The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1921-02-24
THE RED TABLE
CLOTH

about the home section Of q big city.
There were mansions Of the fAr-from-
poor, there were modest homes Of the
far-from-rich The former showed
lights in some windows, even though
"the folks" were out, there being no
necessity TO cut down the light bills;
the latter were darb unless "the folks"
were At home. Once in = while We
caught glimpse Of lighted dining
room, but with nobody in it The ev-
ening meal was over and the table
was bare. But he missed one thing
that, rs . boy, he had always remem-
bered as part of every dining room
the Red Table Cloth
The Red Table Cloth spread on the
table after the meal was over, with
dish Of apples in the center, was
to hom the symbol Of the old-fashion-
ed home and when he saw no Red
Table Cloth, suddenly he realized that
part of the old home life had vanish
ed. For that matter, as he walked,
he noticed that there were not 80
many lighted homes as he would
have supposed, that those lucky ones
who had homes did not stay in them
There were not many family groups
about the living room table or fire.
place everybody seemed to be out.
In search Of these people, he walk
ed about the downtown streets
Here were automobiles by the hun
dreds, parked in every available
place, as plentiful as though given in
exchange for trading stamps. Here
were dozens of movie palaces with
great crowds going in and coming
out. Here restaurants of all kinds
American, Chinese, Japanese all
packed to the doors, jazz orchestras
playing Whispering" while grand
pa, grandma, paw, NAV, and all the
family were half-stepping, one-step-
ping, fox-stepping, goose-stepping,
side-stepping.
The Red Table Cloth? The mere
mention of the grand old weave
would evoke superior sniff of dis
dain. Throw it out with the old
walnut whatnot, the Rogers plaster
cast, the decorated snow shovel, the
rope portieres and the wax flowers en-
closed in a glass bowl, even though
IL \ Ill lot ho m
fine, simple sentiments of home and
the dear times of childhood and
youth.
Today isn't the day of the Red Ia
BILE Cloth. The R. T. C. has gone, but
has anything better taken its place!
The increasing tendency is for fam
lily to move into an apartment hotel
where the members are huddled to-
gether with as much privacy as that
attributed to goldfish in bowl To
save room, beds disappear into walls
or closets, tables come out Of desks
and desks go under tables, dressers do
duty as ice boxes, and everything
folds up or rolls into or doubles up
into something else. The old wheeze
about being obliged to use condensed
milk in q New York fiat has real
point.
The family are living for the most
part on canned and package stuff
brought up from the delicatessen
shop. Everything is serene-no wor-
ries about storm windows to be put
up or taken down, about sidewalks
to becleaned of snow, about lawns to
be raked or moved We are liy-
ing in jazzy, frazzy atmosphere OF
motor cars with 2Oo-mile rides be-
tween dawn and dark, of perpetual
movie feast, of an incessant dance
as we tackle heaps of chowmein.
Sell the home, get into a hive where :
hundreds of other ants live, Good !
night to the Red Table Cloth
To deprive kid Of the joy of a
garret, with its mysterious angles and
corners, of cellar with its furnace .
and bins, of lawn on which to roll,
IS to deprive him of some of the fin
sst experiences of life 1t is just as
much of a tragedy to deprive boy
If the joy of carrying newspapers
and so learning to be in business for
himself. What a good time to have
he neighbours kids up in the garnet
IN rainy day, or in your own room
n the evening, where you may close
he door and be away from the fam
ly! Wasn't the privacy of the old
ZONE something worth while? Is
he marble lobby of Hotel Magnifi-
ent comparable with the front porch
where the family spent every pleas
mt summer evening! But for that
natter the automobile has made the
ront porch about as antique SIS the
Red Table Cloth
OF course, modern inventions and
ustoms are good. The automobile is
no ~ o,,r ,rroatasf BLESSINGS lint isn'r /,