Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-04-03
are never painted, as in this conntr

are very dark and of very large pat
terms. The colors used in upholsterinE
are dark, and the effect, therefore, 81
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 m~assiveness
of the furniture is its prime and most
noticeable characteristic. This is par
~ticularlysoof the furniture ofthe dining
room. The sideboard is always a most
enormous and unwieldy affair, and
upon it is set the affections and anbi-
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, andvery 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 a kind
with the sideboard-yery 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 bo
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 u to
be quite a 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 OF tennis, and SO
these high, exclusive walls. Many
houses, indeed all throughth 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 q tendency to decoration and
art. The line is strictly drawn at
water-color paintings upon the walls.
In no we'll ordered English family
does one ever see an oil painting on
the walls of the drawing-room. l have
never been able to fully take in the
reason for this custom. 1 conjecture,
however, that the walls of the draw
ing-room being lighter and of
expensive papcring 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 a like
heavy sort with the rest of the house.
The brass bedstead has taken the place
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
purposes, the covering of the bed is
thrown up and over the pillows during
the day, and there is no p%retension
whatever to beauty or ornament about
the bed. It is always deliciously clean,
and with its cretonne or muslin hang
ings looks neat and tidy. In many
houses the feather-bed is still the
thing, and is always used upon all
bedsteads 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-guite two or three
times the size Of those used in American
DEMONSTRATING upon them exceedingly
large bowls and ewers, serve every pur-
pose of washing; and in each bedroom
there is to be found a portable bath,
which is arranged owe night upon a
large flannel rug and having beside it
q great a of water.
Gas is used in few bedrooms, and.
for the matter of that, in very few up
per-class houses at all. It 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
dimming the paintings. Lamps and
candles are taking the place of gas in
all houses, except, possibly, in halls,
kitchens, and like rooms.
It may be truthfully said that in all
middle-class families of England the
dining-room is the livlng-loom of the
house. The family-or such OF them
as remain at home-sit in the dining
room during the forenoon and until af-
ter the noo meal, whether that be
luncheon or dinner. The dining-room
is commonly a very large room and is
furnished for comfort. having generally
the most pleasant exposure TO garden,
sun, and air. The kitchen is seldom
near the dining-room, and the pantries
are connected with the kitchen; so that
the dining-room is free of all the odor
of cooking and from all the necessary
noise of the kitchen and pantries. As
all meats and hot dishes are brought to
tho dining-room closely covered,
there is seldom any smell from the
kitchen floating about or lurking about
the house. 1t is not unfrequent that
the kitchen is on the opposite side of
the hall from the diping-room, and one
often runs up against the butler or
waitress crossing the hall with the dim
ner. I can bear witness to the perfect