88 
House & Garden 
Steam or hot water will 
not turn 
it white 
"^y^itcaivrt 
PITCAIRN 
VARNISH CO. 
Milwaukee, Newark, San Francisco, 
Los Angeles and Seattle 
EXPORT DEPARTMENT: 
WOOLWORTH BUILDING, NEW YORK 
PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS CO. 
urmsf\^ 
/^F course you are not going to boil the 
varnished finish on your floors, fur¬ 
niture or woodwork — but if the finish will 
endure actual boiling, it will more than 
withstand steam from your bath-tub, hot 
water from leaky radiators, water spilled 
on table, floors and so on. 
Pitcairn Water Spar Varnish is unharmed, 
even by boiling. It insures you a rich and 
lasting finish for Floors, Furniture and 
Woodwork — whether interior or exterior 
In your dealer’s window you’ll see a wood 
panel finished with Pitcairn Water Spar, 
submerged in an aquarium day and night, 
month after month—actual visible proof 
that Pitcairn Water Spar ^ Waterproof. 
Making a Clean Sweep 
{Continued jroin page 86) 
power of the suction so created and. 
therefore, be ineffectual as a cleaner. 
Therefore, the salesman can talk glibly 
to the uninformed about vacuums and 
tests and never say “but our nozzle is 
so large or so high or so low that the 
air intake is bad.” 
Too much vacuum often makes the 
machine heavy by sucking too heavily 
upon the carpets. Of course, raising the 
nozzle here will help this fault. 
Motors! 
I Another battling point is the question 
I of whether the motor put in horizon¬ 
tally into the casting or that which is 
put in vertically is the better. They 
all talk glibly on this subject, but heed 
it not. All that is necessary for the 
purchaser of a cleaner to know about 
the motor is that it should be made by 
a reputable firm, have a good speed that 
is spectacular and that it be not im¬ 
bedded too deeply in unnecessary fix¬ 
ings to be oiled and cleaned. 
The universal motor is best for the 
average purchaser as it works well on 
indirect or direct current, whichever is 
supplied to you in your neighborhood. 
Nearly every cleaner employs a uni¬ 
versal motor. 
Every vacuum cleaner manufacturer 
has some point of his own that makes 
him the most delightful of talkers. 
Here are some very useful devices which 
are worthy of mention, but for the 
most part are matters foi individual 
I choice: 
j The enclosed dust bag. 
Steel motor case. 
Nickeled steel motor case. 
Aluminum motor case. 
Wheel bearings inside the nozzle. 
Wheel bearings outside the nozzle. 
Detachable nozzle. 
Air cooled motor (most motors are 
cooled by in and outgoing air). 
Dust bag on top of the handle shaft. 
Adjustment with nut for stair clean- ,i 
ing. 
Self adjustment to keep handle erect 
when released from holding (very h 
convenient). 
Automatic current cut oft. 
Extra roomy hooks for electric cord 1 
on the handle. I 
Oil cups protected from dust (should ! 
be always). 
And general attachments made as ; 
simple as possible. 
Dust bag lined and sometimes par¬ 
titioned. 
Dust bag easy to put on and take off 
with a collar to hold between the 
soles of shoes to empty without 
making dust escape. 
Automatic closing valve where dust 
bag collar comes off—to prevent 
dust flying back into motor casing. 
Rubber bumper to protect furniture. 
Requisite Qualities 
In short, the satisfactory cleaner 
must: 
1. Sweep loose the adhering dirt such 
as thread, lint, dust, particle, and brush 
up matted nap or pile to restore color 
tone. 
2. Loosen and shake to the surface 
ground-in dirt that kills rugs and car¬ 
pets, so that it can be removed. 
3. Have suction enough to carry away 
all dirt after the soft hair brush loosens 
it to make it possible. 
This is about the whole story. And 
as to the e.xpense of operation, they cost 
not even as much as an electric iron, 
and far less than the cost of extra clean¬ 
ing folk today. It is an economy, a 
comfort and a gold lined investment in 
which the interest is health, money 
saved, and fabrics preserved. Could any 
one ask for more in a sweeper? 
But don’t expect miracles. The 
vacuum cleaner needs slight pushing 
over the floor—it can't roll by itself. 
A NORTH SHORE IDYLL 
MARY JANE DANIELS 
T he casual wayfarer, passing along 
Wade Street in Ravinia, Illinois, 
sees only a space of uncleared 
woodland, overgrown with underbrush, 
that skirts a heavily thicketed ravine. 
The spirit of romance may whisper in 
his ear and urge him to follow the 
flower-carpeted path that straggles lazily 
to the road. It is a whimsical little 
trail that bends about a lusty oak, 
crosses a rustic bridge over a ravine 
where cottontails and chipmunks play 
hide-and-seek, and then, after turning, 
opens on a clearing. Here in this idyllic 
setting is Columbine Cottage, the sum¬ 
mer home of Mr. Lionel Robertson, and 
the winter home of Mr. Herman Rosse. 
As soon as one crosses the threshold 
of Columbine Cottage he lays aside his 
cares with his wraps; the spirit of a 
bygone era greets him—an era when the 
course of existence ran in a traditional 
pattern of convention and custom. The 
living room breathes the atmosphere 
of the late eighties when Pre-Raphaelit- 
ism was in its flower. Mr. Robertson, 
who is an interior decorator of wide 
reputation, and his collaborator, Mr. 
Rosse, are both disciples of William 
{Continued on page 90) 
Filet; Met 
I The most beautiful of all 
I curtains. Handmade in 
i original and exclusive de- 
I signs. 
I iLT (Dirir 
f=4UJ'P3=*irMiiEin) wmruii 
<n>23LlU>IEIK 
few York City I 
) If you prefer to do this 
i simple, interesting work 
= yourself, we will supply 
I NET BY THE YARD— 
i THREADS BY THE 
I SKEIN. (Exclusive sale 
I of threads used.) 
i Send for circular with de- 
1 signs illustrated. 
HARRIET d® R. CUTTING 
ni^’TTIEIRIIOIIS m>IE<D<C)IISATr<n>II2 
The driveway to 
Cohanbine Cot¬ 
tage leads among 
tall forest trees 
that fiieet over¬ 
head 
