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.

IN different countries. Of course. PEG
pie have different kinds of houses 10
live In, and IL IS curious 10 note hos
the Ideas Of people vary as 70 what
they consider is comfort as regards
a dwelling. ~ course, climate has a
good deal 20 do with IT, In Burma, for
instance, where they certainly know
how to build, for the Burmese temples
are some 81 the most magnificent in
the world u IS said that an entire
house can be constructed without a
single nail being used 50 lightly are
they put together The framework is
Of wooden posts or bamboo. tightly
bound together. the floors IF bamboo.
the walls Of mating and the roofs
matched with palm leaves. There is
never any upstairs 10 these houses, be
cause the Burmese dislike the idea of
having anyoue's feet above their
heads How comfortable they would
be IN one Of our large hotels or
one of our tail houses, and how
wretched we should be IN one Of their
riInsy little huts Then. again. base
meuts do so astonish eastern people
who come 10 Europe 90 a visit. Indeed
one party Of Orientais who once came
to London, seeing people going down
area steps go basement houses. thought
that they were going to another city,
lying somewhere entirely below Lon
don. To dig into tie ground and live
In rooms below the surface level was
something. they never for a moment
heard q any one doing, and 1t is said
that that interested them more than
all the sights they were shown in
London.
But just as houses vary in different
parts Of the world, according 10 the
nIuoun, Of comfort people living Ia
them require, 50 have houses Of Euro
peau nations varied from one period
to another Very rough and poor IN
quality at first. but improving. as In
course u time civilization advanced
and better things became possible. I'M
til by slow degrees they arrived at
what they are now.
AT one time the only strong and
substantial buildings Ia a country we're
the castles Of the King and Of the
mobiles while the people lived in wood
en or mud huts. crowding into the
castles for protection In time Of war
The living part Of these castles was
very small sometimes, consisting Of
only n hall where all took their meals
and where most Of them slept On the
floor. chapel and perhaps one Or
more private rooms II rs said that
the French Kings. even as late as
Plnufagenet times. had SO few rooms
IN their palaces that they usually
shared a sleeping room with their
c0urtiers. Later castles had more ac-
cofnm0datlon, and 50 Ind the manor
houses which succeeded the castles
and which were generally strong
enough to stand siege, being sur.
rounded by a m0at But none Of these
houses had fixed glass windows until
Henry Wits time. and. Of course. no
chimneys. The fireplace was In the
middle Of the hall aud the smoke used
90 escape by the door. SO living In
them must have been different from
anything We know. 1t was not uutll
the time of Tudor sovereigus that
houses began 70 be planned solely with
view to comfort Up to then. the
chief consideration had always been
thnt of safety against attack but, by
the Sixteenth century. the country had
become So settled aud peaceful that
comfort could now take first place
Christian Science Monitor