Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-02-09
FEATHER BEDS AGAIN.
Change in the Science and Practice Of
Bed Making.

Bed Making.
The science and practice of bed
making has undergone a radical
change in the past few years. In new
ly done-over and decorated houses,
nothing could be more impressive,
more luxurious and more radical in its
departure from the hitherto accepted
laws OF hygiene than the new beds.
The model just now I'm the houses
where antique mahogany completely
sweeps everything before 1t is the
Georgian bed Three could sleep,
with an abundance OF stretching room,
in the area inclosed by the four mas
sive carved posts of one of these big
couches and three mattresses are re-
| quired to bring the sleeping platform
up to the required height. One Is of
hair. one OF cotton, and in winter on
! top OF these repose a mighty tick
stuffed full of the best white goose
! feathers. When these requirements
/ are fulfilled the full-fedged Georgian
bed is dressed with great attention to
detail and elegance. Old brocade
edged with bullion fringe is used for
| the hangings and counterpane that
sweeps the floor, and the coat of arms
of the owner is carved on the head
board of the couch.
It is not everybody who can lay
hands on a genuine carved Georgian
bed or dress it in antique brocade,
but even with the modern brass and
/ iron bed curtains about the head and
| big feather-stuffed mattresses for win
ter use are no longer a mere fashion,
but are a general custom. For half
century the feather bed has been look
ed upon very coldly by experts in hy-
giene, but recently, both with regard
to the hangings and the feather mat
tress, a change of heart has come,
and delicate, nervous, neuralgia, rheu-
matte women, and particularly elder
ly persons, and those afflicted with in
somnia has been recommended to
take the feather bed cure in the win
ter Queen Victoria is one of the shin
ing proofs of the efficacy of the feather
bed, for where she goes a big tick full
of feathers, in its leather travelling
jacket, goes too, and always the cur
tains are drawn about the head of
the bed to shut off any draughts.
Queen Victoria and her doctors be-
lieve that the proper way to sleep in
winter is in a cold room luxuriously
Tapped in a nest of feathers that pre-
r serve all the heat of the body and
necessitates in the coolest weather a
! covering of only one pair of blankets
: and a down quilt. The modern bed
so-called hygienlc, requires more
heavy covering than a pair of tired
. shoulders can stand, and a hair mat
tress constantly dissipates the human
heat instead of conserving II, besides
drawing away that priceless force
1 human electricity; at least this is
what advocates of the feather bed say
All this drain the feathers prevent
I the easily yielding surface they pre-
sent permits perfect relaxation of the
muscles that can never be gained on {
e bed of even the best hair. With the
Z coming of the eighteenth century type
of English bed the feather mattress
9 was introduced, and now there are
numbers of women who have not onl!
learned their virtues, but, like the
Queen of England, travel about will
their beds done up in leather cases
some of the rheumatics and sufferers
from cold feet have pronounced them
selves free from their Affections wheI
luxuriating among the feathers.
/ Feather beds are coming into us,
, as well in nurseries, and though TO
: children the Georgia four-poster Il
l not yet the fashion, the gayest bed
2 are made to chime in with the scheme
, of nursery decoration. Charmingl.
carved and painted wooden beds ar
. newly introduced, else they have bras
l or sometimes silver let into the darl
e wood in appropriate scenes and in
t scriptions. On the headboard of
+ light maple bed, for example will b
| painted a night scene of clouds acros
5 the moon and fight of owls; on tn
. footboard a line of caroling cock
/ greeting the sun typifies morning.
r N Y. Sun.