Evening star., 1921-05-01

NJ most Americans the term
drawing room is a formidable
one and suggests rather
cheeress, formal and imper-
sonal place where for six months out
Of the year the chairs are upholstered
with hideous ticking cases. where the
curtains are drawn for fear Of allow
ing the sunshine to fade the carpet
and where no one goes save on formal
calls or when a stately and prctentious
party is in progress.
In reality, Of course, the word comes
from withdrawing room and 1t was
nrst used to designate the room whittier
the family and guests withdrew after
dinner. 1t was especially important in
old England. where dinner was the great
and usually only social event Of the
day. The diners went into the draw
ing room to enjoy each others conver-
sation and society. to play games of
cards. to sing. and idle away the even
ing hours. 1t was there that guests
arriving after dinner were welcomed
into the family group, there that court
ing was carried on and that politics
were discussed. And it was a cheerful
room. usually containing the most COM
Portable chairs in the house, a cheerful
open hre and such musical instruments
as the house afforded.
We read in books on life In the mid
die states and the south shortly before
the revolution Of such drawing rooms
when dinner began at and 3 and
lasted several hours. Then the guests
withdrew to thr dra wing room so that
the servants could clear the table and
get the dining room ready for supper
sons of wealth when one entertained
guest for dinner the invitation in
cluded supper usually and the inter-
vening hours in the drawing room. So.
in reality. the drawing room was moth
ing more nor less than the afternoon
of leisure and pleasure. but it was not
formal and forbidding.
Nowadays. however. most Americans
do not use the name for any OF their
rooms usually unless they have a rather
large house. II they have but one Or
usually call one the living room. and
the other reception room, lounge music
room. book room. or smoking room. as
the case may be. The word ''parlor"
has gone out completely among up-to-
date folk. just as the stiff. prosaic
out of our scheme Of things. Really
drawing room as it was once used is
a good word, but, most persons un-
derstand it, is r. bit pretentious and
for that reason 3: is better not to use
it save where yau have a large and
formal house.
To most of US n is used most fittingly |
when applied to such room as the |,
blue drawing room in the White House !
"A formal. stately room used only |
for formal entertainments and not in |
the old sense a drawing room at all /
II you still have a formal parlor
in your house, room dedicated to /
formal calls. daughters suitors, card |
parties, the minister when he comes
twice a year and the hour or so after
dinner when you give what you call
a dinner party-don't forget that it
as well as any other room in your
house.
If you have only a small house
don't waste one whole room in this
way. Make it into true living room.
one used every day for the family
social hours together. 1t is looked
upon as just a little old-fashioned
and bourgeois for persons in mod
crate circumstances to keep up the
traditions of such room. Daughters
,uitors should be received in the fam
Iy circle when they call. IL they call
n the evening, or with the mother of
he house II they call in the afternoon
md mother happens to be at leisure.
II you have an upstairs living room
besides. this may suitably be kept for
, room where the occupations OF the
morning take place. 1t proerly con-
aims desk and lounge. easy chairs,
,ewing tables and baskets and plenty
If sunshine. 1t is essentially room
dedicated to the woman members Of,
he house, just as the lounge-if you
lave living room called by that
a room whittier the men of
your family can withdraw to smoke
md talk together alone.
ff q q '
served in the living room, or drawing
.oom. or wherever you and your
,uests happen to be seated when 4
o'clock comes. But it Is not in good
orm to have a tea table set up in ,
INV living room containing teacups {
md other tea accessories. These are
properly brought from the kitchen or Z
,antry on a large tray or tea wagon I
4 tea time. A convenient table for
he tea tray or a nest Of tables. which ,
when set out provide little stands for I
ach tea drinker, may be left In the ;
living room. but they should be free
rom tea accessories. Z