Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-07-10
THE FRONT DOOR STEP.
VHkKEoS oUR SUMNER BrESINas
PASS SO PLEAsANrLr AWAY.
Its History Prom the Days OF the Patrisrcbs Z,
the Ola Colonial Days, and Its Uses aud
Abuses in Our own Time-The
Discussion OF Timely Topic.

Discussion OF = Timely Topic.
Every summer evening" in fair weather
the citizens of Lancaster, of all ages aud all
classes, may he seen gathered in cheerful
family groups on The front steps or porches
Of their homes Here they sit and chat OF
everything and everybody, and all the gos
sip that the town can find or iabricate is told
in the early twilight to the little groups that
gather on the steps.
II there be young folks in the family the
steps are their peculiar heritage, and on them
all the gay young blades and pretty girls
PASS the brightest hours of their lives, talking
about nothing in particular, and laughing at
nothing at all for there is pleasure in talk
ing apart from the thought conveyed, and 1t |
lies, as Mark Twain says, "in the wag of the |
gadsome Jaw and the flap of the sympathetic |
ear" But the steps have their attractions |
for the older people in the cheerful greetings |
of friends and neighbors, aud in the observa- |
ton of passers by.
We pity the passer-by he must run the |
gauntlet of analytical glances from all aud, |
II he be young, he knows that his seniors are |
mentally taking his measure rs he passes, |
There goes that young Jones, wonder II his |
wild oats will be sown; never did think
there was much in him." But what cares
he for these imaginary maledctous? His
attention is absorbed 10y countless young
ladies, and, catching many a smile and nod
in his uplifted hat, he hurries on to the step
that he has found most pleasant, where he
catches a smile that is more than he can carry
and so sits down with II, as happy rs clam
at high tide.
The town gossip, the news of the day.
politics, business, light literature, in short
! any thing light Is matter for talk of summer
evenings, and in this good old custom OF rest
ing in the evening at the home door the
mind finds relaxation and amusement that
| is most refreshing to II.
ITS ABUSES.
Like all things that have good in them,
| front steps may be abused and the weak
points OF character are nowhere shown more
| glsring by that on the threshold of home
| where people are at their ease and off their
guard. A Teutonic friend of ours appears
| upon his step clad "a la neglige,' enthrones
himself in a large arm chair aud yields a
| pipe of hoary age and horrible perfume,
| which proves a scepture of such power that
| neighbo loss all Interest in the landscape.
l We said not a word
| We raised not "A stone,
| But we left him alone in his glory"
| For forbearance we claim the cake.
| There is another citizen who possesses
dog, little dog without a tail. He had a
| tail once upon time, but he sat il of. All
| his life this dog has sat upon his launches
beside the lower step of his house, and 1t
| looks as though his classic taste appreciated
the artistic necessity of his presence to
| balance the foot scraper on the opposite side.
| At least he has been there whenever We have
sighted that house and he inspects the foot
wear of passers by with critical and savage
eye. For We can certify that when We pass
| that way his ideas of proportion are shocked
/ by the size of our feet aud he invariably
| attempts to reduce them. We are fond of
sausage and some day there will be a tale
| about that dog and his disappearance.
ITS ANCIENT ORIGIN.
Front door recreation is indeed a venerable
custom, of origin as ancient as any that We
have, for savsges rest by the doors of their
huts in the twilight and the pastoral races do
| the same. Abraham rested in the door OF
| his tent in the heat of the day, and doubtless
| he rested there in the evenings long after the
time when he was very old man with his
little son, Laughter, playing about his
knees and growing rapidly to fulfill the
, | cheerful prophecies that had been spoke en- o
. | the son OF Abraham, and to be the inventor
!. OF the evening prayer as his father was of the
t morning. For so the Arabs say as they sill
4 | in the doors of their tents in the pleasant
;. | evening light and tell traditOnary tales, old
q | as their race, and full of the same quaint
. | mystery aud pious beauty as the patriarCha al
y | histories themselves.
But when men began to build towns
j they appear to have made practice OF keep.
: | ing themselves and their families secluded
| in their homes, and 1t is only in compare.
lively modern days that the homes OF the
| people have faced on the street. The Pueblos
| of the Zuni Indians in America, are remark
. able as a development of the step idea \
t | square, the huts rising one above the other
| in receding tiers like a vast series of steps,
| and every citizen, from his doorway, on the
| roof OF one neighbor and beneath the front
| step of another, could look right at the door
, | Of every other man in town or towards the
| open side OF the pueblo out over the open
, | country.
, Inc lsraelites and all Eastern people built
: | their houses with only blank wall to the
l | street, for the privacy of their domestic life
I | required it. but over the narrow doorway
| there was always a lattice window frOm
which view of the street could be had. The
houses OF old Jerusalem and of all the grear
| and famous cities OF the East faced on an
u inner court If an ancient gentle ian
y wanted large house he did not put several
on top OF each other after our plan of adding
stories, but he built a one-story addition
. | surrounding another court and the houses
| OF the wealthy had many courts, for the
astern gentlemen and ladies have a horror
y OF stairs. The passage from the street to the
first court turned so that passers-by could
not look in, and right opposite the entrance
was room entirely open on the court side
n | where the master of the house received his
@ | guests This porch was always fitted uI
l. | with as great luxuriance the owner could
| afford, and was at once his front step and his
| parlor, but no women were ever seen there
, | They had the second or third court to them
| selves. But the room over the front door witt
its window looking on the street was tn,
nearest approach that the 1sraelites coulC
make to the advantages of our front step as {
> | post observance of the street.
They probably did not care much for tn,
o street, however, as in the evenings the roo
was the great place OF resort. In all warn
climates where the roofs OF the houses ar,
q flat they have always been used by the peo
pie as place OF twilight rest to enjoy the COO
breeze and talk TO Isighbors over dividin,
n parapeta The Mohamedans have resigned
+ | the roof to the women. Hou -es of the poore
o | classes had no court, but yard was attached
n | and there were houses with rooted porche
in front where people went to drink anC
smoke in the evening.
4 THE RESTING PLACE OF THE CREEKS
,e In ancient Greece the houses of the peopl
10 were built on much the same plan, but tn
Ia open hall facing the court was used for famil
"a gatherings and meals and, az the hearth wa
a here. lt was sacred spot The ruins OF
Greek private house have been found whic
had splendid yestibule IN the front, ornf
mented by Ionic columns, and opening on
10 central entry with rooms on either side @
10 sentially the plan OF the double houses OF ou
n day. There were many other variation
= introduced by wealthy Greeks in latter day
ar when the freedom and the greatness of III