The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-11-10
About Orr Dining Rooms.

In this country, the foreign custom o.
lingering several hours over dinner j:
practically unknown II has been com
Tnented that we in America might profit.
ably follow the example of our Englisi
cousins in making more of the dining.
room than is our usual custom. Almost
| every in Europe this room is one
of the largest and most imposing apart
ments in the house, and often the hand
somes,.
| The walls are usually wainscoted with
finely carved oak or other dark wood
In ii hang the family portraits (unless, OF
course, the house boasts Of a picture gol-
lery), and the trophies Of the chase. The
furniture is of the most massive kind.
with great, towering sideboards, broad
tables and high back chairs.
Most of these things have been hand
| ed down from generation to generation.
come Of them, probably, are as old as
the family tree; and they end their use
fulness not through old age, but as the
result of some accident Such magnifi-
Gently made furniture is rarely to be
found in America, with the exceptions
of some dearly priced relics Of colonial
days.
In sharp contrast to the sort Of room
just described is the badly-lighted, badly
ventilated, subterranean apartment Of
the acreage high stoop" city house,
known as the basement dining room
How people in their effort to have an
imposing ''parlor floor can endure the
penalty thus imposed is past comprehen-
sion. One is always stumbling down
those dark stairs and tripping over the
bicycles kept in the lower hall and how
pleasant it is on a warm day, when the
windows are half open, to have your
mail thrown in through the iron grating
or to listen to the gentle voice of the ice
man demanding to know if you want
any more ice today"
1T is impossible to give a dinner de-
Gently in such box. It were far bet
ter to let the rather diminutive front
parlor do double duty as reception room
and drawing room, reservsng the rear
parlor USUALLY the largest room In the
house, for the dining room than to con-
sign ones guests-or ones own family
to hose dreadful lower regions.
To make the dining room an attractive
place rather than mere feeding box. II
should be as large as possTble-as large,
Ii you are building a house, as you can
afford TO make il. 1t should be cheer
ful and airy, with high ceiling.
For its decoration dark red-Indian
red-as the predominant tone will be
found as rich and pleasing as any color.
II af -H,a cl, IL,
be governed by the amount OF light in
the apartment. A Japanese pressed pa
per in red and bronze is probably the
richest and most effective will hanging
that can be obtained for a modest outlay
The dining table is the central and
most important article OF furniture. The
round table is IN every way preferable
to the oblong affair, which is. somehow,
always reminiscent Of boarding houses
and military barracks. Il is more So
ciable, and lends itself admirably TO
decoration; while ft may, If desired be
made long and narrow by the interpola-
ton OF leaves. A more artistic way OF
increasing its circumference is TO have a
false top OF large dimensions made 10
fiji securely over it.
Arm chains for every one az table are
now IN vogue. They certainly are |
great luxury, and do away with that |
which so often comes TO one |
to rest ones arms upon the table.
Papier mache tubing for bicycles is the |
latest in that line. It is said to be ex-
trenely iisht and erninently durable.
Chicago is now enforcing the univer- |
sal light ordinance against vehicles OF 1
all descriptions.
$500 consignment Of American
wheels has been sent 10 Baroadoes.