St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-23
BILL NYE ON FOLDING BEDS
Some Points for Those Who Think
Of Getting One.

The following note of inquiry, says
Bill Nye, in the New York World, was
forwarded to me via the st. Louis Post
Dispatch. reply to it here, hoping that
it will reach Hannibal ere long, and also
be the cause of much keen enjoyment
while on its way. Information is some
thing | could never keep back. Just as
soon as know anything tell it to some
one. Even if do not know anything
for certain, L like to share it with those
who may be in need.
Hannibal, Mo-. May 26, 1SSS.-William
Nye, Esq, care PosU-Dispatch, st.
Louis, Mo. Dear Sir: 1 have for some
time been thinking of buying folding
bed. Win you please give me your
opinion through the Sunday paper lam
regular SubScriber) of them, and the
most desirable kind to buy. Do you
think them safe?
Hoping to hear from you at an early
date, am respectfully, w. F. JAMES.
Folding beds have their advantages
and their disadvantages, also their rise
and fall. They are more especially af
fected by people who desire to ecOnO-
mize in room, and for that reason, in
thlckly settled portions of our large
cities, the folding bed is becoming a
power in our social economy, which
threatens to up-end some of our greatest
minds.
Whether you would naturally feel so
pressed for room at Hannibal as to war
rant the purchase of folding beds in
large quantities, L do not know. You
must be your own judge in that matter.
cannot intelligently advise you with
out knowing more of your surround
ings and home life. Folding beds seem
to fit nto some home lives first-rate,
while in other cases they are different.
. You do not state whether you are
married or single, and. in fact, you do
rot say from what sex you hail from.
All these things | should know, in
order to give you such advice as would
reimburse you for the postage stamp
which | find Cancelled in your letter. l
cannot sail in and blindly give advice
right and left without knowing some
thing about the case. 1t has only been
a few weeks since l advised a cor
respondent, who wished to earn a
livelihood, to go West and break bron-
chos. as it paid well and afforded much
calm employment to the calm and con-
templative mind. Afterwards learned
that my correspondent was widow
who had passed the meridian of life.
L
always state their sex. 1t does not take
but moment to do so, and may be of
incalculable value in arriving at con-
cluSiOn.
In Washington the folding-bed is
greatly in favor with the girls who are
in the government employ, l am told
A typical American girl in Washington
will take a hall bedroom at 81 per
month, furnish it with richly-capar-
isoned folding bed, which acts as a
bookcase during the day, and with a
Disguised wash-stand,5 so cents worth of
chintz,S5 cents worth of cheese cloth, a
paper of tacks and bunch of viOlets
she will make the room look more like
home than the $50 room Of a great coarse
man, who tries to furnish his apartments
by means of hair-clOth lounge and a
meerschaum pipe.
So | really ought to know whether you
are man or otherwise before l can
suitably advise you as to what would be
most likely to please you. There are
many varieties of folding beds now
claiming attention, several of the manu-
facturerS of which have asked me to
speak good word for their instru-
ments. but, without naming any special
one, let me say that the clInker-built
bed with fore and aft braces and patent
cutoff is good machine. Be careful
not to select a thick-set or asthmatic
bed if your room be small. Nothing
is more annoying than to have your
folding bed suddenly extend itself and
beg for air while you are entertaining
friends at your apartments. Do not use
patent pillow-sham holder at the head
of your bed. for it is apt to fetch loose
in the middle of the night and smite
you ocross the bridge of the nose while
you are asleep. Never fool with this
invention unless you want to wake up
in the morning to find your counter
pane deluged with your rich, warm
brains.