March, 1911 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
103 
Appropriate Mottoes for the Home 
By Dorothy Tuke Priestman 
“Tn this safe anchorage 
Find welcome and good cheer.’’ 
3 OUSE mottoes add in a delightful way to 
the appearance and interest of the home. 
When thoughtfully chosen and carefully 
applied they prove a very charming fea- 
ture from the standpoint of both art and 
interest. They have, too, a certain edu- 
cational value, which is particularly felt 
when the name of the author is given with a quotation. 
Moreover, noble thoughts constantly in view have a cer- 
tain moral value which cannot be ignored, especially where 
there are young people in the home. But perhaps the 
strongest argument in favor of mottoes is the opportunity 
afforded for the expression of personality in the selections 
of the quotations; for in choosing quotations, care should 
be taken to have them in keeping with the house and the 
lives of the occupants, and to have only those mottoes that 
are sympathetically appreciated by the home-dwellers. On 
entering a house, which has mottoes as a decorative fea- 
ture, one should feel the personality of the home-maker 
expressed in the lines. 
There are many ways in which mottoes can be applied. 
They can be carved or burned on wood—cut in stone— 
painted or stenciled on the walls,—hammered on brass or 
copper, or embroidered. More often the mottoes are done 
al 
SS 4 
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by professional men, but they can be effectively accomplished 
by the home-maker. 
In giving suggestions for the home, I have classified the 
quotations under different rooms, but many of them would 
apply equally well almost anywhere. Circumstances and 
individual taste must decide upon the place most appropriate 
for each motto. 
For the hall, as a rule, mottoes with suggestions of wel- 
come are appropriate. Among those that would be fitting 
are :— oti gs 
“Welcome the coming, speed the parting guest.” 
—Alexander Pope. 
“FTome—A world of strife shut out, and a world of 
love shut in.” 
“Love lives in cottages as well as in courts.” 
This would be attractive for a tiny house or a bungalow. 
‘“A man’s house is his castle.” 
“East, West, hame’s best.” 
‘“Where there is room in the heart, 
There is room in the house.” 
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The fireplace seems the appropriate place for a motto 
