Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-10-29
BEAUTIFYING THE HOME.

BEAUTIFYING THE HOME.
The Craze That at present Affects
Householder und Makes Decorators
Happy.
New York Sun.
''The city shows many interesting
and occasionally pathetic instances of
the efforts Of women, and sometimes
men, to identifying their homes.
This is particularly noticeable in the
tenement house districts, where row
of gauHt and bare looking windows is
sometimes enlivened by a easement
about which some climbing plant is
guided" said dealer in stained glass
yesterday. con 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 a 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 young couple-they have
been married about two years, ] be-
lleve-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 tRat they are
rarely put into their cages, They fly
about IL the room, and sing so that
they can be heard across the street,
[ don't see prettier sight all day tnan
that which greets me every morning
when [ 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 it
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
inhabiting bare hail bed room In
Twentieth street. became interested
IN two young women who lived in the
rear Of the house on the street behind
mine. They were working girls and
I suppose they didn't make much
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 first noticed them they were
devoting most Of their time to this
parrot. Subsequently they got lit
tie canary IN a cage and finally few
towers. Then they introduced KIT
ten one day and in order that the bird
should not be harmed they made a
little kennel for the kitten and put it
outside the window. The kitten SEEM
ed happy enough and frisked around
the window. sill cheerfully for a week
Or two. until the girls had succeeded
in making 1t acquainted with the birds
then The birds and the kitten and the
two shop girls dweIt tremendously
together.
ut was observing such things as
these that set me thinking about win
dow decoration, land 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 deft-
ly and securely that when the light
shines through it it hes precisely the
same effect as stained glass. A great
many of the highly decorated saloons
that you see along the streets owe the
variegated appearance of their wind>
ows TO this paper. Of late it has been
taken up somewhat in private houses,
and many solitary dweller in sim
gle room in big city house psstes
paper on the window panes and gets
a gorgeous effect, as though the san
shone through the most expensive of
colored glass. There is what might
be called rage or a 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 on
doorways as was formerly spent on a
whole house and there is apparently
no limit to the expense to which
house building will 60 ia the matter
of doorway decorations. The whole
movement is the result Of an effort to
get rid of the tiresome similarity and
everlasting sameness of the houses of
New York
About the time that baby is ready
to be presented in society it is custom
airy in polite circles to send baby's
mother congratulathry messages and
IF TIaea own ~,ffav,