The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-18
THE HOME BEAUTIFUL
Decorating

To do or not to do is a question
it is we'll to ask ourselves when con-
templating decorating and quite
frequently we will find it is better
not to to do. There is a tendency
when one has a love for the beau
tiful, and can make or buy things
beautiful for the home, to overdo-
to SO fill and crowd our houses with
objects of beauty and near beauty,
| that they cease to be homes and be-
come mere places of storage, or ex-
hibition rooms for these priced pos
sessions.
The words of Hamlet to the play
er when he said NOW anything so
overdone is from the purpose of
playing" are equally applicable to
the decorator for anything so over
done is from the purpose of decor
| ating." When we crowd our
houses with pictures, bric-a-br
draperies and other Communications
until there is no place to rest the
eye we defeat the very end at which
we aimed. Many an object that
would be decorative if given the
proper perspective loses it's attract
iveness when used as part of a
mass. And even if so much were not
too much it requires the skill of an
adept to arrange so there will be
harmony.
You have all observed how after
reading some sensationl newspaper
article, or novel exciting and lur-
i'd, with what relief-almost eager
ness you turned to some simple little
character story. 1t was a sort of
mental balance. Your mind needed
it for rest. Even so, after being in
house where the decorations were
too many, or too conspicuous, or out
of harmony one with the other did
you observe how pleasant it was to
turn to some house or some room
in house where the furnishings
lwere simple? We might well take
a lesson in house furnishing from
the japanese. A people who are
artistic and the keynote of the fur
nishings of whose homes is sim
plicity The same can be said OF
the people of Holland. 1t has been
said of that nation, Every Holland.
er is an artist whether he has hat
the training or not" and people who
have travelled among them are al
impressed with these two things
the cleanliness and simplicity o.
their homes and their furnishings.
1t is we'll to decorate-by al
means do so, encourage the love o
the beautiful that is in every hu
man heart and let this love be s,
trained that it will enable us t,
make not only our homes but thi
earth more beautiful and conse
lquently better place to live, but d.
l so with moderation and reason. D.
not be extremists. There are thing
in home that are useful. Decor
e ate them if you will, but do no
carry your decoration to the poin
where you do away with the useful
). ness of the article decorated.
} chair is made to sit upon. It
e we'll to decorate the chair but
u in so doing you render it unfit to b
used as seat, discard it at once a
IS it is neither useful nor ornamental
l. A rug too frail or to beautiful to b
&c walked upon would not appeal
II any one of taste or good judgmen
u 1T is the same with other article
of furniture. Each has it's use an
= when ornamenting keep in mind tn
III purpose for which it was made an
L let your ornamentation be subse
e. Went to that.
at Above all else never bring I'M
CT your home furniture, picture
$ lbric-a-brac simply because some OF
III else has the same. Do not be &
~ imitator but let your home spef
is of you. AS mirror reflects yol
We face and form so let your home ar
it's furnishings reflect your tas
IS and character. Make your home
re beautiful as your time and mea
ps wills permit but never at the sacl
at flee of the comfort of it's inmates.
NO And after all the greatest bea
lat filters a home can have are clean
De- ness. tidiness. thoughtfulness a
icy kindness toward each other shoy
by the members of the home, a
yet that broad and genial hospitals
an that reaches out and takes in t
eat stranger and makes him feel that
ma is one of you when within yo
au- walls.
ed MRS IRWIN KELSEY