The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-04
THE cGROWLERY..
For the Exclusive Use of the Master
of the House.

man Sdnctum Is as dear to him as his
wires own pet room is to her. A man
needs den of his own where he can
hide, If he wishes, from the rest Of the
household. 1t adds to his happiness If
ne can have such place where he can
smut himself In for a smoke and talk
with chosen friend, where he can
leave the newspaper on the floor If he
pleases and make all the muss his soul
delights In without let or hindrance,
and be happy in his own way. Even a
very small room will serve for the mas
ter's den, If a large one cannot be
spared.
AS a general thing a man Is greatful
If even a hall bedroom Is given him
for his exclusive use. Or course, Ii Is
harder to fit up such a room than one
Of generous size, and fanciful decoration
is not possible. A sofa of ample width
Is the first requisite, a table the next,
and for the sake Of saving space hang
Ing frame for pipes and other smokers
appliances. There should be a COM
Portable chair in which to seat a friend,
and hanging shelves for books If desk
room is necessary, what is called q flap
or leaf desk can be substituted. This
Is merely square Of thin wood, secured
to the wall with hinges. When not in
use it hangs closely against the wall
like panel. When needed for writing
it is lifted, and a leg which is hidden
in grove in the under side drops for
ward and forms a SUPPORT.
If a large room can be appropriated
for the purpose the "growlery" may be
made into a most attractive place. 1t
is seldom that a man will assume the
responsibility of fitting up the room
himself, but he generally reserves the
right to criticise the results of his wife's
efforts in that line. To ward off adverse
criticism the furnisher must bear in
mind that the dainty properties which
abound on shelf and table in woman's
room are generally disliked by man.
He agrees that they are pretty
enough in a drawing room, but be-
lieves them very detrimental to ease and
comfort in his own quarters, and he Is
quite right as regards himself. Some
thing that won't break, and never re-
quires busting would be a mans de-
scription of the only tolerable bric-a-
brac to be used in his den. AS such
ideal ornaments have not yet come in
to the market, Spartan simplicity in
movable decoration had better be fol-
lowed. Men, as a rule, like positive
&C lor. Blue or red in the wallpaper
will be effective if the room is amply
lighted. If the aspect is dark, a pale
cream cartridge paper may be agree
ably used, with a frieze Of real or i'm
tia ton leather, on which a Greek or
festoon pattern is made with double
lines of small, brass nails. The floor
should be stained and supplied with
gOod-siZed single center rug rather
than with several smaller ones dotted
about The latter are apt to be kicked
about and tumbled over in a way that
produces the confusion that a man
likes to make, but hates to see.
Both beauty and utility should be
considered in the hangings for door
and windows. The colore and mater
ials that are pleasing in a library are
suitable in this position. Although
some one has said with a certain
amount of truth that no material with
pile, or nap, should ever be used N
a room devoted to smokers use. Prob
ably such fabrics absorb and retain the
odor of stale tobacco more than those
of smooth surface The walls, whel
strict economy is not an eminent con-
sideration, afford a fine ground for the
exercise Of taste.
Antlers, silver-mOunted hoofs of large
and small fleet-footed animals and
other trophies of the chase cannot be
too abundant. Oil paintings or engrav-
ings of animals of the kinds that are
hunted are also interesting to most
men. If there is still unoccupiad
space it may be filled with racks for
MALTA. The shrine dedicated to my
Lady Nicotine" may be set of hang
ing book shelves of superior character,
with curtains half their height, to con-
tain some of the less beautiful appur-
tenances, the two upper shelves being
exposed to allow the exhibition of in
frequently used show pipes and fam
ciful Jars. In an air of mystery is a
desideratum with the owner of the den,
a capacious hanging cabinet, with bev-
eled glass doors, obscured by shirred
silk fastened On the back of them,
will be highly approved Of There are
crUsades enough against tobacco and
the writer is not trying to defend its
use; but If one is preparing a mans
room and that man is a smoker, one
may as we'll arrange for the accommo-
dation Of his favorite fancy. It is bet
ter to provide a place for the neat and
orderly keeping Of a smokers para
phernalia than to have the table lit
tered with them, and an air of settled
discomfort thus given to the whole
room.
An English authority on decoration,
speaking OF mans library or read
ing room, or indeed Of any apartment
dedicated especially to the use Of one
OF the sterner sex, says: please the
eye by hanging on the wall pictures of
the chase, of notable horses and of fay-
orite actresses" With due Difference
to this experts opinion, I should advise
substituting for the distinguished ac-
tresses a Wellframed photograph Of
the woman who fitted up the grow
lery'' for the occupants comfort