The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-30

there comes a time when the whole
house should be regarded as store
house from which to draw for the fit
wall decoration of the nursery.
| The average nursery, with it's
| Mother Goose things and freizes; its
border of babies with hoops and kit
/ tents with collars, is a distinct abomi-
nation. Any house that has such a
one for children ten and twelve years
of age, and even younger, ought, if
any sort of proportion is to be MAIN
| tanned, to have oilcloth on its drawing
room walls and chromos over that.
/ The nursery walls are of far more i'm
portance than the drawing room walls.
And a little care, and a very little
/ expense, indeed, will make possible a
room which shall be a veritabIe school
room.
How to Paper the Walls.
First of all, the walls must be plain
ly papered. A soft gray or olive is
best, That will be a shock to the sem
sibility which believes in big pink
roses and nodding scarlet popies, as
I the night of the appropriate to make
a room attractive. People who know,
/ however, almost unreservedly unite in
decrying Powered and highly colored
paper as trying to nerves and eyes,
and in commencing the olives and
/ gray as especially fit for children who
are active and restless and need quiet
/ ing surroundings. If there be border
above the rather low-set picture mold
ing, the paper may be deep cream
above this, or, if one likes, it may have
a simple and unobtrusive little pattern
of rose buds or morning glories run
f., ming over it, The moulding should be
of wood to match the woodwork of the
room.
The pictures are next to be consid-
cred. Take down and throw away all
the pictures of children in night
gowns, children in roses, children with
puppies included. Take down all the
paper dolls, and the rubber brownies
and the juvenile German favors that
hang everywhere, gathering dust and
offending the eyes. Place these among
the children's toys, if they like them
and they probably do like them; but
do not have them on the walls.
Go to some shop where inexpensive
copies of the old masters are for sale.
Carbon copies and photographers OF
the best things in the world may be
obtained at prices ranging from nifty
cents to two dollars, not to speak OF
the penny prints. The pictures, which
will be appropriate and which the chill
dren will come to love, are endless.
There ought to be first a Sistine Ma
donna. If you can, let this not be
small picture. Let it hang well down
from the molding by long wire, sc
that if they like the children may
climb on a chair, and, as half of them
will. talk to the child and touch the
glass over the little face and hands
Then there are children by Van Dyke
a copy of Guido Renie's Aurora, etc.
etc Studies in animal life, such as
the Landseer and Rosa Bonheur pic
lures, or any others to teach love and
care of animals, are especially to De
commended.
The Use of Casts.-The casts afford
a variety of subjects to delight child,
the Della Robbia studies, the Donatello
Laughing Boy, the st. John, the sing
ing Boys and bits of friezes to be hung
above the door and in shadoWed cor
ners. Teach the child the value OF the
dark frames against the drab or olive
background, and how dark corner Is
hghtened by a bit of white plaster
study the pictures of casts for which
thew most care, and add to the sort
which most appeals to them. Encour-
age their comments and questions tel
them stories about the characters II
the pictures, and little by little teach
them the artists and something aoou'
them. All this can be done at night
when story-time comes, and the chll-
dren will never know that they are
having the most important lesson ol
the day. 49,.
AS the children grow a few years
older nearly everything that is best II
drawing and sculpture may pc lhtro o.
duced. There can be no objection ~
the world to the Winged Victory ano
the Venus de Milo, and the Apoilo
and if the children's tastes nave Ot t,,,
nrenared earlier by the studies on the
walls these will serve to convey some
Of the greatest lessons in morals, II 1,
wise intelligence can shape the teach'
ing. 49,. 90, be