﻿404 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  November, 
  1907 
  

  

  Monthly 
  Comment 
  

  

  [EWCOMERS 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  side 
  are 
  about 
  

   to 
  be 
  put 
  to 
  heavy 
  test. 
  The 
  calendar 
  is 
  no 
  

   longer 
  necessary 
  as 
  an 
  indicator 
  of 
  the 
  sea- 
  

   son 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  for 
  the 
  signs 
  of 
  fall 
  and 
  the 
  

   rapidly 
  approaching 
  winter 
  are 
  visible 
  

   everywhere. 
  Very 
  few 
  persons 
  make 
  ar- 
  

   rangements 
  to 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  in 
  the 
  

   winter 
  months, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  cold 
  season 
  brings 
  such 
  a 
  host 
  

   of 
  changes 
  and 
  so 
  many 
  unexpected 
  discomforts 
  and 
  in- 
  

   conveniences 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  most 
  valorous 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  per- 
  

   turbed. 
  But 
  the 
  country 
  home 
  that 
  was 
  purchased 
  with 
  so 
  

   much 
  glee 
  earlier 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  can 
  neither 
  be 
  neglected 
  nor 
  

   vacated 
  at 
  a 
  mere 
  whim. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  well 
  established 
  fact 
  that 
  

   just 
  as 
  winters 
  come, 
  just 
  as 
  certainly 
  they 
  will 
  go, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   equally 
  well 
  known 
  that 
  very 
  many 
  people 
  survive 
  their 
  cold 
  

   with 
  equanimity 
  and 
  emerge 
  from 
  their 
  winter's 
  trials 
  with 
  

   great 
  gusto 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  thaws. 
  The 
  newcomer, 
  therefore, 
  

   instead 
  of 
  being 
  discouraged 
  should 
  try 
  to 
  get 
  as 
  much 
  enjoy- 
  

   ment 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  country 
  winter 
  as 
  he 
  had 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  summer. 
  

   It 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  the 
  same 
  kind 
  of 
  joy, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  lots 
  of 
  pleas- 
  

   ure 
  in 
  it 
  if 
  one 
  but 
  attacks 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  right 
  way. 
  

  

  The 
  winter 
  is 
  an 
  excellent 
  season 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  become 
  ac- 
  

   quainted 
  with 
  one's 
  house. 
  One 
  never 
  knows 
  a 
  house 
  until 
  

   one 
  has 
  lived 
  in 
  it 
  for 
  several 
  years. 
  Like 
  persons, 
  houses 
  

   improve 
  or 
  become 
  worse 
  on 
  acquaintance. 
  The 
  more 
  one 
  

   knows 
  them, 
  the 
  better 
  one 
  is 
  acquainted 
  with 
  them; 
  the 
  more 
  

   completely 
  one 
  is 
  familiar 
  with 
  them, 
  the 
  better 
  one 
  likes 
  

   them 
  — 
  or 
  hates 
  them. 
  The 
  former 
  state 
  is 
  greatly 
  to 
  be 
  pre- 
  

   ferred, 
  for 
  a 
  house 
  that 
  one 
  dislikes 
  is 
  often 
  exceedingly 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  get 
  rid 
  of; 
  and 
  no 
  one, 
  of 
  course, 
  wishes 
  to 
  get 
  

   rid 
  of 
  a 
  house 
  at 
  a 
  loss 
  if 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  helped. 
  The 
  truly 
  for- 
  

   tunate 
  folk 
  are 
  those 
  who 
  love 
  their 
  houses, 
  love 
  their 
  en- 
  

   vironment, 
  are 
  satisfied 
  with 
  their 
  geographical 
  and 
  climatic 
  

   situation, 
  and 
  have 
  no 
  quarrels 
  with 
  their 
  neighbors. 
  In 
  the 
  

   happy 
  summer 
  time 
  one 
  lives 
  out 
  of 
  doors 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  pos- 
  

   sible. 
  In 
  the 
  winter 
  the 
  process 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  reversed, 
  and 
  not 
  

   always 
  with 
  advantage 
  to 
  one's 
  health. 
  But 
  at 
  least 
  winter 
  

   is 
  the 
  season 
  for 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  exactly 
  as 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  is 
  the 
  season 
  for 
  without 
  it. 
  

  

  Winter, 
  then, 
  brings 
  out 
  the 
  full 
  test 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

   house 
  to 
  its 
  occupants. 
  Is 
  it 
  easy 
  to 
  heat, 
  and 
  without 
  too 
  

   great 
  an 
  expense? 
  are 
  the 
  questions 
  first 
  asked, 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  

   immediately 
  followed 
  with 
  reflections 
  on 
  the 
  water 
  supply 
  

   and 
  the 
  non-bursting 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  plumbing. 
  Of 
  course 
  

   there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  things: 
  Will 
  the 
  roof 
  leak? 
  How 
  is 
  the 
  

   cellar? 
  Is 
  the 
  living-room 
  cold, 
  and 
  can 
  the 
  bedrooms 
  be 
  

   readily 
  ventilated? 
  Any 
  house 
  owner 
  will 
  tell 
  you 
  there 
  is 
  

   a 
  lot 
  to 
  learn 
  about 
  a 
  house, 
  especially 
  in 
  winter, 
  and 
  the 
  

   time 
  to 
  make 
  its 
  acquaintance 
  is 
  close 
  at 
  hand, 
  just 
  out 
  of 
  

   doors, 
  and 
  ready 
  without 
  any 
  inconvenience. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  

   fact, 
  not 
  until 
  next 
  spring, 
  with 
  all 
  hands 
  passing 
  through 
  

   the 
  winter 
  without 
  harm, 
  can 
  one 
  draw 
  a 
  full 
  breath 
  of 
  re- 
  

   lief 
  and 
  contentment. 
  The 
  winter 
  is 
  the 
  real 
  test 
  of 
  the 
  

   house. 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  attention 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  building, 
  arrangement 
  

   and 
  furnishing 
  of 
  the 
  servants' 
  quarters 
  in 
  many 
  modern 
  

   houses 
  is, 
  in 
  many 
  respects, 
  an 
  admission 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  dif- 
  

   ficulties 
  attending 
  the 
  modern 
  servant 
  problem. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  all 
  

   pure 
  humanitarianism, 
  much 
  as 
  this 
  is 
  preached 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  

   books 
  and 
  magazines. 
  The 
  fact 
  is, 
  the 
  servant 
  question 
  has 
  

   long 
  since 
  become 
  acute 
  in 
  America, 
  as 
  might 
  naturally 
  have 
  

  

  been 
  expected 
  to 
  happen 
  in 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  the 
  free 
  and 
  the 
  equal. 
  

   Hence 
  it 
  has 
  come 
  about 
  that 
  the 
  servants' 
  rooms 
  in 
  large 
  

   houses 
  are 
  almost 
  as 
  good 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  owner, 
  and 
  very 
  

   many 
  times 
  better 
  than 
  their 
  natural 
  occupants 
  were 
  ac- 
  

   customed 
  to 
  in 
  their 
  native 
  habitat. 
  A 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  this 
  

   improvement 
  has 
  been 
  for 
  the 
  better. 
  The 
  little 
  crowded, 
  

   hot, 
  unpleasant 
  rooms 
  once 
  set 
  aside 
  for 
  the 
  help 
  were, 
  in 
  

   many 
  cases, 
  unfit 
  for 
  human 
  occupancy. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  advance, 
  

   and 
  a 
  decided 
  one, 
  that 
  such 
  rooms 
  are 
  no 
  longer 
  put 
  to 
  

   habitable 
  use, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  excellent 
  thing 
  that 
  good 
  rooms 
  

   for 
  servants 
  are 
  now 
  provided 
  everywhere. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  

   a 
  significant 
  fact 
  that 
  with 
  all 
  this 
  betterment 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  

   no 
  lessening 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  of 
  the 
  servant 
  problem. 
  These 
  

   people 
  are 
  just 
  as 
  hard 
  to 
  get 
  as 
  they 
  ever 
  were, 
  and 
  are 
  much 
  

   more 
  difficult 
  to 
  retain. 
  On 
  this 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  abso- 
  

   lutely 
  no 
  progress 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  made. 
  

  

  Economic 
  philosophers, 
  seeking 
  for 
  interesting 
  topics 
  for 
  

   learned 
  dissertations, 
  sometimes 
  fall 
  afoul 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  

   household 
  expenses. 
  And 
  in 
  truth 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  fascinating 
  subject 
  

   of 
  the 
  very 
  widest 
  interest. 
  To 
  know 
  how 
  much 
  other 
  people 
  

   spend 
  and 
  what 
  they 
  get 
  for 
  their 
  money 
  easily 
  surpasses 
  

   every 
  other 
  kind 
  of 
  gossip. 
  That 
  much 
  of 
  this 
  talk 
  is 
  neces- 
  

   sarily 
  impersonal 
  and 
  is 
  concerned 
  with 
  people 
  one 
  does 
  not 
  

   know, 
  deprives 
  it 
  of 
  the 
  real 
  interest 
  it 
  might 
  otherwise 
  have. 
  

   And 
  incidentally 
  it 
  deprives 
  most 
  of 
  these 
  investigations 
  of 
  

   their 
  real 
  point 
  and 
  value. 
  For 
  the 
  real 
  test 
  of 
  housekeeping, 
  

   or 
  of 
  home 
  life 
  — 
  to 
  use 
  a 
  better 
  phrase 
  — 
  is 
  what 
  one 
  gets 
  

   for 
  one's 
  money. 
  A 
  person 
  who 
  spends 
  five 
  hundred 
  dollars 
  

   a 
  year 
  for 
  certain 
  expenses 
  may 
  actually 
  not 
  obtain 
  as 
  much 
  

   as 
  one 
  who 
  spends 
  half 
  that 
  amount. 
  For 
  figures 
  are 
  devoid 
  

   of 
  the 
  personal 
  touch. 
  They 
  tell 
  us 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  

   concerned. 
  They 
  give 
  no 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  personality, 
  

   the 
  tastes, 
  the 
  individuality 
  of 
  those 
  under 
  review. 
  In 
  short, 
  

   they 
  leave 
  out 
  the 
  person 
  who 
  supplies 
  the 
  money, 
  the 
  per- 
  

   son 
  who 
  spends 
  it, 
  the 
  persons 
  who 
  are 
  benefited 
  by 
  it. 
  And 
  

   the 
  personal 
  element 
  is 
  the 
  vital 
  part. 
  

  

  Hence 
  such 
  discussions 
  are 
  generally 
  without 
  point. 
  They 
  

   tell 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  conditions. 
  Because 
  a 
  certain 
  family 
  in 
  

   an 
  unnamed 
  city 
  can 
  support 
  itself 
  in 
  what, 
  to 
  its 
  members, 
  

   is 
  abounding 
  comfort 
  on 
  eighteen 
  hundred 
  dollars 
  per 
  year, 
  

   is 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  other 
  folk, 
  having 
  the 
  same 
  money 
  to 
  spend, 
  

   and 
  having 
  no 
  more 
  expensive 
  ideas, 
  can 
  do 
  likewise. 
  It 
  is 
  

   interesting 
  to 
  know 
  that 
  certain 
  comforts 
  and 
  luxuries 
  can 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  for 
  a 
  given 
  sum, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  absurd 
  to 
  suppose 
  

   that 
  others 
  can 
  duplicate 
  that 
  success 
  and 
  do 
  it 
  happily. 
  For 
  

   happiness, 
  after 
  all, 
  is 
  the 
  true 
  measure 
  of 
  human 
  success 
  

   and 
  of 
  human 
  joy 
  in 
  living. 
  The 
  real 
  problem 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  spend 
  

   as 
  little 
  as 
  one 
  can 
  or 
  to 
  get 
  along 
  on 
  as 
  small 
  amounts 
  as 
  

   possible 
  ; 
  but, 
  for 
  a 
  given 
  sum, 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  greatest 
  amount 
  

   of 
  satisfaction. 
  One 
  may 
  buy 
  more 
  for 
  one 
  hundred 
  dollars 
  

   than 
  for 
  ten 
  dollars; 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  follow 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  

   larger 
  sum 
  the 
  buyer 
  will 
  obtain 
  ten 
  times 
  as 
  much 
  satisfac- 
  

   tion 
  as 
  for 
  the 
  lesser. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  army 
  

   of 
  householders 
  and 
  heads 
  of 
  families 
  in 
  America, 
  and 
  even 
  

   in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  who 
  will 
  solemnly 
  assure 
  the 
  

   inquirer, 
  if 
  he 
  be 
  so 
  bold 
  as 
  to 
  put 
  the 
  question, 
  that 
  the 
  

   more 
  he 
  has 
  the 
  less 
  he 
  gets. 
  And 
  the 
  statement 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  

   least 
  paradoxical 
  ; 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  but 
  the 
  simple 
  truth 
  that 
  the 
  more 
  

   one 
  buys 
  the 
  more 
  one 
  wants 
  to 
  buy. 
  Increased 
  income 
  sel- 
  

   dom 
  means 
  greater 
  savings, 
  but 
  rather 
  greater 
  expenditure, 
  

   which 
  increases 
  day 
  by 
  day 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  ratio 
  than 
  

   the 
  income. 
  

  

  