Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-16
YOUR HOUSE AND HOW
YOU ARE USING 1T

fees show individuality. Surrounded by
walls that are bare. desks that are piled
high with work other peoples chairs
and belongings, there Will yet be an IN
dividuality about these desks. The little
touches that go to make this individual
ity are intangible, but they are there.
Did you ever know a woman to go
into a furnished house and rearrange
the furniture she found In such a way
that the house looked like her house and
like no others? 1t is this sort of woman
who lives in her rooms, who makes them
a part of herself and herself q part of
them.
Once upon a time there was woman
who wanted to make her living room ex-
pressive of an interesting personality
She had an interesting personality. inter-
esting because 1t was rather ridiculous
But she wanted to have personality
that was interesting in another way. so
she arranged her living room to fit the
imagined personality.
4 y
A caller entering the room one after
noon, noticed book of Walt Whitman's
poems lying half open on little table
in a corner Near the table was low
chair. across one arm of which was a
half-finished piece of embroidery-rich,
interesting, ecclesiastical embroidery. 1t
seemed to be-and lying on the floor.
where it had apparently f1uttered when
illuminated page from an old missai,
from which she was obviously copying
the colors In the embroidery
"I didn't know she was that sort OF
woman" commented the caller to herself
as she waited for her hostess to appear.
The caller, like every one else, mad al
ways thought the other woman was
"fiutterbudget'-the sort of woman VINO
rushed from one frivolity to another, with
good Intentions and scattered brains.
month later the same caller called
again The same half-open book lay on
the same spot on the same table. the en-
broidery, still half finished-as indeed. It
had been when it was bought-lay still
carelessly on the arm of the chair. the
page from the old missal lay where 1t
had lain before
All these objects had been arranged
with pathetic desire to make their
owner seem a part OF her living room.
Her method was all wrong. II you
don't impress your personality on your
rooms you don't. You certainly cannot
impress on them personality you don't
possess.
X x
There are some persons who are too
too unworldly. too lack
ing in a liking for the material things
of life-to become a part of their sur
roundings. There are others who SIM
ply do not take the trouble to make
their rooms hvable and lived in.
Almost every house possesses one
liyed-in room at least. Perhaps 1t IS
little upstairs sitting room or boudoir.
1t may be the study or library or work
room of the man or son OF the mouse.
1t may be the children's playroom or 1t
may be the family living room. But In
almost every house there are some
rooms that look unlived in. And these
are uncomfortable because tmpersonal
rooms.
In many houses the drawing room Is
a horror of formality. OF course. the
formal room has it's place. If there Is
another living. room, where the familiar
interests Of the family center. the formal
drawing room or reception room is a de-
lightful place for entertaining and Tor
receiving formal calls.
But the small house with n formal
drawing room and no other living roO.ts
is inexcusable. The family must scat
ter to its bedrooms to sew and embrofdcr
and play mandolins and paste up photo
graph albums and write letters and do
any other pleasant sort of work. 1t is
this sort Of room that ought to De
avoided.
Let all the rooms of your house be as
expressive Of the personalities they har-
Dor as they can be- and you will have a
house that is worth living in.