The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-11-06
Our Social Chat.
AUNT JENNIE's LETTER.

!, Box, protesting, IN the November
Ladies' Home Journal, against the
bad taste exercised in furnishing our
homes. eff e are at our com
mand we crowd such a room full of
puny gilt chairs, upon which no one
dares to sit on the walls we hang
impossible paintings, with equally
impossible, massive gold frames an
elegant sofa upholstered in silk or
satin, with a gilded frame, is intro
dnced a gold clock which never
runs is put on a mantel of solid onyx ;
a 'Chippendale' cabinet is added
which always harmonizes so superbly
with a Louis XIV sofa or chair-and
we have what we call a drawing
ROOM If we are of moderate means,
then we make the 'drawing-rOOm'
as closely resemble one in some
wealthy home we know of as posi-
BILE, only with limited means we
must purchase cheaper articles. Then,
we have as good an example of the
showroom of a cheap furniture store
as it is possible to obtain. IF we are
poor, then we set around stifay four
or five black hair-clOth chairs we
put a marble-top table with a plush
album on it in the centre a hair
cloth sofa which nothing can posi-
bly, stick on a Franklin stove that
is never lighted we hang a wreath
of wax flowers in a glass case on the
walls a carpet riOtOus with the most
gorgeous roses is put on the floor,
and then, after we have carefully
pulled down every shade in the
room, so rs to exclude Gods pure
sunshine and get a nice, musty and
cemeterial smell in the room, we
have what we call, in America, a
parlOr. And in either case we have
a best ROOM, so best that we never
use it, and people shown into it are
always glad to get out of it. But
we have a 'drawing-rOom, or a
'parlOr, and, in the minds of some,
without such a room no house is
complete"
What Mr.. Box has said in the
above l most heartily endorse. Why
is it that SO few of us have home
like parlors, and why are we afraid
to allow the air to circulate freely
through them? It is natural that we
should prefer to have Our incest fur
niture and best pictures in the room
where WE entertain our friends, but
why we insist on the useless bric-a-
brac that has caused us much useless
eXertiOn and no little worry is be-
yOnd my comprehension.
1t has been stylish to bedeck the
walls of our homes with articles of
no use except to test the patience Of
men, but the foolish fad has van
ished and [ wonder whence 50 sense
less q thing originated. We know
how utterly impossible it is for one
who does her WI work to keep these
bits of nonsense busted and properly
arranged. We all have nerves and
some of us have been pushed to the
very verge of nervous p~rostration by
dame Fashions DEGREES when we
should have had will power sufficient
to declare "thus far shalt thou come
but no further" We should not per
NIT her to interfere with our bodily
comfort or allow her to disturb our
mental equilibrium. Neither should
we sacrifice our self respect by hand
ing her the strings of our purse
contains all our money and
sometimes that of our friend. Look
we'll today, for tomorrow cometh
not" seems to be her favorite motto.
Our women T learning independ
7nce in many concerns Of life why
not strike the principle key loud j
enough for your neighbors and
friends to hear it and declare that s
you will not be a slave to style? | j
honestly believe that style is the I
direct of more misery and i
disease among women than is at l
to any other n cause.
In what [ have said in this article Y
regarding style, do not understand
to advocate the total disregard of {
t. [ mean to condemn only the I
practice of bowling slavishly to its
very decree. We must obey Fashion s
some extent, but when it's laws S
those of health and common
sense, we should act Independently. /
Because tight shoes are stylish we S