The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-04-24

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. intact, 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
they are slaves to it. The massiveness
of the furniture is its prime and most
noticeable characteristic. This is par
ticularly 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-
tions of the family. 1t is quite usually
the most expensive piece of furniture
in the house, and it is not only very
big, very high. very wide, and livery long,
but is it carved and ornamented with
brass trimmings. 1t is, in some sense,
the symbol of hospitality. The bis
outlook is always standing upon it
and the decanters of spirits and wines
are always at hand. The papering of
the dining-room is always dark, and
on its walls are to be found most of the
oil paintings belonging to the family.
The tables and the chairs are of kind
with the sideboard-very large and
very heavy.
The drawing-room is almost always
at the back of the house and looks
out upon the garden, for it must be
known that. however large the grounds.
the house is built quite near the
road and there is little or no front
garden; and there is almost sure to
be quite high wall at the front, so as
to shut off the house and grounds
from the gaze and eyes of the COM
mon herd. The English, be it known,
are exclusive. They seclude them
selves. They have an adherence of
people seeing them about their grounds.
or playing croquet or tennis, and so
these high, exclusive walls. Many
houses, indeed all through the provinces,
have gates in these high walls with
bells. and the servant comes from
the house to the outside gate to an
swer the bell. The papering of the
drawing-room is of somewhat lighter
color than that of the other rooms.
The furniture is also less massive, and
has Just tendency to decoration and
art. The line is strictly drawn at
water-color paintings upon the walls.
In no well-ordered English family
does one ever see an oil painting on
the walls of the drawing-room. have
never been able to fully take in the
reason for this custom. / conjecture,
however, that the walls of the draw
ing-room being lighter and of more
expensive papering that it is deemed
bad taste to cover them up with
great pictures and frames. Water
colors. moreover, are more in keeping
with the lighter tone of the room. So
it is; you never, under any circum-
stances. see oil paintings in the salon
of an English house.
The bedroom furnishings are of like
heavy sort with the rest of the house. |
The brass bedstead has taken the place |
of the OLD 'four-poster, but the can
opy is retained. The curtains are |
drawn for the night when the bed is
opened. Day coverings and ''pillow-
shams" for the bed are things unknown |
in England. As the bedrooms are not |
to sit in. and are only used for sleeping
the covering of tho bed is |
thrown up and over the pillows during
the day, and there is no pretension
whatever to beauty or ornament about
the bed. Ii is always deliciously clean.
and with its cretonne or muslin hang
houses the feather-bed is still the
thing, and is always used upon all
in winter. Running water
is never laid on in the bedrooms. This
is upon grounds of health, as English
medical men insist that it is impossible
to prevent the escape of sewer gases.
Large washstands-quite two or three
times the size of those used in American
upon them exceedingly
large bowls and ewers. serve every pnr-
pose of washing and in each bedroom
there is to be found a portable bath.
which is arranged over night upon .
large flannel rug and having beside il
q great can of water.
Gas is used in few bedrooms, and,
Tor the matter of that, in very few up
per-class houses at all. 1t is being
taken out of pretty nearly all the old
houses in England and on the CONT
nent. 1t is deemed unhealthy, consum-
ing the fresh air of the rooms, besides
being a very hot light, having the
property of soiling the ceilings and
thinning the paintings. Lamps and
candles are taking the place of gas in
I'll houses. except, possibly. in halls,
and like rooms.
1t may be truthfully said that in all
families of England the
is the livlng-room of the
house. The family-or such of them
IS remain at home-sit in the dining
-oom during the forenoon and until al
'er the noon meal, whether that be
luncheon or dinner. The dining-room
s commonly very large room and is
furnished for comfort. having generally
he most pleasant exposure to garden,
'un, and air. The kitchen is seldom
rear the dining-room, and the pantries
ire connected with the kitchen; 80 that
he dining-room is free of all the odor
# cooking and from all the necessary
loise of the kitchen and pantries. As
III meats and hot dishes are brought to
he dining-room closely covered,
hero is seldom any smell from the
Zitchen floating about or lurking about
he house. 1t is not unfrequent that