The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-02-23
HOMES OF COMFORT
THE ART OF MAKING A FIREsIDE
ATTRACTIVE.

It Is Not In Having Fine Things But
Rather In Using the Vhinss One
Has Freely-Why Men Like the
cIub-Drifting Apart.
mo wonder a man enjoys his club"
remarked one woman to another az
they were taking advantage of LA
dies Day" to inspect new club house
fro mthe roof to the swimming pool
in the basement IF were member
I'd be here every night. wouldn't
your"
Not IL had nice home" retorted
the other.
l listened and pondered
l, too. had been revelling In the
perfect appointments, feasting my
eyes on the exquisite rugs. admiring
the lovely woods and rare marbles,
and, in fact absorbing the artistic en-.
semble to my utmost capacity. Were
! member, thought. the temptation
to go often would be a very strong
one.
This club house which Is representa-
tive of the best New York can offer,
not only because Of the wealth but the
intellectual attainments of It's men,
bers, seems to me to typify two things
merely comfort and congenial com.
panionship.
From the instant the servant holds
back the entrance door, the sense of
comfort is pervasive. A coy fireplace
beyond a columned lobby suggests
warmth and good cheer. Red, the mas
culine favorite, is the keynote of the
decoration and furnishings of the
building various shades being used
for the different rooms and the warm
tones suggest welcome. All is bright
and CHEEKY. No lace curtains keep out
ray of light and the glare of the
electric lights are softened by brilliant
silk shades. Some of the walls are
frescoed, others hung with leather or
SIX or burlap. or panelled from floor
to ceiling with costly and beautiful
wood.
Rare and valuable paintings adorn
the walls, but there is not single su.
perfluous ornament; none Of the little
knicknacks that women think essen
tial to the cosiRess Of a room. Every
where are smoking parties for there
is no woman around to object and the
non-smokers have a room to them.
selves ON the library floor In the read
ing room and library, are books, pa
| pers and magazines, and all are so
conveniently arranged that even the
ordinary reader of books longs to sink
into an easy chair and to be let alone.
With such attractions as these 1t Is
| little wonder that many husbands use
their own homes merely as places to
eat and sleep. OF course. there is not
SO much of this In the country and
am wandering from my text. But
the point is, If homes were moye COM
Portable, using that word In the sense
Of being more easy, they would be
more attractive to the male members
Of the family.
l fancy that one Of the strongest at.
fractions of the club is the fact that
there is nothing too good in 1t to be
used every day. This is not the case
| in many homes. We make ourselves
and others uncomfortable in trying to
keep rooms and furniture for com.
paiiy. The guest has right to your
best. but nothing In your home should
be too good for you yourself to enjoy.
If you have anything that is too good
to use, 1t Is too good to have "Be II
ever so humble, there is no place like
home" but be II ever so fine there are
many places better than home.
Then again, some of us like Mrs.
| Jellyby, are so occupied with move
ments for the alleged advancement of
women in generaA that we lose sight
of commonplace duties, forget that
Johnny's stockings need mending, or
that Mary is backward in her arith-
metic, or that poor dear William has
dyspepsia and needs care in the choice
and preparation of suitable foeds. The
other class goes to the other extreme.
and while Johnny's stockings may be
darned and the house kept spotless
and shining, there is no intellectual
| glimmer in the home. and husband
and children seek companionship
wherever they can find It.
A young wife came to me the other
day heartbroken because aside from
their material interests, she and her
husband had not a single taste in com.
mon. 1t is usually the wife who falls
behind in the race, and her husband
finds no intellectual enjoyment in her
companionship 1t is for the most part
after the children are partly grown
that the mother or father realizes that
the cares of one or the other have
caused them to.drift apart.