St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-02-20
THE FAMILY HEARTHSTONE.

How to Render the Home Attractive to
Each Member Of the Family.
No room in the home SO perfectly
typifies the communism of q family. the
true uniting in diversity Of the individ-
uals, as the sitting-room- 1t is the center
of the social life of the household. It
il mothers room" There she is often.
est found in her moments of leisure,
ready to hear. to sympathize, to console
and to advise. Here the father frolics
with his children, here they listen to
song and story read aloud, here the
troubles of the day dwindle and disap-
pear, or are softened and iessened by
united sympathizing and soothing sur
roundings; here nuts and mild jokes
are cracked. and rosy apples and fra
grant oranges lend their flavor and juicy
richness to the homely scene. while
without the wind blows, the rain falls
or the snow flies.
To make this room the ideal hearth
stone, its furnishings should contain
elements that appeal to the tastes and
pursuits of each Of the members of the
household. There should be room. il
shelves or bookcases, and tables for
each ones choice of books and papers,
and for undisturbed corners and cozy
hooks, If each has only chair and foot
stool, or portion of drawer, or q cur.
tanned shelf. Places where the studious,
the ambitious, or the thoughtful can
work out their pet projects, or keep
safely their treasured plans and posses
sions, ready for the sudden inspiration
or the industrious mood, which quite as
often seizes one amid the family chat
ter as in the solitude of ones own
room. To secure all this will require
considerable outlay as well rs much
unselfish thought on the part of the
home-maker. The outlay, however,
can usually be modified, adding pur-
chases from time to time rs family
growth and taste may show them
to be desirable. Indeed, the true
furnishing of such room, after .
certain point, must be matter Of
growth. Given the bare bones of
chairs, carpets, tables and curtains. the
rounded form and vigorous expression
of the sitting-room must grow out OF
the mental and moral life of the fami-
", grow out of that social. intellectual
and spiritual food on which the family
feeds. OF course furnishing selected
with this aim in view will be as varied
as families are, for what expresses
comfort and gives help and solace to
one family would be tiresomc, inane
or comfortless in others. Each home
writes its own history sooner or later
in its furnishings and arrangements.
Even straitened means-that oft-be-
rated foe of family luxury-can not
prevent the telling of the tale. Year
by year slips by. purchase after pur-
chase is made, chapter after chapter
is written. What we most desire we
bend our circumstances to secure, and
therefore the home does express in the
long-run what we are and what we
feel. This being true, let us not be
let us proceed thoughtfully,
and carefully, that our
home center may not express sordid
lives. ungenerous natures. or narrow
minds.
The home is for the family and not
the world. and there should never be
moments hesitancy il narrow means
compel the furnishing Of but one room
a parlor or asitting-room. Let the sitting
room come first. 1t should never. on the
c.her hand. be the receptacle of broken
down or useless drawing-room furnish.
in9x Good plain articles which are yet
honorable in their strength and useful
ness can frequently be put into the
when the state of the fam
ilv finances has allowed something
to be bought for the draw
ing.room. Too often the sitting-rOom
receives but riclkety tables. cracked
spotted upholstery. and
chairs whose springs are warped out OF
any eomfort-giving properties they may
once have possessed So. in bringing
any furniture from the parlor TO the |
sitting groom. let the housewife zee to Il
first that e Is restored 70 strength ard