The Van Buren press., 1894-02-17

"Dame Liones counseled Sir Gareth to
sleep in none other place but In the
hall?" In modern times things were
exactly reversed, and the hall was re.
duced to comparative insigniflcance, as
something hardly better than pass
ageway to tho dining-room, drawing
room and other familiar chambers.
This cycle began to show signs of end
ing not many years back, and the hall
once more plays leading part in socinl
life. Its return to It's original purpose
of sitting-room has brought back
many delightful features of domestic
architecture. The great fireplace, with
andirons and blazing logs, is one OF
them. A fireplace Of this sort needs
plenty Of unincumbered space about it,
SO that the members of the home circle
can move their chairs near to the
flames OF away from them as the heat
rises or falls under the fluctuations OF
the winter wind. In country house
of ordinary dimensions no other cham
Der can give quite SO much space to the
chairs Us the hall can. Then there is
tho window-seat, which, with pretty
cushions and loaded glass window
just above the level of ones shoulders,
is In summer or winter as comfortable
lounging place as it is artistic.
But there is no feature OF the most
modern country hall which is more In
teresting than the staircase, OF, moro
particularly, the first steps Of the stair
case. The special treatment of this
detail in small houses Is in fact pecul-
lar to recent architecture. Until q
very late day architects rarely took a.
much pains as they do now to start
their stairway with some touch Of dec
orative originality that would intro
duce an artistic and useful factor into
their scheme for the hall. A broad
platform raised one or two steps
above the floor, and with Q window
seat, lends charming picturesqucness
to the effect Of IN evening gathering
when group Of young people is
formed about it. At other times 1t Is
the best OF all places for stately rub
Der plant or vase Of hydrangeas. In
some houses the designers have spent
themselves in building screen OF del
icate spindles around the stairs, plac-
ing a seat against the former on the
hall floor, and this screen, OF course,
has counted in the decoration of the
hall, Tho newell post has gone through
all sorts Of transformations. In one
house it remains the strictly indc-
pendent member which our colonial
grandfathers made 1t, and Is attrac-
tive simply as a marvel Of scroll work
and of "tops" which look like Ossa
piled upon Pelion. In another II serves
as pedestal for either a lamp or
flower jar, and in this last guise 1t has
been possibly most often strug-
gled with by tho ambitious deco
rator, who has given 1t all manner OF
shapes. In the sketch which nccompa-
MES this, picture of IN English in
terror, there is seen the natural out
come of the evolutionary process
through which the hall newell post has
passed. 1t has been developed-out OF
existence. In It's place, on tho wide
platform provided by the first or sec-
ond step, there stands o porcelain
flower vase. 1t will not be long before
other objects are substituted for this
and statues are put in position at the
beginning of the stairs. This may
look like return to the permanent
newell post, but it will really have the
advantage OF leaving the staircase
clear at this point II for any special
occasion the hostess wishes to remove
her work Of art. The flower jar 10
perhaps best adapted to the corner. Il
gives just the required emphasis and
1t is FREQ from the aggressiveness and
occasional inconvenience which be-
longs to the newell post that is immova-
ble.-N. Y. Tribune.