Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-12-16
IN HUMBLE HOMES
People Of Europe Long Satisfied
With WretChed Huts.
Even Small Degree Of Comfort Only
Came About the Beginning Of
the Sixteenth Century.

10 different countries, u course, peo-
pie have different kinds " houses 10
live In, and Il IS curious to note hos
the Ideas u people vary a. 70 what
they consider is comfort as regards
a dwelling. ~ course, climate has
good deal 10 do with IT, Ira Burma, for
instance. where they certainly know
how 70 build. for the Burmese temples
are some of tie most magnificent IN
the world. it is said that an entire
house can be constructed without q
single nail being used so lightly are
they put together The framework Is
Of wooden posts or bamboo. ugntty
bound together the floors 81 bamboo.
the walls Of mating and the roofs
fhatched with palm leaves There is
never any upstairs to these houses, be
cause the Burmese DISLIKE the Idea Of
having anyones feet above their
heads. How comfortable they would
be In ore o. our large hotels or
one of our tall houses, and bow
wretched we should be 10 one OR their
fllmsy little huts Then again, base
meuts Do So astoBish eastern people
who come 10 Europe On a visit Indeed
one party DC Oripntals who once came
10 London seeing people going down
srea steps fo basement houses. thought
that they were going TO another city,
lying somewhere entirely below Lon
don To dig into the ground and live
.n rooms below the surface level was
something. they never for a moment
heard Of anyone doing. and II is said
that that interested them more than
all the sights they we're shown IN
london
But just as houses vary in different
parts Of the world. according 10 the
amount Of comfort people living ia
them require. 50 have houses OF Euro
pcau nations varied from one period
60 another Very rough and poor In
quality at first. but improving, as In
course u time civilization advanced
ana better things became possible. un.
I'll by slow degrees they arrived al
shat they are NOW.
At one Time the only strong and
substantial buildings in country we're
the castles of the king and d the
mobiles. while the people lived IN wood
en Or mud huts crowdBg into the
castles for protection IN time Of war.
The living part Of these castles was
very small sometimes, consisting of
only hall where all took their meals
and whore most Of them slept OF the
more private rooms Ii Is said that
the FRENCH kings. even as late as
Pinnfaeeuet times had SO few rooms
~ their palaces that they usually
shared sleeping room with their
t0urtiers Later castles had more nc
cornmodatlon, and Sc had the manor
houses which succeeded the castles
and which were generally strong
enough 10 stand a siege, being sur.
rounded By a moat But none OF these
houses had fixed glass windows until
Henry Wits time. and. Of course. no
Chlmneys The fireplace was In the
middle Of the hall aud the smoke used
20 escape by the door. so living in
them must have been different from
anything we know. II was not uutil
the time Of Tudor soyereigue that
houses began TO be planned solely with
a view 20 comfort Up to then the
chief consideration had always been
that NJ safety against attack but by
the Sixteenth century. the country had
become st settled and peaceful that
comfuf, could now take nrSt place -
Christian Science Monitor