The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-02-08
SMALL HOUSES AND
LARGE FURNITURE

Why is it that houses are made so
small and furniture 80 large? The
rooms in modern fiat, that is, q
moderately-priced fiat, are about the
size Of a hencoop. and the first floor
of small two-story house could be
put entirely into an old-time .parlor.
Houses have shrunk in proportion to
salaries. But furniture. that is, real
ly beautiful, comfortable furniture. is
still built on the old-time grand scale.
Even II person lives in small
house on a small salary, he likes fur
niture Of good lines and good quality.
But how is he going to manage it?
I bought davenport. It didn't
look big in the store. 1t seemed just
an ordinary size. Besides, a daven-
port should not only be soft and
comfy" but it should, above all
things, be roomy The minute, how
ever, the wagon with it drew up in
front of the house began to have
misgivtngs. placed it In the hall
and the moment you came in the
front you fell over the davenport.
placed it In the parlor, or living-room,
whichever you choose to call it, and
half of the poor davenport extended
through the doorway into the hall.
1t had the appearance of an undesir-
ed guest trying to make an escape
The only room in the house that is
of any size is the cellar, and here the
davenport might repose If it could be
gotten down there. But the cellar
way is 80 narrow that even q good
sized barrel will not go down. So at
present the davenport stands like an
elephant in the hall, and when peo-
pie come we apologize for asking
them to climb over it. :.
To be sure, i could have gotten
something smaller by taking bench
with Stats for q back But 1 didn't
want a bench with stats. Or could
have chosen q lounge with seat like
New England's granite hills. But
when I want hard, rocky seat pre-
fer to seek the real thing in nature,
because there you have at least the
sky and trees and birds as some COM
pensation.
But the davenport isn't the only Of
fender. Almost every bride who is
to live In a small house knows what
she is up against II she wants to fur
nish her parlor or living-room, which
ever she calls It, really comfortably
and prettily. She probably wants a
bookcase, a library table, plano, a
few comfortable chairs, possibly a
Morris chair and a Turkish rocker,
and when she gets but these things
into the modern pocket-handkerchief
room she can only look in. from the
outside, as Eve must have gazed at
-'aradise when she had passed out
through the gates. The mistress Of
the little new house could not get
into that room unless she had wings
|or could transform herself into an
ethereal spirit. Entertaining friends
there is an impossibility. AS for
looks, 1t resembles the showroom of
Ia furniture factory.
Not only does the housekeeper of
moderate means find it difficult to get
good small furniture, but she also
finds 1t problem to discover simple
furniture at small cost. The lower
the price, the more gingerbread deco
rations do sideboards and chairs and
tables and desks boast Of. To get
something really plain and simple,
but good in line. costs much money
Why this is puzzles her. It seems to
her 1t must cost more money to put
all the fussy decoration on than to
leave it off, and surely 1t doesn't cost
any more to make pretty lines than
ugly ones. But so It IT,. She finds the
same condition when she buys. shirt.
waists. Those that are covered with
cheap lace and trashy embroidery
cost fifty and seventy-five cents
whereas well-cut perfectly plain
waist demands $3.50 or $500 to own
1t. She wonders why plainness cost.
and decoration is cheap.
And 50 while we climb over the
davenport and gaze into the living.
room from beyond its portals, jim
and wonder just what is best to dc
whether to continue our acrobatit
stunts over the furniture for the sake
of living in a house to suit us In
size. or to move into a larger house
for the accommodation of the furni.
ture.
A New York charity worker thinks