WHAT WE LOSE AND WHAT WE GAIN. 21$ 



of a mountain, he should still put on evening 

 dress for dinner. This is an exaggeration, but 

 there is truth behind. Slovenly, ill-fitting, 

 dirty, ragged clothing may lead to slovenly 

 habits of mind, and are not the necessary 

 accompaniments of such life as I prescribe. 



One of my critics, for whom I have great 

 personal deference, tells me that my theory of 

 life tends to a relapse into barbarism, and in 

 illustration of the truth of his position, he 

 pointed one evening to a music-stand near the 

 piano with the remark : " With your ideas, 

 that stand would never be made of mahogany 

 and elaborately ornamented, but would be of 

 pine, perhaps stained." 



Well, suppose it was. I am inclined to 

 think that the greater use of common material, 

 stained pine and other cheap wood, in the 

 houses of people of taste is a distinct indication 

 of a needed reform. Take the little music- 

 stand in illustration. Its purpose is to hold a 

 number of music-books and loose sheets of 

 music. It has three or four shelves, and is so 

 made as to stand in a corner near the piano and 

 take up but little room. It is made of mahog- 

 any, highly polished, and is ornamented, as 



