The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-07-15
THE BEDROOM IN SUMMER.

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To people who live In cities comes
the thought of cool, quiet bedrooms
in farm houses when the torrid days
arrive. If they can not afford to
escape from their hot houses and
stuffy fats, their thoughts turn all
the more to the big, airy homes
where sunshine and breeZes and
green trees combine to make the
sleeping chambers ideal. To have
windows in three, two, one of the
walls seems perfect bliss to a person
with only a skylight for ventilation,
and the thought of being able to sleep
on an outdoor porch is almost like
heaven. However, a closer acquaint-
ance with the country and it's people
reveals the fact that all country bed
rooms are not ideal by any means.
In one country home, with three
bedrooms upstairs and two down,
the mistress of the house had three
of the rooms in perfect order and
tightly closed. 1t was too much trou-
Bile to keep so many rooms clean, she
said, and besides, boys were so hard
on furniture. In one large room she
set up three beds, and there, with
sons slept. Even If the other rooms
had been opened at night to allow
the air to circulate it would not have
been so bad, but that would have al
lowed dust to creep in, and every
good house-keeper knows that night
air Is hard on lace curtains. | said
the six sons slept in the room, but
perhaps it would be nearer the truth
to'say they rolled and tossed and per-
Spired during the summer nights be-
tween their fitful maps.
Most of us know better nowadays
than to take the best and airiest room
in the house for the guest chamber,
but that is not the only idol to be put
away. In some homes feather beds
are used year in and year out, and
people swelter on them in dog days
A young woman who lived in a New
York boarding house rejoiced when
some country friends asked her to
visit them, but her joy was turned to
grief when she saw the spare cham
Der, with it's puffy bed and carpet,
too fine to allow the windows to be
opened. Taking the feather bed off
was impossible, for the daughter of
the house slept with her, and the
visit that had promised so much in
the way of pleasure became a perfect
nightmare of sleepless night and
listless days.
1t would cost little to put double
windows into sleeping rooms that
now have but one opening for air,
and it would cost nothing at all to
arrange that all windows and doors
be left open at night in hot weather.
The trouble in the latter arrange
ment, people tell you, is, that often
there must be hired man or two in
one OF the upstairs bedrooms, and it
is impossible to allow the children to
have their doors open. In such cases
it is better to let the hired man sleep
downstairs and have the family oc-
cupy all the upper rooms. 1t is much
ACoAeA1CE IOE every one TO sleep uD-
stairs, and the custom of father and
mother sleeping downstairs away
from the girls and boys is a bad one
from every standpoint. Let the cool
fresh air circulate freely through all
the rooms and the sleep will be
sound and sweet.
II you have wide porch upstairs
or down, by all means utilize it as a
bedroom on hot nights. The habit of
sleeping in the air is not fad, but a
health-giving arrangement If it is
a good thing for invalids and con-
sumptiVes, why not for healthy peo-
pie? Screens or curtains can be used
betweens the beds, and the whole
family profit by the arrangement. Of
course the porch must be screened to
keep out insects, but it can serve the
double purpose Of dining room and
bedroom, if on the first floor. Cots
may be used instead of beds, and the
young folks of the family will gladly