Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1906-02-16

have been a Inheritance msfl0Wed 90
subdued and enriched BY time and low
ing labor, or else the furniture from
attic 70 cellar must have been selected
and arranged according to . good color
scheme, by somebody who knew what
to buy and how to arrange what VA
bought.
To me there IL breathless delight in
looking through the stores of exquisite
china and glass which are shown In
the large establishments devoted to
their sale. Nothing more charming
than the dull Opaque and graceful
shapes Of articles from our American
potteries can one see though one wan.
der over the wide earth.
And the importations are as satisfy.
Ing to the sense of beauty as the dc.
nestle prOducta. One loses ones heart
to Lamoges, to satin sheen and flowers
painted with the skill Of the finest art.
One adores thu gold leaf laid on in
bars and lines on a tea-service for G
bride. From q salad bowl to an after.
dinner coffee set, from a fairy-like vase
to q goblet fit for the nectar Of the
gods. there Is something to enchant
the eye and bewitch the judgment Of
womankind. To walk through aisles
between splendors Of cut glass and
crystal is to get a realizing sense OF
the dreams OF enchantment in the Ara.
bian Nights. No luxury OF the past.
no matter how gorgeous. has been at
oil M ~ ~ IN Ill, <, thn law
ury OF this magnificent age Of ours.
or course, dear lady, II you can af.
ford 1t you will have In your house
whatever makes it more agreeable to
yourself, but unless you have q deep
purse do not fancy when you buy an.
tiques from a dealer hat you are get.
ting hold OF the real thing for you may
be wasting shekels which 1t cost your
husband hours Of toll to earn. Only
an expert "a detect the difference
between some ancient secretaries. sofas
and clocks and the extremely close ard
successful modern reproduction. There
are factories in this country which
turn out Queen Anne furniture by the
carload. Your home will look just as
pretty and be just as attractive with
the modern imitation as with the gen.
uine article, and your amount to the
good will be larger if you are satisfied
with buying straight from the fac.
tories.
About all china, not Old china Ear.
ticularly o new, if your heart is set
on it and you want to keep it from
breakage and loss, you must take care
of it yourself. Hired hands cannot be
trusted with fragile cups and saucers.
The peasant woman who has been
brought up in a cabin where a skillet
and a spoon or two and some wooden
bowls completed the stock of house.
hold utensils, can never learn how
daintily and delicately to look after
egg-shell plates, nor can she under.
stand the pang that goes to the very
soul of its owner when a beautiful dish
is Clipped or cracned. POpe's famous
line, Mistress of herself though china
fall" strikes an echo of response in
every feminine breast. If ono has
achieved that degree OF s~elf-cOntrol
that she can sit unmoved and refrain
from scolding or complaint when she
hears a crash in the kitchen she is al.
most entitled to the halo of a saint.
In the face of the great calam!ties
and disasters that sometimes come
upon a home, wrecking it and blotting
out the sunshine from a circle of loved
oneo, the fracture of an elegant cup
or vase Is very little. But we do not
always remember this. nor do we keep
what we ought most to try for in life,
an even mind amid little things and
great. A scratch on the furniture or
a broken cup seems very trivial
on the day that a ship goes down at
sea and carries n dear one with it.
We need more and more, all OF us, to
take lessons in the true valuations of
life, and less should we pin our af-
fections to things which fire or food
or careless handling or any sudden
heedlessness may ruin.