Year: 1876

The first essential for cheerful room
is sunshine. Without this, money, labor,
taste, are all thrown away. A dark
room cannot be cheerful, and it is as
unwholesome as it is gloomy. Flowers
will not blossom in it neither will peo-
pie. Nobody knows, or ever will know,
how many men and women have been
killed by dark rooms.


"Glorify the room! Glorify the room !"
Sydney Smith used to say of a morning,
when he ordered every blind thrown
open, every shade drawn up to the top
Of the window. Whoever is fortunate
enough to have southeast or southwest
corner room, may, if she chooses, live
in such floods of sunny light that sick
ness will have hard work to get hold of
her and as for the blues, they will not
dare to so much as knock at the door.


Second on my list of essential for
cheerful room | put color. Many a
room that would otherwise be charming
is expressionless and tame for want of
bright color. Don't be afraid of red.
1t is the most kindling and inspiring Of
colors. No room can be perfect without
good deal of it. All the shades of
scarlet or of crimson are good. In an
autumn leaf, in . curtain, in a chair-cov-
er, in a pin-cushion. in vase, in the
binding of book, everywhere you put
it, it makes brilliant point and gives
pleasure. The blind say that they al
ways think red must be like the sound
of trumpet; and | think there is a
deep truth in their instinct. 1t is the
gladdest, most triumphant color every
where


Next to red comes yellow; this must
be used very sparingly. No bouquet OF
flowers is complete without touch OF
yellow and no room is as gay with
out yellow as with it, But bouquet ii
which yellow predominates is ugly the
color of all the other flowers are killed
by it and room which has one grain
too much of yellow in it is hopelessly
ruined. / have seen the whole expires
sion Of one room altered, improved, ton
ed up, by the taking out Of two or thre'
bright yellow leaves from big sheaf o
sumacs and ferns. The best and safes
color for walls is delicate cream color
When | say best and safest, | mean the
best background for bright colors anC
for pictures, and the color which is leas
in danger of disagreeing with anything
you may want to put upon it. so alsC
with floors the safest and best tint il
neutral gray. If you cannot have 8
bare wooden floor, either of black wal
nut, or stained to initiate it, then have
a plain gray felt carpet. Above al
things, avoid bright color in carpet
In rugs, to lay down on plain gray, oil
on a dark-brow floor, the brightel
the better. The rugs are only many
distinct pictures thrown up into relic
here and there by the under-tint of gray
or brown. Buta pattern either set or other
wise, of bright colors journeying up ant
down, back and forth, breadth afte
breadth on the floor, is forever ugly. l
one is SO unfortunate as to enter on tn
possession of room with such carpet a
this, or with wall paper of a simila
nature, the first thing to be done, if pos
sible, is to get rid of them or cover then
up. Better have a ten cent paper O
neutral tints, and indistinguishable fig
ures on the wall, and have bare floor
painted brown or gray.


Third on my list of essentials for max
ing rooms cozy, cheerful and beautiful
some books and pictures. Here som
persons will cry out But books AM
pictures cost a great deal of money.
Yes, books do cost money and SO do pic
lures but books accumulate rapidly il
most houses where books are read at al
and if people really want books, it
! astonishing how many they contriye I
get together in few years withou
pinching themselves very seriously i


other directions.


As for pictures costing money, ho'


much or how little they cost depends O


what sort of pictures you buy. AS
d said before, you can buy for six shilling
; a good heliotype (which is to all inten


and purposes as good as an engraving,


of one of Raphaels or COrreggio's Ma


donnas. Butyou can buy pictures mucl


cheaper than that. A Japanese fan is


picture some of them are exquisite pic