The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-13

The most splendid bedroom IN an New
York city says the Courier-Journal, is
considered by both her feminine friends
and enemies TO be that of Mrs. Ogden
Mills. Her sleeping apartment is an ex-
act copy of an eighteenth century French
state or royal chambre a coucher. The
room itself is one of the largest in her
spacious New York home. In that room
this leader of fashion performs the one
and only function of sleeping, and the bed
is, with the exception of couple OF small
gilt chairs and a clock, the single piece
of furniture. This is a long, broad downy
nest in which four persons could rest
comfortably, and, saving the headboard
and top of the canopy, not a scrap of
woodwork shows anywhere about It. EV-
cry inch of the bed proper is hidden by
magnificent draperies of blue brocaded
satin. further embellshed with heavy en-
broidery of gold thread.
Quite complete, this throne-like affair
was made In America, because after eX-
aiming big beds for sale in the Partisan
bric-a-brac shops, Mrs. Mills decided they
were all lacking In the oonveniences and
comforts the modern American woman
demands for her sleeping hours So she
came home and of very plain oak her bed
was built, the lofty canopy frame put up,
the embroideries, ordered from an Ameri-
can needlewoman, hung, and then the
great curtains and coverlid were edged
with forty pounds of bullion fringe. These
requisites for a perfect Marie Antoinette
bed brought the price of it up far into the
thousands, but the end was not yet. A
wonderful foundation of spiral steel
springs first lined the inside of the couch,
on the top of this a thin felt mattress
was placed, and then on top a hair bed,
slipped in a big silken cover, before sheets
or blankets could be laid on. Finally the
headboard decorated by the brush of an
American artist, was put into place, and
lastly the electrician was called in to give
the finishing touches. The good offices of
the electrician was not an original idea
on the part of Mrs Mills, for all the new
beds, built for comfort as well as beauty
have first of all a tiny button that any
one lying on the pillow can easily reach
up, touch, and turn on the light in a
group of bulbs artistical1y arranged in
the headboard. In Mrs. Mills bed a
couple of gilded Cupids in this board hold
each a spray of lights that shed their
radiance down softly over the pillow at
the exact angle needed for comfortable
reading To make the light perfectly
globes of glass are first ground and then
treated with a varnish that subdues the
hard electric glare.
Beside this arrangement runs a little
row of keys along the beds panel and
turning one summons the ladys maid An
other sets the front door bell a-ringing and
so acts on any housebreaker as most eff
fectual alarm, and third key sets in
movement an electrical current that
warns the bed. The bed warmer is real
ly a white bag, incased in pink flannel and
attached to the end of a green wire and
serves to perfection all the purposes OF a
big hot-water bottle or an old fashioned
warming pan.
Mrs. Yerkes, the wife of the wealthy Chi
cagoan, is another woman who possesses
a big French bedroom, with the bed set
on a dais, and the room itself is used ex-
clusively for sleeping. After the fashion
of royal French ladies of a century ago.
these fair Americans, who can afford the
luxury, believe that a bedroom should
have great space, a lofty ceiling and all
day long a current of air should sweep
over the pillows, uncontaminated by hui
gas lights burned in these sleeping apart
ments. A half hour before madame re-
tires a fire of dry logs is lighted, to take
the chill off the atmosphere; by candle or
electric light the lady goes to bed and all
these precautions are taken In behalf OF
health, to secure sound sleep and good
compiexions.
Mrs. Letter of Washington rests from
her iabors as the most prominent hostess
of the capital in wonderful carved Eng
lish bed, without one scrap of drapery
about it. Too precious and beautiful is
the ancient decorated wood work to hide
under even the richest brocades and Mrs
Letter sleeps on a sixteenth century ar
arrangement of mattresses. That is il
place of a spring foundation, six rather
thin mattresses, made alternately of felt
wool, hair, cotton, and dried seaweed
are used. BY g proper disposition of these
a most exquisitely comfortable bed is Sc
cured, and every day different mattress
is put on top. In tkis particular bed
quite fit for the purpose. It is said both
Queen Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey
slept, and, according TO the English no.
ton of what constitutes health in bed.
making this couch does not wear It's
sheets and blankets all day. In the morn.
ing, after the bed had been aired and turn.
sd. a rich satin coverlid, handsomely EN-.
broidered, is laid over it. and not until the
evening are the fresh lavender-scented bef
fore4an open fire, laid on.
Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr. posses
SEES also a remarkable carved English bed
stead. which is fitted up with electri,
comforts and stands high from the floor
while Mrs. William~C c. Whitney, when sh,
is going to stop length of time in any on,
of her husbands handsome homes. hai
boxed up and sent on before her Xix,
Queen Victoria, her favorite bed. II Il
q colonial affair. carved from American
oak, and bought out of an old Virginia
home where George Washington used Il
be frequent visitor. The beautiful be-
was frequently used by the great General
and Mrs. Whitney always keeps it hun,
with valances of white dimity, exactl,
like those that decorated il in Washing
toms day. The silk coverlet on this be,
IS one he slept under many times. and
following the fancy of all the rich societ,
women, Mrs. Whitney prefers to sleep OF
springy mattresses and as high from tn,
floor as possible.
"I reckon she is the most popular girl II
town" said the Southern girl, thought
fully.
The Northern guest. says the Chlcag,
Chronicle. turned her eyeglasses upon
thin. sensible-loolSing young woman, who's