The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1907-05-02

/ learned TO Go well what We have as q
| present duty. We cease to be slaves to
any work just as soon as we become
masters of it.
| Let the girls monopoliZe the white
/ and gold furniture. but give the boy
room which is more like a barn than a
| Jewel casket.' Let him be at the top
of the house, where he may dance iigs
undisturbed. and have room to stretch
his growing body.
| The cheap oak sets which are sold
are quite nice for a boy who does not
criticize carving or examine the grain
or design too closely. He should have a
| chiffonier and washstand, with a pref
ty, fancy pitcher and basin. The floor
can be stained or covered with mating
and one of those Japanese rugs which
come in such beautiful tints. flung over
| it. The bed can be Of wood if a set Is
| bought, but iron painted white is always
| to be preferred.
| And 1t Is always advisable to give a
boy single bed, in which he will be
obliged to lie still and grow straight
and tall, rather than a three-quarter
| bed, in which he can go to sleep cuddled
| into letter co. or stretched out so as
| to form geometrical figure.
Ii he is one of the hospitable kind
who will have friends to visit him and
there is no other place in the house to
| store away the visitor, the boy will have
to share his couch with them, of course,
and in that case a three-quarter bed
will be necessary. 1t is we'll to make a
cover for the boys bed. Snowy pillows
and white quilts are kept immaculate
enough in the girls rooms but the boy
will probably manage to smear both
with ink, dusty coat. wet umbrella
or any of those dirty things which boy
| always has ready to annihilate order
with at one fell swoop.
A cover of pinkish-red cretonne or
colors which will correspond to those Of
the furniture or in the rug. made to
stretch across and each down to the
ground, is always useful. and the boy
stands much less in awe of it than a
prim, snowy bed, which would delight
anyone else's eyes.
The boy should have a desk and a
good-Sized table, which will encourage
him to observe some order with his be-
longings. The reason very often that a
| child does not keep everything in it's
place" is that there has never been a
place for everything. and if the boy has
table for all the traps SO dear to his
heart and desk where he can have his
school books and do his lessons and
write to his grandm other, he will prob
ably grow into an orderly. studious and
dutiful youth-smaller things than these
have civilized people-altho / do not
believe every boy is savage
A set of book shelves, which can be
bought for dollar, or which, if he Is
Industrious and handy, he can fashion
and stain himself, should hold all those
wild, delightful romances which make
h1s hair stand on end. A comfortable
room will keep him from running away
out West. Let him read. The boy
should black his own shoes, SO let him
make a large box, which can be divided
into two parts-one for the backing
apparatus and one for his shoes. These
boxes covered with carpet and high
enough for seat can be bought. but
the expense is trifiing to have an ordi-
nary box, and it will be quite as useful,
and, if covered with cretonne, quite
pretty.
An open fireplace is a great charm in
boys room. There he can roast pota-
toes, burn his love letters, make taffy
and have roast-nut parties, and it is a
healthfu1. cheerful and not expensive
addition to any room. Have pictures on
the wall-gay ones of bright colors or
black and white sketches, just as the
boys taste goes. He will choose them,
and under further direction place them
prettily. Above all, give him liberty.
Let him give little parties up there.
Permit him to hang a skeleton on the
chandelier if he wishes to, or to have a
scarlet curtain on the book shelves II
he prefers, to your dainty choice of pink
and blue.
Guide his taste. but let him exrciss
Els own individuality. A dado of cigaret
pictures. picture of Buffalo Bill charg-
ing on wild mustang hanging over the
foot of his bed, where he can see it tho
first thing in the morning, would be to
some boys far more beautiful than four
feet high of Lincrusta Wilton or Bour-
guerau's Holy Family in a fine mezzo-
tint.
In the opinion of perhaps four women
out Of every five a bathroom is fur
nished when a curtain is hung at the
window and strip of carpeting placed
by the tub. The fifth woman frequently
makes the mistake of using it as a
storeroom for odds and ends, so that
there are very few ideal bathrooms to
be found
The properly equipped bathroom has
rubber or cork mat instead of a wool
len one on the floor. 1t has chest Of
drawers and set of shelves, and in the
drawers and on the shelves all toilet
articles are to be found. In the draw
ers the face and bath towels are kept
in quantities which not the utmost ex-
can exhaust. Wash rags and
bath mittens also have their place there
when they come from the laundry, and
each member of the household should
have his or her bath belongings marked
in some unmistakable manner. In one
of the drawers the reserve supplies of
soap, the unopened box of sea salt and
the like, may be kept. The shelves
should be reserved for articles in con-
slant use.
On one shelf box of salt, soap dish
and a brush holder should stand. Am
monia and alcohol are both necessary
in the bathroom. the one for cleaning
anything from the nickel-plated faucets
to ink-stained fingers, and the other for
its drying and invigorating properties.
There should also be listerine to wash
the mouth, bottle of liquid soap for
shampooing and manicuring, bottle
of benzoin and alcohol MKT for remov-
ing the sunburn of a day, cold cream. a
box of almond meal, tooth powder and
whatever sort of toilet water the owner
of the bathroom uses. A rubber flesh
brush for daily use and bristle one for
occasions when the skin is particularly
In need of stimulation, nail brush and
4 tooth brush are among the brush me-
cessities. There should be soft, smooth
towels for the face and hands, and
rough, Turkish towels for the body.
There should be bran bags. made Of
bran, a little almond meal, soap shay
ngs and a little orris sewed up in
for those occasions when
Extreme daintiness is required.
Above the bathtub should be screwed
wire dishes for holding Snopooy ,r.1