The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-10
A GIRLS BEDROOM.
An Index to Her Character, Lovely or
Otherwise.

A girls bedroom is an unfailing
manifestation of her character. Within
It's sacred precincts, moreover, we put
aside all artiticiality, and conversation
will assume the honesty and natural
ness that is so hard to find in this
world of hypocrisy. In the drawing
room we have the young lady as edu-
cation, custom and superstition have
made her; in the street also her soul
is hidden; it is as well covered as her
gloved hands and her yelled face. But
in her own room we read the girl as
she really is-her furniture, books, pic
lures and odds and ends are sure rev.
elations of her character.
l do not feel, says a writer in the
n. Y. World, that we are really friends
until have been invited to see the
room which contains all the treasures,
all the "inanimate friends" of which
the young possessor is, with rare ex-
ceptions, both proud and fond.
There are some girls whose bed
rooms have cherries, almost unin-
habited aspect. The bed is all-im-
portant and stands conspicuously be-
fore you-businesslike and unambi-
tious. There is no easy chair to sug-
gest leisure; the walls are hung with
pictures of the stern and uninterest-
ing type, in which the subject is diff
cult to discern, and, where discerned,
is disappointing; the few books visible
are pressed tightly into shelves where
they can not easily be attained, and
the lack of "knicknacks" and photo
graphs gives the impression that this
Is the apartment of worker, or one
to whom time is the first consideration
of life, and that everything which de-
mands attention and claims unneces-
sary interest is waste of time. This
room is meant for use; its owner comes
home at night to sleep and rest, and in
the morning all her moments are en-.
ployed in the demands of her toilet.
How different girl is she to one
whose dainty little room suggests
visions of happy contentment! In that
long basket chair we can picture oul
young fiuffy-haired friend lying bacl
among her pink cushions. the tire-igh
Pickering on her bare rounded armI
and on her face. which is flushed BY
lingering recollections as she glance
| at the tumbled mass of drapery, rep
resenting her ball dress, which sh'
| has just thrown over the foot of he
downv bed. 1t is fascinating httlu
corner and its owner is fascinating
| little woman.
But there is a "sanctum" of which
| am still fonder than of this little pink
cosy one. Certainly, / can not sa.
that it is an example of tidiness.
have seen the dust lying thick in re
| - o,,1 if 10nlyc inside
drawer there is usually visible col
lection of miscellaneous objects tum
| bled about in mad confusion. But th
bed is snowy white, a silk sachet GOV
ers the whole area of the pillow. tn
furniture is solid and of good design
on the walls are hung, not valuabl
pictures, but some skillfully executes
water-colors and print or two we
worthy lingering look. On the wall
are bookcases filed with books tina
were meant to be loved and lived with
placed where the hand may easil
reach them, and their binding bea
testimony of the fact that no singl
| one remains in its place for long un
sought. Indeed these shelves repre-
sent diminutive and select circulat
| ing library. "The chief pleasure i
possessing books" says my friend, 81
the power of being able to lend them.
This is the "den" which hold deare
than even my own four walls. Her
there is always to be felt sense {
peace that is not idleness, or rest ths
is not wearisome. Why it is so | ca
not tell. Perhaps because in this roor
there is nothing artificial; there is n
/ strainino for effect IF the li0ht
best in one particular place this chai
must stand in it, whether it agree
with the symmetry or not.