Evening star., 1901-09-21
NURSERY FURNITURE.
UP-To-DATE scoNTRIvANCEs AND
HELPS.
Can BE Made Expensive or Very
Simple and still Answer
All Needs

In a house where there are children one
| room is usually set aside for the little ones.
This may be known as the childrens bed
room or as the nursery.
| Some children spend the day in this
| apartment, while others play in the sitting
| room and use it only to sleep in. What
| ever may be the family arrangements, it
| is very important place. and it's furnish
| ings should be as carefully planned as
| though it were the parlor.
There was a time when anything was
| considered good enough for the youngsters.
| but fortunately that day is long past.
| Shabby carpets and dilapidated furniture
| foster the spirit of slovenliness, while a
| dainty, wen-kept, well-furnished room is
| a lesson in neatness and good taste.
1t is not necessary that the room should
cost much money. Furniture which has
| been in use, If placed in the nursery, should
| be first touched up with one of the admir-
able furniture stains or varnishes sold,
prepared In the shops. Special sets of
| furniture made for the use of children can
| be purchased at such reasonable figures
| that, if a new bed room outfit is to be
bought, the advantages of these juvenile
| ones are worthy of careful consideration.
The furniture may be had in cream white,
stained green or in grained woods in im-
| tation of oak. Just at present the green
and the white are most popular.
| Many persons have a prejudice against
| wooden bedsteads and prefer for small
| children the iron or brass cribs because
| of the practical impossibility of a child
| falling out of them. The low wooden beds
Somer, but are, of course, not suitable for
| the younger children
Hygienic Fittings.
For the fitting out of the bed hygienic
| mattresses and beo coverings are sold,
| with spreads decorated with outlines of
scenes from nursery rhymes An import
| ant feature of the children's furniture sets
| is the linen cupboard, for the bedclothes
and towels used in the nursery AS it is
also intended for use as wardrobe the
| upper or cupboard section will be found d
splendid place for keeping hats and bon
nets A smaller cupboard occupies one side
Of the lower half of the drawer section
and will hold the shoes and slippers that
are not in service.
boards can scarcely be too numerous, for
children must have many changes of
clothing that it is sometimes a serious prob
lem to find accommodations for their ward
robes The simple little dressing case, with
it's few durable looking toilet accessories, is
provided with drawers. In these the chill
dren's best garments are generally kept.
When extra storage space is required for
clothing, one of the dwarf wardrobes,
adorned with some such motto as Pleas
ure is Due When Duty'S Done," are ad-
mirably contrived for juvenile USE One
side Of the wardrobe is arranged as a
cupboard. In it clothing may be hung
when not in use. A short lower cupboard
and three drawers occupy the other side
of the wardrobe. These afford a snug place
| in which to stow away waists and short
garments ga.
Have the Drugs Handy.
A novelty in the shape of a medicine
cupboard may be bought to hold the drugs
for the healing Of Juvenile complaints,
which should be kept convenient to their
bed room. Antiseptic washes and linen
bandages, together with roll of court
plaster, should be partbof it's contents. 1t
Is wise to keep the medicine cupboard Sc
curely locked, for children are prone to in
VeStigate anything forbidden, and If ever
a bottle of castor oil or dose of cough
medicine can be said to allure 1t is when
set upon prohibited cupboard shelf Mis-
chievous children, too, are sometimes un-
able to resist the temptation to hide some
of the obnoxious medicines in anticipation
of that day of evil when they will be re-
Qured to take some.
A chiffonier or chest of drawers is al
ways convenient. If it's space is not needed
for clothing, which the children have in
use, the better winter garments may be
carefully put away within it.
Teach Tidiness.
A toy cupboard is an excellent thing.
Each child should have his or her shelf in
this and be required to keep all toys IN
place. All should be given to understand
that when they have finished using a play
thing it must be laid away. To enforce
this rule, all toys found scattered about the
floor should be confiscated for a week The
carelessness Of children in strewng a floor
with odds and ends and going away and
leaving them has often resulted IN injury
to other children, sometimes to older mem
bers of the family.
A low table stoutly made and provided
with drawer at each end should be placed
In every day nursery. The cutting and
paSting that form part Of the little ones
amusement and the setting up of building
blocks cannot be accomplished SO satis-
factorily anywhere else. Kindergarten work
or the simpler form may be taught hy the
nurse, if the family has one, or by an elder
sister or the mother The making of paper
mats and designs on cardboard is easy
that no special training is needed to qualify
one FOR 1mparting instruction in it.
When there Is no stationary WaShstand
in the room, a special one with high tiled
back can be bought for the nursery. An
open space above the towel cupboard will
hold the basin when the smaller children
wash. They should as soon as they can
understand be shown how to cleanse their
own little hands and faces A spacious
towel airer is made to go with the wash
stand
The Other Necessities.
y
Cane-buttoned ones are not advisable be-
cause the usage they receive is likely to
destroy them in an amazingly short time.
An overmantel cabinet provided with a
mirror and surrounded by the cheerful de-
vice, East or West Home Is Best" forms
a feature of some nursery sets.
For the floor carpets are not to be COM
mended. They cannot easily be cleansed.
Cork makes the best nursery floor cover
ing 1t may be washed off and is not cold
to bare feet, as are linoleum and hard,
painted floors in winter.
Curtains are not desirable. They barbor
dust and are natural havens for disease.
IL any hangings are necessary, let them be
of washable cretonne. The art papers COW
cred with pictures illustrating famous fairy
tales and nursery rhymes are most accept
able for the WALL A coat of varnish ap-
piled to the surface will permit it's being
washed off when soiled. ETHEL KNOX.
Useful Black Gowns.
Black is now so universally worn that
it is possible to be well dressed with only
two or three gowns A black bolero and