Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-23
BEAUTIfYING THE HOME.
The Craze That at present Affects
Househeldsrs und Wakes Decorators
Happy.

The Craze That at present Affects
Househeldsrs und Wakes Decorators
Happy.
New York Sun.
THE city shows many interesting
and occasionally pathetic instances of
the efforts of women, and sometimes
men, to beautifyiEg their homes.
This Is particularly noticea ole In the
tenement house districts, where row
of gauat and bare looking windows is
sometimes enlivened by easement
about which some climbing plant is
guided, said dealer in stained glass
yesterday. ''On the east and west
SIDES one occasionally sees windows
that have plain muslin curtains pref
THY Topped back with ribbons, and
once In awhile rough lace cur
tains are visible. This sort OF decsra-
ton Is rot confined to the tenement
wards by any means. however. Pass
ing over the other extreme, that is,
the very rich people who have their
windows on Fifth avenue decorated
by highly finished boxes of plants,
take the streets en- either side of Fifth
avenue and within block or two of
that thoroughfare. A great many of
the houses so located are devoted to
boarders, and it is the boarder who
usually decorotcs his room. Nearly
opposite me on Thirty eighth street
there is a young couple-tney have
been married about two years. be-
Heve-who have made their windows
as attractive as any have seen. The
wife has natural liking for flowers
and she knows how to cultivate them.
Boxes are made so that they can be
put out on the sill in the summer and
inside in winter, and the flowers are
nearly always in bloom. Bird cages
hang in the two windows over the
flowers, but the birds have been
so carefully trained that they are
rarely put into their cages. They fly
about IL the room, and sing so thai
they can be heard across the street
don't see prettier sight all day tnan
that which greets me every morning
when l look across the street. The
wife is plump little creature of the
blonde type, and she wears a tight
fitting robe that looks as though il
might be made of Turkish towelling.
For two hours every morning she Is
busy with her birds and flowers.
About two years ago, when | was
inhablting a bare hall bed room in
Twentieth street. l became interested
IN two young women who lived in the
rear of the house on the street behinc
mine. They were working girls and
l suppose they didn't make muck
money, as they were on the top floor
of the house. But they had a parrot
that Was endowed with great intelli
gence, although it couldn't talk
When I first noticed them they were
devoting most of their time to thi!
parrot. Subsequently they got lit
tie canary in a cage and finally few
flowers. Then they introduced a KIT
ten one day end in order that the birG
should not be harmed they made s
little kennel for the kitten and pat i
outside the window. The kitten seem
ed happy enough and frisked around
the window sill cheerfully for weeE
or two. until the girls had succeeded
in making it acquainted with the birds
then The birds and the kitten and tht
two shop girls dwelt harmoniously
together.
at was observing such things a.
these that set me thinking about win
dow decoration, and so went into the
business. Colored paper of certain
design is now sold at very low price
and can be placed on the glass SO def
~ and securely that when the Ugh
shines through it it has precisely the
same effect as stained glass. A grea
many of the highly decorated saloon:
that you see along the streets owe the
variegated appearance of their wind
ows TO this paper. OF late it has beer
taken up somewhat in private houses
and many a solitary dweller in sin
gle room in big city house pasteE
paper on the window panes and get!
a gorgeous effect, as though the sur
shone through the most expensive O
colored glass. There is what nigh
be called rage or craze for artistic
doorways and windows now. A few
years ago when man built house
on Fifth OR, Madison avenue he was
content to have the regulation vesti
bule doorway of hard wood polished
and decorated with mouldings Moth
ing of that sort will do nowadays
as much money is now often spent or
doorways as was formerly spent on &
whole house and there is apparently
no limit to the expense to which
mouse building will go in the matter
of doorway decorations. The whole
movement is the result Of an effort tt
get rid of the tiresome similarity anc
everlasting saneness of TIC houses OF
New York"