Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-11
PASSING OF THE SLEEPING PORCH
One Of the Days Best Cartoons.
nY FREDEItIC }. HAskIN

Has your house a sleeping porch!
II SO. YOU are in danger Of being
classcd as behind the times. Tho arcni-
tccturai death knell Of the sleeping
porch has been sounded. Til. newest
bungalows are built without it, and
when the bungalow repudiai-s II. It's
fate Is sea led.
y business man in AN Eastern city.
ann jOus 10 secure an option on Il sum
mcr home before the seasons rush set
III. haunted the real estate Offices en-
nmi!l:nS various plans. one particular
house IN nearby suburb was exactly
what he wanted. 1t contained just The
right number OF rooms and a tennis
court "n the front lawn ANA a model
Sa"as.. But" complained the oUsI-
ness man. 1T has n" sleep porCh.A'
The real estate agents regarded him
Win tolerant amusement. /, was ~
ii h" had complained Of the absence Of
windmill. They explained that the
sleeping porch was an architectural
lad which hai gone out OF date ana
there was no lonre! any demand for
them. To The business mans tluid as
s.rt!ons that hc liked sleeping porches.
they had cut one reply: 1T simply
isn't being done
People Gone lack 10 He'd.
Tho slecpin. porch. ia sense, Is
the ideal way to sleep. But the con-
slant living OF an ideal may grow mo-
notonous. and one by ouc pcopl. have
gone back TO their .olijT brass beds
with Sign OF relief.
There j. no uu"st!oS AZ to the hcuc-
icial effects 81 slccpin.; outdoors on
the health generally ana particularly
in III. treatment or nervous diseases
and tuberculosis To the modern sana-
forum sleeping porchcs Viii always
be Indispensable. They are a grca,
al =
shu, up In an Office all day. where 1t
is almost impossible TO secure proper
ventilation. and hence are deprived OF
III" amount OF :r.sh air which their
systems require. Sleeping with all tn.
windows open il rot the same as being
actually out Ia The open air So as
? necessity Tor good health Tho sleep
ing porch is here to STAY, hut .s "a
luxury for those who can afford TO
sra;ifv fdds j. has ceased /" ho In
tcreStir.
The establishment of thu nrst fr, sh-
air school in CaarlottcnOurs. Germany.
usher.d in the mania for fresh air All
over the world The news that Tic
Germans we're taking thci: children
into the pine forests in ,he place Of
schoolrooms created Il great deal OF in
;erest In the United states. and started
what has since been referred 10 as the
'frcsh-air fad" The check of iubcr-
cuIosis was occupying ar unusually
large amount Of space in lii. magazines
a. that timc. ANA people had a vision
Of germs in everything they did Iii"
''open-air treatment was OF every.
hody's lips.
schools Opened ON Ro"n.
since rin" forests wcr" ,rin" re-
mote and .mpractica'lr in cities.
schools for ;i,acmic cit idrcn~ were cs-
tablishcd on tho roofs OF buildings and
thr pine iroos brought TO them Here
they wcr" given Iu!ar course OF
treatment which usually rcsnitcd IN
their '"iIr0'h@ to III" scnonlro"m in
good health Special clothes Wer: d.
S:rn"d which prevented them from
taH,ne cold consisting OF hoadgcar
and punialoonS somewhat resembling
the apparel &. an Eskimo. There were
also cot and blankets for each in
div.dual chiij 1t Is some VIVA, doubtful
il ;he pine trees had any medicinal
,alUc. but the children were kept en-
;"r!aincd and amused making trim
nrinSs for them.
MI over the cities. then. appeared
curious devices on the roofs and bal
cones OF buildings. People were
sleeping out-of- doors. Tents were
erected on the side lawn. ana beds were
seen half projecting through the win
dov-s. while in tho suburbs il became
the poDula" Dastim" to sleep in the
trees. one man who owned Il large
apple tree i'rilt Il platform in it's wide
spreading branches. on which he plac-
ed a cot and curtains, and thereafter
became the envy OF his admiyinI
friends.
Nothing more was 20 he heard Of the
detrimental effect o! night air. T'co-
pie dropped Carclgssly TO sleep in their
hammocks III the orchard and the nest
Jay reported enthusiastically the JOY cf
,,citing bac'; to nature. The question
Of health was completely lost sight Of
IN ;hc aesthetic dcliGh. Of communion
with the stars. Meantime. architects
pied dcsis'inr new kinds Of sleeping
porchcS.
Families Moved Into Open.
Sleeping porches were tackled on to
every angle Of the house. and whole
families tool: up their beds and moved
out into th" open. Winter coming on. "a
rc,v descrtera crcpt back TO their steam
rea;ed bedrooms. but the majority were
intrepid and. laden with blankets and
hot-watcr bottles. stuck To the po:cheS
and .hc stars. The delightful sensa-
tor y! rain or snow on the face. while
protected in tho folds OF wooden blan-
kcts and an cutter covcrlct of tarpauli,
was irrountcd in detail Mt the break
fast table.
There was only ono drawback. II
YOU formed the habit OF sleeping out
doors YOU had to Keep il up. If YOU
stopped and then went back to 1t. Won
took cold. This made il very incomvc-
nicnt for people To travel ana tho leo
tcis. In alarm. began erecting sleeping
torches. Ar artist. arriving at hotel
IN Seattle. insisted upon erecting his
own tent on the roof OF the building,