The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-18
BUILDING A HOME.

The very rich dwellers in cities have
quiet libraries and sunny morning
rooms where the mistress transacts the
domestic business of her days and has
a charming place into which to invite
her dearest friends. The stately beauty
OF drawing rooms meant only for the
outside world then, has another mean
ing, but even So the first idea must
not be how costly are the furnishings
If they are to be classed as artistic
successes. The color, the ensemble,
the gracious repose and dignity of such
salons should overpower the idea of
cost, or the owner has not reached an
ideal of decoration.
But any wife of any young salaried
husband, says a writer in the New
York Evening Post, has driven away
the upseen spirits who surely must be
sent by Him who has especially
blessed the purpose of building a home
and rearing the family, when she takes
as her central thought in entering a
new house, the establishment of for
NAL reception room and the accumula-
tion of ornament throughout her house.
Such a pretty thing" is an excla-
nation which constantly precludes an
BUSINESS of mere prettiness seizes on the
woman who loves color and form, and
when this pretty thing" is trans
planted from some alluring shop to a
small parlor or bedehamber, it not only
represents wasted money, but it is a
mistake artistically. The harmony of
furnishing comes when we see a need
for a special thing in a special place,
and look until we get it. The buying
90 - et,,
Effectiveness to the eye, and then try
ing to find a resting place for a de-
tached object will inevitably end in
failure. Repose and simplicity are lost
as soon as this mistake is made, and
nothing so mars beauty in a house as
to miss these primal qualifications.
But it is not alone the things we
buy for it that makes the home sure
of being dear and beautiful. AS the key
turns in the lock with the first step
over the threshold, we have to carry
into the new house love and self-sac-
rifice and contentment with what is
justly and rightly ours. If we let
covetousness enter with us, we are
lost; and in these days it is so hard
not to covet the myriad beautiful
things spread out before us. Peace will
not abide under the roof of her who
looks sadly at a slender purse and
WISHES LOT WHAT HtI HuSDdHu CdHHCt
afford.
If we could only dismiss all the out
| side infiuences-not a silly disregard OF
what generous cooperation and parti-
! cipation require, but those competitive
and initiative mistakes by which the
majority of moderate homes are affect
| ed-we would enter new houses with a
surer hope of creating an atmosphere
Of comfort and happiness by our en-
| deaVors.
Genuine things. true TO their names
] and their original qualities, and things
which tend TO hold the family together
| by the self-interest of enjoying a free
hospitable life-these are our true pos
sessions, which may so with us IL fate
requires us to have transitory dwell
ing places and always defend us from
new surroundings void of association
and without any sanctiication from
hands of generations past.
These coming autumn days will find
many of US opening new doors Let us
take heei what we take with us. and
with war spirit we begin the new
chapter I'm our lives. The record OF a
new home is indeed a "womans page"
and 1t behooves us 20 see II fairly
written and with a clear script that
can be readily understood by all men.
We go TO build homes. not TO furnish
houses.