The labor world., 1898-02-26
SOCIAL CONTRASTS.
Look at This Picture,

The most splendid bedroom in all
| New York city is considered by both
her feminine friends and enemies to be
that Of Mrs. Ogden Mills. Her sleep.
ing apartment is an exact copy of an
eighteenth century French state or
royal chamber. The room itself
is one of the, largest in her spac-
ious 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 clock, the single
piece of furniture. This is long,
broad downy nest. in which four per-
sons could rest comfortably, and, saw
ing the headboard and top of the can
opy not scrap of woodwork shows any
where about it. Every inch of the bed
proper is hidden by magnificent draper
les of blue brocaded satin, further en-
belIished with heavy embroidery of gold
thread.
Quite complete, this throne-like affair
was made in America, because after ex
amining big beds for sale in the Parlsian
bric-a brac shops, Mrs. Mills decided
they we're all lacking in the conven-
fences and comforts the modern Ameri
can 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 American needle
woman, hung, and then the great cur
tains and coverlia were edged with
forty pounds of bullion fringe. These
requisites for perfect Marie Antoinette
bed brought the price of it up far into
the thousands, but tho end was not yet
A wonderful foundation of spiral steel
springs first lined the inside of the
couch, on the top of this thin felt
mattress was placed, and then on top a
hair bed, slipped in 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 elec-
trician was not an original idea on the
part of Mrs. Mills, for all the new beds,
built for comfort as we'll as beauty,
have firs} of all tiny button that any
one lying on the pillow can easily reach
up, touch. and turn on the light in a
group of bulbs artistically arranged in
the headboard. Ia Mrs. Mills bed a
couple of gilded Cupids in this board
hold each spray of lights that she'd
their radiance down softly over the pill
low at the exact angle needed for COM
Portable reading. To make the light
perfectly agreeable and easy for the
eyes, the globes of glass are first ground
and then treated with a varnish that
subdues the hard electric glare.
Beside this arrangement runs little
row of keys along the beds panel, and
turning one summons the lady's maid.
Another sets the front door bell a-ring-
ing and so acts on any housebreaker as
most effectual alarm, and third key
sets in movement an electrical current
that warns the bed. The bed warmer
is really a white bag, incased in pink
flannel and attached to the end of a
green wire, and serves to perfection all
the purposes of big hot-water bottle
or an old fashioned warming pan.
Mrs. Yerkes, the wife of the wealthy
Chicagoan, is another woman who pos
sesses big Frehch bedroom, with the
bed set on dais, and the room itself is
used exclusively for sleeping. After the
fashion of royal French ladies of cen
tury ago, these fair Americans, who can
afford the luxury, believe that a bed
room should have great space, lofty
ceiling, and all day long current of air
should sweep over the pillows, uncon-
taminated by human lungs. No fur
mace heat is used or gas lights burned in
these sleeping apartments. A half hour
before madame retires fire of dry logs
is lighted, to take the chill off the at
mosphere; by candle or electric light
the lady goes to bed, and all these pre-
cautions are taken in behalf of health,
to secure sound sleep and good COM
plexions.