The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-09-30
Household Treasures.

Before a woman can begin to gather
together a store of durable household
treasures she must decide TO Danish two
words from her household voca bulary
fad and fashion. As long as her object is
to make or have what other people are
rushing to make or have at some partic-
| ular moment, she can only accumulate
stuff of transient value. which, in proc
ess Of time, becomes visible rubbish. says
the Christian Science Monitor. One OF
the chief characteristics of fashion is
that its demands must be executed rap
idly; its value, OF course, depends on the
fact that certain number OF people
naturally, the idlest and most frivolous
members of the communicative able to
change the appearance of themselves and
their houses before the rest of the com
munity do so; and this means that fash
ions votaries have to concentrate on get
ting ahead of their fellows with as much
haste as possible. Constant change per-
petual restlessness and permanent dis
satisfaction accompany this.
Household treasures of enduring val.
lie are certainly not going to be fabricat
ed or assembled when such conditions ex-
ist Their owner must put an intelligent
regard for beauty and utility first, and
be ready and willing to study and learn
what constitutes beauty. For even the
simplest household goods may, and will,
be beautiful and enduring according to
the motive which brought them into be-
ing and into the particular household
they adorn. There is at present such
carelessness about the quality
OF the household goods we use and live
in spite of the Importance we
are beginning to attach to their appear
ance, that the homely needle and the
beautiful art of needlecraft have been
largely delegated to the background. 1t
is certainly foolish to waste good work
on poor stuff; but it is exceedingly prac-
teal and economical TO beautify sound
and enduring material. Moreover, one
takes care of and handles tenderly some
thing that is beautiful: one cannot help
good workmanship. The
housewives of old who embellished the |
towels and tablecloths now treasured in |
he museums of the world, were thrifty |
who loved their homes, /
'ound no part of them unworthy of their |
attention and, moreover. considered that |
he state and upkeep of every part re-
iected equally on their management.
They did not call in a decorator in those
laws, and behold a wonderful vision of
home rise before their eyes, while the
,itchen and back regions remained the
Gene of waste, riot and disorder. The
able linen. with its hand made lace in
ertion and heavy embroideries and the
-itchen cloths and busters were equally
he subject of her thought; and while
he embroidered bed, of blue worsted
worked with yellow worsted stag may
e, or the bed of green tartan embroid-
red with silver owls and gold fleur-d de lis,
we're inventoried in the list along with
ouse and lands, she also preserved her
oney- cake molds, cut out of good oak in
uaint devices, and handed down from
ne generation to another.
It is not possible to return at once to
he days of homespun and handwork, but
he housewife can begin to cast more
houghtful eye on the things around her,
nd to determine that she will think
vice before she picks up the last craze
r fad II will be step forward when
lOu designs are anu dHOlNti
.ep forward when the housewife pre-
ares to take time. and plenty of time,
a the work she embarks on; but it viii
? a greater step still when she turns
,r highly trained modern viewpoint
ITO the intrinsic. not the transient. val
, of the work she has in her hand. or
r furniture. and asks herself if it is
,vond the radius of fashion. When. in
lief she sees herself as the craftsman
stead of feminine recipient of the pc
liar ideas served ont to keep her occu-
ed. restless and dissatisfied No one
no sets fashion on pinnacle. either for
me furnishings OF personal appearance.
immune from its Fostering urge to
{ out and find something different, the
netting that everyone else Is wearing
a having. and for which they have dis
rded everything they were wearing and
wing last year.
Once the basis Of beauty on enduring
les is established the housewife will
4 it is worth while to begin 20 cmbel-
h and beautify her belongings with
tien and diligence and skill, knowing
1reover that she has entered an ascend
I path, wherein nc VIII gain steadily