56 Constructing the Country Dwelling 



in the means available for building the home, in the 

 size of the family to be accommodated, and the 

 like, would hinder us in the attempt. But there are 

 certain principles that may perhaps apply in nearly 

 every instance and that especially in thought of 

 serving the first and best needs of the juvenile mem- 

 bers of the household. 



It is altogether possible to make a two-room cot- 

 tage out on the open prairie a place suggestive of 

 repose, of beauty, and of other high ideals. So, no 

 matter how small and inexpensive the rural dwelling 

 may be, let the builders work first of all for that 

 simple beauty and attractiveness which may most 

 certainly invest the heart of the indweller with a 

 feeling of comfort and satisfaction. Let it be a 

 place, though humble, that may soon become to the 

 members of the family the most beloved spot on 

 earth. For, after all, the best things of life cannot 

 possibly be bought with money. There are often 

 misery and dissension and bitterness in the finest 

 palatial dwelling, while the essential elements of 

 beauty and worth may have lodgment in the hearts 

 of the humblest cottage dwellers. However, it is 

 not the intention here to argue any one into the 

 thought of building a humble cot for the mere sake 

 of humility. The point we desire to make is merely 

 this : that, although possessed of very meager 

 means with which to build, one can actually construct 

 a home in which the inhabitants thereof may dwell 



