Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1930-09-26
MAN, IN LIFETIME,
SPENDS YEARS ABED
Sleeping Equipment, There
fore, Becomes Important.

Chlcago.-What's the most important
piece of furniture in the American
home? The answer is practically
unanimous-the bed
Why? The bed sees more use than
any other one piece of furniture The
average person spends eight hours
! each day in bed-56 hours a week,
240 hours month, 2,912 hours year
and, figuring a lifetime as 80 years, a
total of 145,600 hours during a life
time. Quite a periodl
These statistics probably show why
mankind, through the ages, has de
voted so much attention to the task
of making beds more comfortable, with
each age witnessing a new improve
ment in sleeping equipment.
The first beds, If they may be called
SUCH were nothing II not simple, 1t
is related in survey of the subject
published at the American Furniture
Mart here. Your caveman simply
wrapped some covering about himself,
laid down "as is"-and there he was,
all ready for a nights repose. But
the bed was one of civilizations first
achievements.
Egyptians Had EN- High.
The Egyptians, 1t is believed. were
the first people to get up in the world
as far as sleeping was concerned
Their beds were so high stool or
whole series of steps were required
to climb into them. Falling out must
have been a serious business. The
beds were supported by long, curved
legs, ending in clawed feet, graceful in
design.
With the Persians, bed must have
been a complicated contraptiOn. 1t is
recorded that when Artaxerxes, a Per
sian, presented a bed as a gift to
Timagoras, an ambassador from
Athens, he sent along a whole corps
of attendants. skilled in preparing it
for sleep" Just what these bed-me-
chanics did has not been disclosed, but
their services were obviously consid-
cred essential and all part of the
nights work.
The Romans, who divided all Gaul
into three parts, as Latin students
know, divided their beds into five
classes: /. the ordinary sleeping
bed; 3 the reclining table couch; 3.
the smaller lounge for rest during the
day; 4. the high marriage bed; g.
the funeral bed, carried during a
funeral procession. No explanation is
offered as to why the marriage bed
was higher than any of the Others
AS time went on, beds varied great
ly as to size and decoration, but their
comfort steadily increased, as springs
and mattresses were introduced and
improved During the time of Charlie
magne beds were very simple and
often made of bronze tubing, some
what similar to the brass bed once
popular in America. About the Thir-
teenth century. beds had increased in
size and luxury and the custom of
parking the marriage bed right out
in the middle of the main hall at a
wedding was introduced. Curtains, 1t
may be added, were placed entirely
! around the bed.
Achieves Importance.
During the Fifteenth century, the
bed probably achieved the greatest i'm
portance of its career. 1t became an
elaborate piece of furniture for dis
play purposes and It was quite the
thing to receive guests in the bed
room, even kings holding court recep-
tions while reclining on the royal
couch. At this time it was customary
to suspend draperies and canopics
from the ceiling, but later columns to
support these decorations were built
as part of tire bed and from this be-
ginning evolved the four-poster bed
which stll retains its popularity.
Skipping through the centuries to
the present, small. single beds have
long been dominant in continental Eu-
rope, while the double bed was COM
monty used in this country. the popu-
larity of the twin bed being a COM
paratively recent phenomenon.
Through all its ups and downs, COM
fort has always been the major item
determining sales.