Evening star., 1900-10-06
COLONIAL INTERIORS
REPRODUCTIONS OF THOSE WITH
HISTORIC INTEREST,".
Great Fireplaces and Inglenooks Are
Built After Quaint Old Models
Promote SOciability.
Written for The Evening Star.

The present craze for colonial fun lture
and colonial decorations has led to fad
for the reproducing of historic interiors.
Among the most popular of the scenes
copied are those representing various in
teriors which are famous because they
were hallowed by the presence Of Wash
ington.
for a dining or sitting room is the great
living apartment in Washington's head
quarters at Morristown, N. ]. The original
| fireplace, with its quaint hangings and cozy
| irgIenook, still preserved 1t was in
Washington's time, is picture worth go
| ing miles to see. 1t is we'll built, and,
though not made Of the expensive woods
of which modern house interiors of the
well to do are fashioned, 1t is at once home
| like and comfortable.
| The wide chimney is lined with stone
and smooth brick. On the polished brass
| androns the great logs are stretched, ready
for the touch Of the match that is to send
the blaze roaring up the generous chimney.
Andirons are sold in the shops. They
may be bought Of brass, copper, steel and
| iron. Happy are those who can find set
| Of genuine antique andirons. fire irons,
| stand and blower holder in the attic Of
| some old New England or Knickerbocker
| mansion stored away in the storeroom
| of some southern man or house. A few
| such still may be found, although col
lectors have very nearly carried off most of
| them. There is no general rule for 1dentl-
! flying the genuine colonial andirons. Their
| simplicity of shape and touch OF green
| rust in the obscure corners Of joints, where
| the cleaners sand soap has not had good
| chance to penetrate, are about the only
| general guides for separating the imitation
| from the real. Even then these may fail,
for many Of the dealers in antiques are SO
| acute as to simulate in their goods even
| the evidences of age. There is in New York
| city one dealer who manufactures his own
! old furniture and even supplies to alleged
| famous old pieces the crowning counter
| felt of artificial worm holes bored with
| sharp instrument in the wood When I'M
| itation is carried to such lengths, there Is
| little hope of finding in the shops a genu-
| Inc old andron, so 1t is just as well to go
| to some reputable dealer and select from
his stock of modern andirons pair frank
| ly modelled on those of ''ye olden time
| The cost will be less and the artistic ef-
| feet quite as satisfactory. Sets of fire
| irons, bellows and the stands may be
bought in the same way.
Gas Logs Do Well.
Real logs are not possible for the dwell
lers in a great city, but city people have
the advantage of artificial logs and gas.
| The artificial timber is made OF fire clay
| nodded and tinted to look like the real
| thing There is less work for the housewife
| in the use of counterfeit logs. for the
| crumbled, burned wood is hard to clean up
and soils an immaculate hearth in most
| distressing fashion.
| Over the log stretches the iron bar known
| as the crane, about whose hanging one
| American wrote so charmingly. The crane
supports on chains the teakettle and a pic
| turesque round pot. A frying pan and
| gridiron hang at the side. The MorristoWn
| fireplace is so large that 1t accommodates
| in one corner a massive wooden seat, on
which the children Of the family may curl
to read their fairy books by the light of the
| dying embers.
| The floor of the Morristown room is of
| dark polished wood. No rug is laid be-
| fore the fireplace Near it stands, at one
side, the old-fashioned spinning wheel
| again fashionable since the Princess of
| the wool for her own fancy work. Low
| wicker chairs of the old-fashioned type
stand before the hearth
On the Mantel Shelf.
| Quaint are the ornaments upon the man.
| tel At each end are old-fashioned candle
| sticks holding wax candles. stag's horn
| stands in the center, and flanking 1t are
| colonial mugs a handsome silver teapot, a
| coffee pot a coffee mill and a plate or two
| of old blue ware.
The ceiling of the room is low, and the
| windows are small paned and old-fashion-
| ed. White muslin curtains serve to keep
out some sunlight during the day, but at
| night the shades are not drawn. and the
| cheerful freight is allowed to flicker out
| into the night, carrying comfort to the
! hearts of belated travellers
Around such a fireplace in the long winter
evenings the household may gather to lis
| ten to some romantic story read by one Of
| their number to roast apples or nuts over
| the ample blaze. There is no such promo
| ter of sociablity as an open fireplace.
| In the country houses erected for the leis-
ure class nowadays there is marked ef-
| fort to initiate the wholesome fashions of
| the colonial period, and as a result the low
ceilings quaint latticed windows and open
| freplaces are repeated in endless varia-
items,