The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-06-02
HOMES OF COMFORT.

No wonder a man enjoys hi
club" remarked one woman to an
other as they were taking advantag
of Ladies' Day. to inspect ney
club house from the roof to the swim
ming pool in the basement. eff
were a member I'd be here ever,
night, wouldn't you?'
mot if I had nice home" re
torted the other.
I listened and pondered.
I, too, had been reveling in tn,
perfect appointments, feasting ny
eyes on the exquisite rugs, admirins
the lovely woods and rare marbles
and, in fact, absorbing the artistic en-
semble to my utmost capacity. Were
l member, I thought, the temta
ton to go often would be a very
strong one.
This club house, which is represen
tative of the best New York can offer
not only because of the wealth but
the intellectual attainments of it:
members, seems to me to typify two
things merely-comfort and congo
nial companionship.
From the instant the servant holds
back the entrance door, the sense oi
comfort is pervasive. A cozy FIRE
place beyond a columned lobby sug.
gests warmth and good cheer. Red,
the masculine favorite, is the key
note of the decoration and furnishings
of the building, various shades be-
ing used for the different rooms and
the warm tones suggest welcome.
All is bright and CHEEKY. No lace
curtains keep out a ray of light and
the glare of the electric lights is sof-
tened by brilliant silk shades. Some
of the walls are frescoed. others hung
with leather or silk or burlap, or
panelled from floor to ceiling with
costly and beautiful wood.
ss Pare9aud ualrahle nainfines adorn
little knicknacks that women think
essential to the cosiness of room.
Everywhere are smoking parties for
there is no woman around to object
and the non-smokers have room to
themselves on the library floor. In
the reading room and library, are
books, papers 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 it 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 I am wandering from my text.
But the point is, if homes were more
comfortable, using that word in the
sense of being more easy, they would
be more attractive to the male mem
bers of the family.
I fancy that one of the strongest
attractions of the club is the fact that
there is nothing too good in it 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
pany. 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, it is too good to have. "Beit
ever SO humble, there is no place like
home," but be it 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 general, 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 food. The
other class goes to the other extreme,
and while Johnny's stocking 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 interest, she and her
husband had not a single taste in
common. 1t is usually the wife who
falls behind in the race, and her hus-
band finds no intellectual enjoyment
in her conpanionship. It is for the
most part after the children are part
ly grown that the mother or father
realizes that the cares of one or the
other have caused them to drift apart.
-40nes ()Lc0ff