This is the most important room in every house of moderate expense, if not in all houses. The furniture should be ample and of the best manufacture consistent with the means of the owner. All kettles, stew and sauce pans should be of good tinned ware, or of stone or other silicate finish. Granite and other enamel coatings are now made so cheaply that the}' soon pay their cost in the ease of cleaning. The sink should be ample; the stove provided with a hot-water apparatus, the pantry and other HOUSEHOLD AliT AND TASTE. 347 closets easy of access. Let the floor be of hard wood, and covered with a good oil- cloth, if you can afford it, or, if not, well painted ; rugs may be used in places where the work usually stands, for a woman's feet should not be in constant pressure either on oil-cloth or upon the bare floor. Here again the good sense of the mistress of the house may be shown in furnishing, both with a view to comfort and for the economy of work. If servants are employed, they must be instructed in the proper care of the kitchen utensils, or there will be much waste from breakage or misuse. Hence, the necessity that the mistress fully understand how things should be done. If she must do the work herself, it will be a pleasure to be able to do it deftly and neatly ; for light-handed neatness is the crowning glory of housekeeping. TUB riLTER. TOWEL RACK. Every kitchen should be provided with a filter for water, especially where rain- water is used for drinking, as is the case in many districts. The cut of Tub Filter shows a home-made affair, but as good as the best where ice forms a part of the filter over the strainine: cloth and under the dust cloth or cover. A towel rack is also indis- pensable. The one shown in the cut needs no explanation; any man can make it. VI. The Bed-Booms. Nowhere can better taste be displayed than in the sleeping apartments. As to carpets, every housekeeper must decide for herself. We should prefer a painted floor, and rugs so laid that the occupant would have no occasion to step on the wood after the shoes are removed. The rugs can be taken out in the sun, shaken and aired while the floor is mopped clean. Carpets in bed-rooms are unknown on the Continent of Europe in the grandest of private houses, and in such rooms, are traps for dust, germs of disease and death. The furniture, however rich, should always be simple, and of solid material, to avoid dust and dirt, and be readily cleaned. The old-fashioned carpets and bed- curtains should be avoided. If possible, have in the bed-room only the bed, a rug and a few chairs; dress and undress in an adjoining room, which may be made as 348 TWENTIETH CENTURY HOME COOK BOOK. pretty as possible and kept much warmer in winter than the one which is used for sleeping in. In this dressing-room place the wardrobe, chest of drawers, pretty odds and ends, as well as the wash-hand stand and other such conveniences. This, too, is improved by a bright and pretty carpet, pictures and other wall decorations; the bed- room must have none of these. They only hold germs of disease, and dirt. VII. The Cellar. Even the smallest cottage should contain this important adjunct, if the nature of the soil will, or can be made to admit of proper drainage therefrom. The arrange- ment of the cellar is no less important. It should be fairly lighted, and be divided off into proper rooms according to the size of the house. In the smallest cottage the vegetable cellar should be separated from the rest, and proper ventilation should be looked to, else the odor will certainly reach every part of the house above. In large houses the laundry often occupies a portion of the cellar. If so, it should be pro- vided with conveniences for hot and cold water, perfect ventilation, stationary tubs, with means for draining off wash-water, a sink and other fixtures. VIII. The Water Supply.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

This is the most important room in every house of moderate expense, if not in all houses. The furniture should be ample and of the best manufacture consistent with the means of the owner. All kettles, stew and sauce pans should be of good tinned ware, or of stone or other silicate finish. Granite and other enamel coatings are now made so cheaply that they soon pay their cost in the ease of cleaning. The sink should be ample; the stove provided with a hot-water apparatus, the pantry and other closets easy of access. Let the floor be of hard wood, and covered with a good oilcloth, if you can afford it, or, if not, well painted ; rugs may be used in places where the work usually stands, for a woman's feet should not be in constant pressure either on oil-cloth or upon the bare floor. Here again the good sense of the mistress of the house may be shown in furnishing, both with a view to comfort and for the economy of work. If servants are employed, they must be instructed in the proper care of the kitchen utensils, or there will be much waste from breakage or misuse. Hence, the necessity that the mistress fully understand how things should be done. If she must do the work herself, it will be a pleasure to be able to do it deftly and neatly ; for light-handed neatness is the crowning glory of housekeeping. TUB FILTER. TOWEL RACK. Every kitchen should be provided with a filter for water, especially where rainwater is used for drinking, as is the case in many districts. The cut of Tub Filter shows a home-made affair, but as good as the best where ice forms a part of the filter over the straining cloth and under the dust cloth or cover. A towel rack is also indispensable. The one shown in the cut needs no explanation; any man can make it. VI. The Bed-Booms. Nowhere can better taste be displayed than in the sleeping apartments. As to carpets, every housekeeper must decide for herself. We should prefer a painted floor, and rugs so laid that the occupant would have no occasion to step on the wood after the shoes are removed. The rugs can be taken out in the sun, shaken and aired while the floor is mopped clean. Carpets in bed-rooms are unknown on the Continent of Europe in the grandest of private houses, and in such rooms, are traps for dust, germs of disease and death. The furniture, however rich, should always be simple, and of solid material, to avoid dust and dirt, and be readily cleaned. The old-fashioned carpets and bedcurtains should be avoided. If possible, have in the bed-room only the bed, a rug and a few chairs; dress and undress in an adjoining room, which may be made as pretty as possible and kept much warmer in winter than the one which is used for sleeping in. In this dressing-room place the wardrobe, chest of drawers, pretty odds and ends, as well as the wash-hand stand and other such conveniences. This, too, is improved by a bright and pretty carpet, pictures and other wall decorations; the bedroom must have none of these. They only hold germs of disease, and dirt. VII. The Cellar. Even the smallest cottage should contain this important adjunct, if the nature of the soil will, or can be made to admit of proper drainage therefrom. The arrangement of the cellar is no less important. It should be fairly lighted, and be divided off into proper rooms according to the size of the house. In the smallest cottage the vegetable cellar should be separated from the rest, and proper ventilation should be looked to, else the odor will certainly reach every part of the house above. In large houses the laundry often occupies a portion of the cellar. If so, it should be provided with conveniences for hot and cold water, perfect ventilation, stationary tubs, with means for draining off wash-water, a sink and other fixtures. VIII. The Water Supply.

Twentieth century home cook book