144 



The Country House 



seemed to grasp. They frequently bump your head or blockade your furniture 

 in the carrying out of some freak effect, but their eye to the rise and tread is 



generally praise- 

 worthy. 



It is unfortunate 

 that the most \\i st- 

 and appropriate ef- 

 forts in the direction 

 of stair rails and 

 posts should be the 

 most dangerous for 

 children. A change 

 must be made, but 

 it should be effected 

 largely on the chil- 

 dren, and not on the 

 aforesaid rails and 

 posts. In order to 

 protect the venture- 

 s o m e youngsters 

 from a headlong 

 fall into space, with 

 a probable denting 

 of the floor below, 

 landing and gallery 

 rails should be at 

 least 3 feet 6 inches 

 from the flooring. 

 It is even better that 

 they be made 4 feet 

 high. Care should 

 be taken to see that 

 the stair rail fits and 

 is comfortable to the 

 hand; an awkward 



rail is a constant and unpleasant reminder of the one who is responsible for it. 

 For the general use of the American household, stairs are best made of wood. 

 Marble may be well enough for a public building, but such are hard and unsym- 

 pathetic for every-day home use, and of course with them the stair runner is 

 out of the question. Of whatever material the stairs are made, it should be con- 

 tinued throughout the flight; marble stairs with wooden landings are very 

 poor in design and taste. 



The staircase, if disconnected from the hall for private passage, should 

 have ample floor space at the foot of the flight to allow of an uncramped pas- 

 sage between the arch or screen which divides it from the hall. Saving space in 

 this direction is false economy, and there is always a feeling of being crowded. 



Old stairway at Carters Grove, Va. The broad hospitality of the Colonial South is 



here suggested 



