The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-04-25
WHERE BABY Is KING.
How the Nursery should Bs Furnished
and Made CoEv.

There are few women who at some Tins
or another have not been bitten with the
mania for "cozy corners" and few hus
bands who have not all too late discovered
that coziness and comfort are not always
synonymous terms, although they should
be so.
My old fashioned idea is that while thest
corners, IN artistically constructed, are ex
tremely pretty, especially in a picture, they
are only adapted to lovers or newly married
people. In large families they have an ali
Of selfishness-Of Two is company and
three is none"
As a charming factor In the home life
they cannot be compared with the great
table piled with books, papers and maya
zines, around which gather mamma with
her sewing, papa with his reading. the big
college boy with his Euclid, the smaller
children with games or studies and even
the baby with his blocks, although in every
well regulated family the baby is in bed
when the lamp is lighted. II Is for the baby
and baby's nursery that ! wish TO enter a
special plea
friend was recently showing me through
her new home. The parlor was elegance
itself; the reception or sitting room, all
lghtness, brightness and prettiness; tn,
library comfortable; the dining room rich
and perfectly appointed; the bedrooms all
that sleeping rooms should be, and the nurs
cry everything that a nursery should not
be. Its prevailing characteristic was that OF
secondhand furniture shop. It's win.
dows, 10 correspond with those IN the Other
parts OF the house, had dainty sash curtains
and long white draperies The former pre-.
vented the little ones from looking ont, and
the latter were Of the touch-mc-not order,
looped back at just such an angle and not
70 be contaminated by childish fingers, foi
which dirt has such an affinity.
Imagine yourself for single day IN your
child's place and see how IT'S young life IL
fretted by the constant restrictions i'm.
posed. Bridget drives il from the kitchen,
where its small fingers can only do mis-.
chief IL must not play stagecoaeh OF
steam car with the parlor chairs, nor drive
nails in the dining room walls or furniture,
nor wife letters and use the moocilage
like papa in the library. So II its nursery
be not attractive its home is a sarcasm aud
might almost as well be a prison.
IL Is not no all necessary that a nursery
should be costly. Indeed sense Of the
eternal fitness Of things would suggest that
II should be quite the opposite. But IL
should be bright and light, and all it, 1T.
tings especially adapted TO the use aud
comfort Of its small owners
A woman In up town New York, who
hasn't a single coy corner nor BIZ Of high
art furniture In her whole house, although
everything is pretty and dainty. has my
idea OF a model nursery. There are foui
children whose merry voices III IL with
glee. and each child has whole side Of the
room to itself The older ones drew lots
for their choice Of sides, aud the young ones
knew no better than 20 be content with
those assigned 10 them
The floor was stained a warm mahogany
aud vanished. In winter a large rug OF
Japanese iu.e In deep blues and cream we'll
nigh covers the aoor. so that unwary feet
do not trip over It's edges. In simmer the
floor Is left bare and fire. hly wiped every
day. A dado OF warm red two toned car
fridge paper Is carried up about thrse feet,
this to prevent soilure from childish nngers,
aud above 3 warm cream cartridge paper
makes an admirable back ground FOR the
works Of art with which each child has lib
orally bcsprinkled its own domain. They
arr allowed 90 put up any picture from
illustrated papers or magazines that pleases
their fancy, the only restriction being that
mamma must be asked 20 tack Il upneatly
II mamma sometimes beguilcz them into
substituting one picture for another. IL 10