HOUSE AND GARDEN 
March, 191 
3 
219 
The Vital Functions of Light in the 
Home 
(Continued from page 171) 
When one is purchasing, look into re¬ 
flectors, which are usually placed over 
the lamp, which is in a vertical posi¬ 
tion. If they have the blinding glare 
of the automobile headlight, and are filled 
with streaks and lines of painful bril¬ 
liancy, avoid them, or insist that they 
shall be furnished with depolished inner 
surfaces. 
Dr. Percy W. Cobb, physiologist for 
one of the tungsten lamp manufacturers, 
states: “In the case of prismatic reflec¬ 
tors it is only when they are so far away 
that the eye is unable to distinguish their 
individual surfaces, that there is any re¬ 
duction in intrinsic brilliancy, significant 
for the protection of the eyes.” 
The danger of polished surface reflec¬ 
tion is one of the ills attending the advent 
of our light sources of high intrinsic bril¬ 
liancy. When light strikes a surface one 
of two things happens,—it is reflected 
or diffused. If the surface is polished or 
glazed, no matter of what material it 
may be or in what form, when light im¬ 
pinges upon such surfaces it will be sharp¬ 
ly reflected — often directly into the eye, 
causing glare and eye strain, with all its 
attendant miseries. Who has not ex¬ 
perienced the necessity of shifting the po¬ 
sition of the glazed reading page to avoid 
the glare? Does the position of the depol¬ 
ished page of the newspaper, for instance, 
require shifting? Every impinging ray of 
light is diffused by its unglazed surface — 
scattered and disseminated so perfectly that 
eye strain is eliminated, and eye comfort 
prevails. Avoid polished surfaces wher¬ 
ever possible,-—always in case of inner sur¬ 
faces of pendant lighting shades, which 
are shaped so as to disclose the illumi- 
nant and its secondary reflecting surface. 
All glass manufacturers can furnish glass¬ 
ware depolished on the interior. Insist 
upon their doing so. 
And now to revert momentarily from the 
physiological to the esthetic,—at best but 
a brief interval to span, — let us consider 
the use of light in making the home at¬ 
tractive. Referring to the illustration at 
the lower portion of page 169, a reconcilia¬ 
tion of light and decoration is seen. First 
there is a small art lamp beside the piano. 
Against a dark green wall of practically 
neutral color value at night, its graceful 
shade of blended old rose is just bright 
enough to emphasize its value as a deco¬ 
rative symbol while it adds beauty to the 
complexion of her upon whom it shines. 
Pink gelatine film is placed about the illu- 
minant within the exterior shade and on 
the side nearest the wall an opaque screen 
prevents the splotch of wall light which 
usually mars the effectiveness of wall 
lamps. Beneath this screen, a dense red 
film suffuses the small picture, artlessly 
placed at the lamp base, with a dull glow. 
Above this small picture, is a water color 
reproduction of Burne Jones’s “Aw r aken- 
The Telescope of Speech 
The astronomer, by the power of his 
telescope, becomes a reporter of the 
movements of a hundred worlds 
greater than ours, and the student of 
celestial activities millions of miles 
away. 
He points his instrument at any 
spot in the heavens, and his sight 
goes rushing through space to dis¬ 
cover and inspect a star hitherto 
unknown. 
Up to the power of his lenses, his 
vision sweeps the universe. 
As the telescope may be focused 
upon any star, so the telephone may 
be focused upon any person within 
the range of its carrying power. 
Your voice may be directed any¬ 
where in the Bell System, and it will 
be carried across country at light¬ 
ning speed, to be recognized and 
answered. 
The telescope is for a very limited 
class, the astronomers. The telephone 
is for everyone. 
At the telescope you may see, but 
cannot be seen. At the telephone you 
may speak and be spoken to, you 
may hear and be heard. By means of 
the Bell System this responsive ser¬ 
vice is extended to the whole nation. 
American Telephone and Telegraph Company 
ft 
/And Associated Companies 
One Policy 
One System 
Universal Service 
Garden and Hall 
Furniture 
Guaranteed to stand any 
climate; 
Marbles, Terra Cotta, 
Stones. etc., Vases, 
Benches, Sun Dial Ter¬ 
minals, Tables, Fountains, 
Flower Boxes, Mantels, 
Statues, Reliefs, etc. 
Send 25c for illustrated 
catalog of 295 pages. 
The best copies of the best 
originals 
MODERN GLADIOLUS 
I am again offering to my old friends and new customers 
the finest kinds of gladiolus bulbs to be bad, the kind that 
take premiums wherever offered and surprise and delight 
the people. Not only Groff’s Hybrids, but all other sorts 
that are first class, including the best new named sorts and 
some never before offered. Fifty selected flowering size 
bulbs, postpaid, for 50 cents. 
GFO S WOODRUFF “ ,,ov 
VJt-U. O. VYUtTL/Ittirr, independence, IOWA 
IMPORTED CACTUS and 
DECORATIVE DAHLIAS 
At Reasonable Prices 
Also 500 varieties of the best to be 
found in U. S. A. 
Dahlias are more popular than ever 
before, for the new varieties are more 
beautiful. 
Send for my catalog. 
MRS. H. A. TATE 
OLD FORT - - N. C. 
EUGENE LUCCI1ESI 
748 Lexington Ave. 
and 121 E. 59th St. 
NEW YORK 
Est. 26 years 
In writing to advertisers please mention House and Garden. 
