The Carlisle independent., 1906-10-11
ON A DUTCH FARM.
CUSTOMS OF CENTURIES AGO
 ADHERED TO.
. Simplicity tfse Keynote of Lfe-Do. nestic Animals Live in Close Proxioeity to the Family
 Coffee the Universal
 Bevsraue.

Of the manner of life in Zealand, Netherlands. an observer writes: The Dutch farmhouse is usually built after uniform model. The living room usually occupies the whole of the ground fiooc and is sitting room, bed room and kitchen. rolled into one. Ihe bedSteads are screened by green curtains, Or hidden away like cup boards: but what is called the show edstead-pront-be t-bedden-always occu- pies prominent place in the room. .ut, then, 1t IS never used; it is kept exclusively for the purpose of prov ing the high responsibility of the fam fly by tue finenesS of it's linen sheets and the richness of its countefpane. Kept nominaIiy iu honor of the guests, the most honored guest would not be allowed to use it, In larger or more modern farm houses a separate room Is set apart as ! show place, or rronk- Samer. but there Is. as a rule, no bedstead. and the room is furnished as parioF This room. like the bedstead. is never used by the house hold for general purposes. but on the occasion of q death of a member of the family it serves as the bier chamber h some farm houses 3 wing has been added to the original building. and in such cases it is di- yided into two or three small bed rooms.
 As a rule. tae stable or shed for the COWS forms part of the house, and IS separated from the living room only by 8 wooden wall or partition. The door of communication is gen efaily fitted with glass windows, so as to keep the animals under supervi- sion. There is also class of open farm houses. where there is no parti tion at all and the animals literally live with the family. Nowhere is the oidfashioned theory more firmly held than in Holland that the odor of COWS is beneficial to consumptives. Indeed, sometimes those who are tuberculous wiii go to sleep with the cows in their manager Over the cowsheds are the haylofts. and sometimes these serve as sleeping places as well.
 in many Of the older farms there is an open fireplace without chim- ney. and tine smoke finds it's way out as best it can. helping in it's passage 10 care the ham. Sausages and black buildings which depend from the beams Of the ceiling. The furniture is strictly limited to chairs tables, the linen press. which is the orna- inent Of. the chamber. and perhaps spinning wheel or 8 mangle. The ornaments are probably no more than some delft ware hung round the room, generally in racks. and a Dutch clock. The library consists of the family Bible
 The food Of the Boer class is as simple as the rest of their life The staple dish is buckwheat porridge and pig meat especially in the form of hams and sau5ages. represents the chief article of the principal daily meal. with IittIe or no variety. Cof- fee is the universal beverage and the only intoxicant taken Is one of the nu- merous forms of gin distilled in ali parts of the country. Treacle is also largely@ used. while sugar is re- garded as q luxury The bread used is black rye. but there is also brown loaf made with treacle and mixed with raisins