The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1922-10-26
IN HUMBLE HOMES.
Z Isl n ~ rf
People of Europe Long Satisfied
With MreIched Huts.
Even Small Degree Of Comfort Only
Came About the Beginning Of
the Sixteenth Century.


/ In different countries, OF course, peo-
pie have different kinds Of houses to
! live In, and 1t is curious to note how
the ideas Of people vary as to what
they consider Is comfort as regards
/ dwelling. or course, climate has
good deal to do with 1t. In Burma, for
instance, where they certainly know
, how to build, for the Burmese temples
are some of the most magnificent In
the world, 1t is said that an entire
house can be constructed without a
single nail being used, so lightly are
they put together. The framework is
of wooden posts or bamboo, tightly
bound together, the floors Of bamboo,
the walls of mating and the roofs
matched with palm leaves. There is
never any upstairs to these houses, be-
cause the Burmese dislike the idea of
having anyOne's feet above their
heads. How comfortable they would
be In one of our large hotels or
one Of our tall houses, and how
wretched we should be in one of their
filmsy little huts. Then, again, base
ments do so astOnish eastern people.
who come to Europe on visit. Indeed,
one party of Orientals who once came
to London, seeing people going down
area steps to basement houses, thought
that they were going to another city,
lying somewhere entirely below Lon
don. To dig into the ground and live
in rooms below the surface level was
something they never for a moment
heard of anyone 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 to the
amount of comfort people living In
them require, so have houses OF Euro
pean nations varied from one period
to another. Very rough and poor in
quality at first, but improving, as in
course of time civilization advanced
and better things became possible, I'M
til by slow degrees they arrived at
WHAT tney are now.
At one time, the only strong and
substantial buildings In country were
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 hall, where all took their meals
floor, chapel and perhaps one or
more private rooms. 1t is said that
the French kings, even as late as
Plantagenet times, had so few rooms
In their palaces that they usually
shared sleeping room with their
cOurtiers. Later castles had more ac-
cOmmOdation, and so had the manor
houses which succeeded the castles
and which were generally strong
enough to stand siege, being sur
rounded by meat. 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 and the smoke used
to escape by the door,, so living in
them must have been different from
anything we know. 1t was not until
the time of Tudor sovereigns that
houses began to be planned solely with
a view to comfort. UP to then, the
chief consideration had always been
that of safety against attack; but, by
the Sixteenth century, the country had
become SO settled and peaceful that
Christian Science Monitor.