Handbook of domestic science and household arts for use in elementary schools

Furnishings. — 3. A porcelain-lined or an enamelled-iron tub is indispensable. A porcelain closet with no wood about it excepting the seat. No cover is needed. A washstand set on legs or brackets. Conveniences. — A neat rail with hooks, a towel-rack, and sets of shelves for small articles complete the necessary furnishings. Ventilation. — Let everything be light — white if possible — and let the windows be free to admit air top and bottom. TOPIC VIII The Kitchen The First Consideration. — Last though not least. In actual practice let it come first. Whatever money is left after the cellar and kitchen are furnished may be devoted to the other parts of the house. Leave " the parlor " to the last. If you make the kitchen as sweet and clean and pretty as it ought to be, you need not disdain to sit in it yourself nor to ask your friends to sit in it. If you doubt that a kitchen can be pretty, read the Vicar of Wakefield's description of his kitchen. Read the entire description of his house and see if you think it a lioxise beautiful. Suggestions for Furnishing. The Floor. — If you are well off you may have a floor of tiles. The next best thing is a covering of linoleum. The Walls. — The walls should be of tiles, or of glazed brick, or of hard plaster painted with waterproof x:)aint or varnished. Cupboards. — The doors of the cupboards should be of glass or should be dispensed with entirely. There should be absolutely no hiding places for dust or vermin. Kitchen utensils are just as appropriate to the kitchen as candelabra or vases to the parlor, and should be kept scrupulously clean and undisguisedly displayed there. Good Taste in the Kitchen. — Indeed, Mr. Morris used to say that our kitchens were about the only rooms in our houses furnished in good taste, because all the articles there are " of good shape, declare their use, and are appropriate to it." This is one of the fundamental principles of true decoration. Indispensables. — A good, large, firm table for the use of the cook, wall strips with hooks for hanging her utensils within reach, and a few good strong, plain chairs, are indispensable furnishings. The Sink and its Surroundings. — All the water and gas pipes should be exposed to view and all sinks set on legs or brackets. Have no closets under the sinks. Even with moderate means a few tiles could be afforded to floor the space about the sink. Let them be white — gleaming white as everything about the plumbing should be — so that it will betray the first sign of uncleanliness. Suggestions about Additional Lessons. — It is scarcely necessary to carry the illustrations farther as to separate rooms. The pupils may be required to continue the work, applying the principles and laws advanced. The proper furnishing of the servant's room should be considered equal in importance to that of any other room in the house. Closets, store-rooms, etc., should also be considered. Review the general principles illustrated up to this point and add suggestions as to dealing with conditions not hitherto considered — such as furnishing a rented house where we encounter obstacles to the application of right principles. This may occupy a separate lesson. TOPIC IX Making the Best of It