Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1894-04-10
f,Ir3-r,mE FURNITURE.

,z.t S*.s .sf Kidd Ate From, Sat and siep
 On.
 1fn Io the time of the revolutionary a, tf,ere were no carpets on the floors tie houses in New York City Al Est. there were so few, that it may
 said there were none without much
 lasegerafion. What few there were,
 fl1e houses of the wealthiest citl-
 ns were curiosities, and the citizen
 moderate means would as soon have
 ought of keeping private balloon
 lis travels as of buying carpet for
 floor. Sand was sprin1led over the
 ards in the houses that were fastidl-
 lslg kept, but aside from this there
 as generally no covering.
 Tie nearest approach to the modern
 rpet tEat was known at all to the
 rlv Dutch settlers was sort of
 nugget cloth, which was only used on
 ,eeial Occasions of ceremony and
 ate, when, because of the presence of Istinguished guests, the table would
 spread in the parlor instead of the itehen. This was laid under the table
 protect the carefully secured and
 axed floor.
 The most expensive piece of furni- Ire in the old houses was invariably ie bedstead and it's appointments. he parlor, in the modern sense, was nknown That is, the handsomest na best-equipped room in the house las always the sleeping room of the cad of the household. The bedsteads ere of wood as costly as the purse of he owner would permit, and commonly the old four-post kind It was not, owever, until the luxury of England ad modified the simple customs of ae Kniclserbockers that such thing Fas known as the mahogany bedstead, 'ith carved wood eagles laws, and the like. Before that less xpensive woods were used and the arving was unheard of
 It is well known that our ancestors aemed 1t almost essential to have cur tins Enclosing their beds. A canopy Eerll1ng them as they slept, and from lese Expended the curtains which in srlier times were of .Killeminster, ," ned with ''sarsnet." The cost of il setof these was often as much as venty-fve or thirty dollars. The ather pillows were covered as to-day ith eases which were usually of a leck or other fancy pattern Later K curtains, silken bedticks, silken 'gerlids, and pillow-cases came in 'gues and the most extravagant of e aristocraeys would spend as much
 two hundred dollars on the entire lift of bed. In early times, or be- re the accession of the English, the custom was to sleep be- veen two feather beds of different zes, the larger being underneath and z smaller and thinner one being used T eoyer. A small rugin front of C bed was the usual substitute for e modern carpet in the bedroom. were unknown. Among the rliest settlers there was not even town any such thing as the chest of awers. Chests, or boxes of expensive 1od, handsomely finished, were used the Dutch housewives, in which to ore their Household linen, under 3thing and the like, and the bureau ems to be a thing of evolution from is, the change beginning with the shion of storing one chest upon an her.
 sideboard, as it is now called, is c modern modification of one of the incipal articles of furniture in the uses of the olden time Our ances- IS called it a cupboard, and this nat al Composition of substantiyes be- me in time a word, used as the name
 any small apartment used for the orage of small things The cupboard our forefathers was no such thing as 6 'eubberd" of to-day. It was a ading article of furniture in the domi- e. It stood in the parlor, when there IS a parlor. When there was no par [ it adorned the principal corner of c ixitchen. It was usually made of nat we now call French walnut. icy called it, aforetime, French nut pod. It was made in all styles. The ore ambitious pieces had glass doors. l had shelves of wood, on which were splayed the best dishes of the house Id, whether they were of silver, wter, china, delft or the eommonest rthenware. The best of these cup- ards were builded so well that they mained in family from one genera onto another, and became time-hon- ed as family relies or heirlooms. me few of them are still extant, and c known among dealers in "an- Iues as Holland cupboards., 5 Later than this-in fact almost a odern thing, by comparison-was the crutoire." It was chest of drawers 'derneath, with a folding lid that uid be used as desk. Two solid rs were made, which slid in and out d which served te support the lid. le upper structure was a small book se, ample then to hold all the books the average household. These pieces to be found to-day in a great many w York houses.
 Fables were formerly used only for g purpose of holding things to eat q drink Even after the Dutch New 'rlzers were supplanted by the En- lsh there were none of the various ta- as which are nov used. It was not ltil i7so that there are any mentions ade In the old chronicles of the sub uary tables Before that all that ss known was the great dinner table lleh stood in the kitchen or principal pm of the house for use at meals. Tt q what are now called folding iyes which hung down perpendicn. ny when not in use to save room. and llch were propped up by moveable E when it became necessary to en- 'ge the table. - D m lIso there was imported from Eu- a ho fee 1,,y@ q |