AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED 



this stairway, it is somewhat annoying in practical 

 use, the average man being compelled to take a 

 longer step than is natural or else now and then to 

 take a double step on a single tread. Another fre- 

 quent fault in stairways is in building them in 

 curves, and nothing could well be more objection- 

 able, it being necessary in such cases to step 

 carefiilly on the outer edge of the circle at the 

 constant risk of a dangerous fall. Yet such stair- 

 ways are not only built in private houses, but also 

 are frequently found in public buildings, where peo- 

 ple often congregate in crowds. These winding 

 staircases have before now become veritable death- 

 traps in burning theatres, and their use should be 

 absolutely prohibited by law in any public build- 

 ing, and avoided persistently in any private house. 

 In our dwellings the stairways are almost inva- 

 riably too narrow, rarely exceeding three feet in 

 width, and as a consequence the walls are marred 

 every time a trunk or large piece of furniture is 

 carried up or down. Three feet and a half should 

 be insisted upon as the minimum width of a stair- 

 case in a private house, and four feet should be 

 secured whenever possible, even if it be at the 

 expense of the parlor. 



There can be no prettier or more useful feature 

 14 



