
waits upon pretension and imitation. A library
should be 10 us like temple. Here we come to
drown the rasping cares, the petty irritations
and the Weaknesses of daily life; here we enter
and at our will gather around us the spirits of
the sainted and heroic of every age and land;
here, where the sublimest works of His
creatures are Enclosed, the Divine Himself
seems to come nearer to us. The books which
find a place here should he not only those
which quicken and strengthen the intellect
but those also which shed dew upon the
heart They should be not only critically
but also alphabetically chosen. Place should
be generously given to works on science and
mechanics, but let US be equally generous in
our treatment of those works which sweeten
and enrich the inner life, such as will develop
within us more tenderness more creature-love,
more reverence. And let us have the sacred
books of each nation, for through these do we
fathom the civilization of peoples. We should
have fiction, for through the imagination the
heart is kept young; but let us have only such
fiction as is high, truthful and natural. There
should be much poetry, but only true poetry
/ that which has arisen out of resistless neces-
/ sity of expression, and which expresses for
! US, as well as calls out, those infinite feel
! Of Tenderness devotion.
whose real existence is in our own bosoms.'
| In many instances, poetry is our surest
means of obtaining historical data, and
/ for this it is best to obtain of the early
poets good literal TRANSACTIONS rather than
poetical ones A poetical translator usually
takes liberties with his text. In the filling up
of bookcases universally of taste should be
displayed, and every book should be purchased
with the aim of enriching and ennobling the
! mind or heart of each possible reader But in
the matter of books an outsider can only make
suggestions, and these, perhaps, will be chiefly
! prompted by his own preferences. The pur-
| chaser will buy according to his means, his
avocation, or his habits of thought. Women
! are not generally accredited with love for
books. | give, without comment, paragraph
which / have read in little English book ::
Women detest the books which the collector
desires and admires First, they don't under
| stand them; secondly they are jealous of their
and it really is hard thing for a lady to see
money expended on what seems dingy old
! binding, or yellow paper, scored with Grabbed
characters. Thus, ladies wage a skirmishing
war against booksellers catalogues, and history
speaks of husbands who have had to practice
the guile of smugglers when they conveyed a
new purchase across their frontier. This in
veterate dislike of books often produces a very
deplorable result when an old book collector dies.
| His womankind, as the antiquary calls them,
at once sell his treasures for the price of waste
paper. 1t would be we'll if all women resem-
bled Madame Fertiault, who, in charming
! triolet addressed to her lord, says: Books rule
thy mind, so let it be- Thy heart is mine,
and mine alone."'
Many women know the full value of books,
and delight in fnely-selected libraries but
once in awhile we hear of instances like that
of Madame Haecklaender, the widow of the
German novelist. Haecklaender was a favor
ite with the king of Wurtemberg, and accom-
panied that monarch during many journeys
into Spain, Italy, and other countries rich in
art and literature. AS the king was accustomed
during each journey to bestow costly presents
upon his favorite, the cabinet and library of
the latter in time become filled with rare treas
ures & few years ago Haecklaender died,
and for very paltry compensation his widow
effected private sale of his rich possessions.
The greatest indignation prevailed among the
Germans and resident Americans when this
act of vandalism became known in the
German capital.
"The material of which bookcases are made
should be matter of Importance to the book
lover. 1t is best to select close grained wood,
such as we'll seasoned oak, mahogany, satin
wood lined with cedar, or ebony, which are not
easily penetrated by insects; book-worms, it is
said dislike the smell of cedar, sandal-wood,
and Russia leather Book shelves should be
lined with some soft material, as velvet or
chamois, to protect the backs and edges of books
from contact with the wood. The backs of books
should be kept from contact with the walls.
Many librarians prefer open shelves, because it
is said that the absence of ventilation assists
the formation of mould. If there are glass
doors they should be opened occasionally in
order to let in the air and the sunshine Book
worms are always to be dreaded. Eyanus, the
grammarian, has written an epigram against
, the black book-worm MentZelius, the erudite
concisely describe these intruders and says that
, he has heard the book-worm crow like cock
unto his mate and in the memoirs of famous
, foreign academies one may read many singular
statements concerning these insects. 1t is said
that book-worms like the paste which book
binders employ, but despise absinthe, as they
also despse our adulterated modern paper
Second among the foes to books, Loftie reckons
the borrower Many witty sayings are rife
concerning this class of parasites. Here is
one: THE borrower is so minded that the last
! thing he thinks of is to read borrowed book
and the penultimate subject of his reflection is
its restoration 1t is recommended that
shaded lamps be used in alibrary, as gas de
, posits filthy coating of Oil that catches dust
, Blades found that three jets of gas in small
! room soon reduced the leather on his book
shelves to powder of the consistency of snuff
and made the backs of books come away in his
4 hand. Harmony in color, furniture, and ar
raugement should characterize a library
Green is the most appropriate color for thi.
room. Here is a design recommended for {
7 library in a Queen Anne cottage: The wood
. work is cherry. The decorator advises The
: builder to use dark green velvet paper; t.
= paint the cornice dark brown; to paint
? border in the ceiling in buff, framing larg,
oval or circle-if the room is square-in The
centre of room ; to stencil this border with
8 fine diaper pattern in the same color as TIL,
. cornice; to paint the oval or circle with q
light an olive-green as possible, and cover i
c with a pattern of gold-lace work. The greer
o of library should be as nearly as possible il
- harmony with the colors of adjoining rooms
And here is design which is recommended
for room to be used as library and sitting
i room: A French tapestry pattern paper, il
u which the gold thread its basis-minglet
n with shades of dull red, would produce rich
but subdued, effect. For the ceiling pape
It with pale cream -colored ground with cross
IS bars of deeper shade of cream color; thus TIA
!, lighter creafn-coor may be seen through tn
C squares, as if beyond securing light an'
vanishing effect. Appropriate frieze and dad
IS should be bought with the paper. The wood