Evening star., 1922-11-26

ing many very tiny apart
ments at very fabulous prices. the
dining room. as a separate and dis
tinct room with a set purpose and
reason for being. has been showed
unceremCniougly into the background
or given up completely, and the fam
lily either utilizes an adaptable gate
leg table in the living room or takes
its meals elsewhere. l suppose in
this day of high rents and limited
space there are those who are forced
to give up the luxury of supporting
a dining room, as it were, but to my
mind 1t is great pity. Even II the
family consists of only two. it does
least two meals a day together in
the leisure and quiet and privacy of
their own home. and while fully
equipped dining room is not abso-
lutely necessary to produce these ele-
ments. 1t certainly aids materially.
There is a dignity, charm and
hospitality about a we'll furnished.
spotlexsly clean, cheerful dining room
that must have its effect not only on
the spirits and temper of members of
the family. but on their development
AZ well. 1t is here really that the
children learn the rudiments of good
breeding in table manners, in un-
self1shness and thoughtfulness of 9TH
that go to make up the gracious
amenities OF life. Not only thai, but
in the intercourse Of the table they
learn to express themselves and in
entertaining guests they learn the
self-control and self-possession born
of the knowledge of the right thing
to do in the right place, such tre
nendous assets all through life One
does not need to be wealthy to have
these intangible influences in the
home, but one must have ideals and
much determination.
As everything In life has its rela-
tive value. as the dining room may
be very grand, indeed. and il may be
the extreme opposite of simplicity and
yet the same spirit Of sincerity and a
friendly hospitality may brood over
both. Since this room in the house
is the place in which to serve the
meals attractively and conveniently
and to eat IN comfort and enjoyment
ii would seem that the things which
do not contribute to this purpose do
chairs, Of course. there must be. A
buffet or a chest of some kind for the
linen and silver certainly has its
rightful place. as has also the serv-
ing table. These pieces actually add
to the convenience and ease with
pantry space is limited q china closet
may be a necessity. but too often
these glass cabinets are used only
for the display of ones choicest bits
of glass and china. a weakness which
might be forgiven and overlooked,
good taste. The charming corner
cupboards found in the early Ameri-
can homes were used to keep in
safety the choicest possessions of the
housewife. but their fine old pieces of
handmade porcelain. pewter and sill
yer added a decorative note to their
spacious dining rooms that crowded
shelves of cut glass and china do
not possess. These are more apt to
give the effect Of display counter
or part of the pantry brought into
the dining room.
This does not mean that the din
ing room must be without ornament,
but rather that they should be used
with restraint and that the pieces
used on the buffet and in the cup
board. if one has one. should be gen.
uine and have real decorative val
ue. 1t can readily be seen that side
board covered with silver. no mat
ter how elegant and beautiful each
piece may be. presents massed ap-
pearance that destroys the individ-
uality of the separate pieces.
1t seems that after spotless cleanli-
ness one Of the first requisite of
dining room is some sense of space.
1t should not be overcrowded. If
the room is small. do not try to
crowd q whole suite of massive din
ing room furniture in 1t just because
the furniture happens to be sold in
suites and you like massive furni
ture. Get some little cottage chairs
and a drop-leaf table and a chest of
drawers. then just some gay chintz
at the windows against warm plain
paper and see how utterly livable
and lovable the effect will! be.
Where the room is larger and more
formal. the more elaborate furniture
is the proper thing to use. The walls
may be panelled and hung with softly
colored rich hand-woven tapestries.
The draperies may be fine velours or
heavy silks. but always there should
be a feeling of quiet simplicity and
a lack of overcrowding.
Another important consideration is
the lighting. Along with many other
things that have been tried and dis
carded. the huge glass domes that
hung over the center of every we'll
appointed table a few years ago. have
had their day and are being rele-
gated to the scrap heap slowly but
surely The center light still remains
in many cases, and probably will
until wiring and connections have
reached a higher state of perfection,
but it is improving from an artistic
standpoint all the time. The silk
shade, while often abused. has soft
ened many a glaring light and added
a touch of Interesting color. The
many really lovely wall lights which
are now on the market make the
choosing Of lighting fixtures a fasci-
mating pastime and add distinction to
any room when carefully placed. Real
candle light has had quite a vogue for
the dinner table, but 1t seems to be
just a trifie dim unless supplemented
by a good supply of wall lights and
good old electricity.
Therefore study your dining room