Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-03-12
ENGLISH HOMES.

Where the Englishman Builds His Castle
Dull and Uncheery Decorations and Fur
niture, and the Arrangement of the
Rooms.
The Englishman's house is his castle.
It is the center of his life and of his in
terests. His house is usually of red
brick and of two stories, with high
wall all around it. An Englishman
likes to be shut in. The sea shuts him
in, and he is therefore born to it. The
best part of his house is at the back.
His drawing-room and dining-room
front back. In all the houses where I
have visited, except, perhaps, two very
modern ones. the front of the house is
taken up with the kitchen or offices of
the house, such as buffers pantry and
lavatory. Most suburban and country
houses are square, with central hall
and rooms arranged around it. The
doors are small, and indeed, the win
dows and all openings are small. The
rooms are large-larger than in this
country or in France or Germany. In
middle-class houses there would be
drawing-room, dining-room, sitting
room, and perhaps billard-room on the
first floor, besides large space given
to kitchen and pantries. The outside
of the house is almost uniformly with
out architectural decorations. The
dullness of the climate is seen
in the sombreness of the furni-
ture and the decorations of the
house. l can not say admire the in
side of most English houses, for they
are dull and uncheery. 1t is perfectly
true, as the French say, that nothing
screams" and it is also perfectly true
that nothing sings There is no
ioy, no Eight and sweetness, in the
color, form, and expression of the
house. Matters are mending and the
more modern, or rather the quite re-
cent fashions in house decoration. are
of lighter and more brilliant tones.
Up to within five years the wood
work was all dark, usually grained in
walnut or very dark oak. and the
furniture was mahogany, of very
heavy and ungainly construction.
This, however. must be said. that the
chairs were for use, and were very
comfortable There is spirit OF COM
fort about an English home that is very
marked-that is, if one can only dlsso-
ciate the idea of art from that OF COM
fort. The sofa is easy and big, and
lust the thing to lie down upon.
There is a soft cushion and sofa rug
or wrap: the cushion is soft and the
wrap is warm. and the whole arrnge-
ment is snug and inviting to rest and
ease. But the cushion and the wraps
are almost sure to be offensive to the
eve of art. The colors are almost sure
to be atroc.ous. Nine times in ten
there will be a dash of lavender and
of purple in both. The common peo-
pie of England have no sense OF pro-
horton or of color. The weather.
classes have more taste. but the ma
tion has more pronounced merits than
esthetic ones.
An English houses that / remember
TO have seen are papered. The walls
are never painted, as in this country
and on the continent. The papers used
are very dark and of very large pat
terms. The colors used in upholstering
are dark, and the effect, therefore, Of
the room is heavy and, in fact, gloomy.
The heavy skies and dull atmosphere
should suggest, one would fancy, light
colors and CHEEKY decorations, but in
stead of being masters of the climate
thew are slaves to it. The massiveness
of the furniture is it's prime and most
noticeable characteristic. This is par
tieularly so of the furniture of the dining
room. The sideboard is always most
enormous and unwieldy affair, and
upon it is set the affections and ambi-