THE FAVOURITE ROOM.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 130, 25 February 1908, Page 3

THE FAVOURITE ROOM.

; iblosfc',liqu ; .pretension: have- a,:.fayQurite^'roo'm ; . /•- Popularity' is. its; distirij^shing'.'featu're;.' _ ! Sit need neither ,be the'/smariest;Uior'v'fh;o : . laTg'est;,nor.. tho 'best : furnished, '/possessed'' of; attractions . tlfat .afe;;entirely-:ihdepentl'ent\of ; the,'painter or'Upholsttrer.'V ,\Tho,bui]dcr may/ have had .»;say'l'in-%,hi^6v6ri''-aMHhp,arcmt^.-'" ;Itiis:,'much-'easier.;to; describe;the "far-, ourito".;room .negatively^than positively,- but tho' Wlrolo gcn'uSihav'e one 'niarkecl peculiarity —they .-grow 'into'-what "they " are of. tliem- ' selvesviif.-i-tyd;,;ono; wars. over sp : clever:''as. t-o 111 a fro a favourite roijm by trying , to'do so., The thing, is impossible.... Favourito. rooms become 'what they their own accord. , : Vfcry often'th'ey ? begfu-^iSt^-humbly, that is,,.they rise, in life,;like-.-soldiers .from; the •■;nearly.Jalwax« -tie'samf.origin-": jlti^as^once' ,: the schoolroom, and-erids merit sacred-to toffeeriiiakihg ,by tho' heroine ■ and her brothers and sisters,, but .in real lifo superannua^^'schoolrSbms are'.?generally, refurnished arid turned into; smart boudoirs' or' extra bedrcoiwfor the growing-up .family .■ Schoolrooms ' are % established mostly.': ,in'\-a. dull.part'of the house, where' there is no view; to distract attention, whereas'the favourite, room is never known to have a gloomy aspect., -v;-. i'-'i: ; Perhaps' the. best .way to explain'what we mean by. "tho.favourite roorii'', will be 'to'-re-call . somo ! df those expericnco has sho-jvn'us.' : Ono such . of old had-been-a night, nursery Its windows looked south and'cast. It had a corner .fireplace: and a handy cupboard that in its nursery 'days -iised to have flatirons hanging up. in- it- and mysterious bags, that held odds and ends of calicoes—rag-bag v/as.its correct appellation, if .tho writer mistakes, not. . But, in its-later. days tho cupboard was unrivalled for 'holding books and , photographic ' slides 'and half-finished, pieces of .needlework. r ■-However .full/ there always seemed to be room'for more; never was such a cupboard _ The room had a sofa, of courso, and a sew-ing-machine! arid'a sqnaro table.' It also had a small' chandelier (how such a thing could, have,got there I could never imagine), and it . ; was:very,easily, warmed and lighted. It : was also a good long way off any of the other sitting-r00m5.,.; .Still,f.'p'hen all these .things are said, it remains l - a ' mystery, - why this, room was such.a -fayourite, . but ,so itwa3. Ball .'frocks-- for' .the'-ypuiig .Ja'dios' - were "run np in it, pnd alivays came out successful; stMents-fpr: thd._stiffest\ examinations "read n P,-in..'it'and;-iiever. failed: to, pass.', In; short, the room .was .as.comfortable -as it could be, and.;good -luck; apptared' to- cling to any of those, who.took it into their heads ,to use it.; Ijl-some houses .- it: is , tlip. custom to ..put ono room aside for nondescript i.uses, 'andthis ..often, ..turns out . to bo tho favourite. Ihis- apartment-.,wi11,. neither bo- library, .nor breakfast-room nor, :smoking-room. nor,': boudoir, 'but partakes, of tho nature of any of them. It is furnished with :ho other aim than, that ..of comfor,t;_the musical will have a piano in it, tho • studious any number of books and bookshelves: chairs will bo large ~?d,.?UMiony, and it: rwill /have: a capacious Chesterfield couch, several writing-tables, of course, and nothing like niggardliness as regards lamps arid windows; 1 ''Tho' "favourite" room ,is invariably: light and 'as jlleasant to' ,®. lu during winter as during summer. Anyqno: may .^mdlce'in'it who'likes. • I have Known of more than one house where there r.a> nirai .a: room as this, and. so attractive is ,it round that ..alb,other living-rooms. aro 5? /i 0r 'I* > M. 0 drawing-room, seems .too Btilr, and.tho smoking-room-too dingy. Sometimes ,it is called tho. library and sometimes tho, morning-room; no r matter what tho name may -bo,,- it. i- tho .- favourite. ' Some largo . hayo the . good- sense ~t.O; uso tho biggest room of a houso. in this.-way, and are eontent.tp.put .ppwith a" smaller one for society-purposes, recoiving bailers,-and so on. ■ .°\ ,^! m S'.rapjn,v,is for intimates. . ' '• ■' -. •• —"Tlio Queen." ,^ o^.- ® r ' l rider Matthews, 111 a lecture qn theatrica conventions, told' the following P SjrjJikd'.'dramatised a. pofa pillow-mto a horse, andihad ridden on it!to her, : mother s, . knee..' '.'Horsy : is '.thirsty, mamma, she said. .Tho mother brought a glass pf j water, .:but 'the little one carefully emptied -it into' a; jardiniere .before offering tne glass to her pillow. '.-A pertended horso ought to .drink 'pertended. Water,' ,sho remarked,^avely.^—;"Harper's Weekly'.'.' Mrs.;;, Eddy h<t& given: a million dollars' to : endow in a ,school of free , instruction for indigent' healers who are' to apply her principles,to- the needs of' others, ■ under the direction of'tile Christian Science organisation. ■ - . ; . An ordinance forbidding women to smoko in cafes,, restaurants, or other places of pub-' lie entertainment lias been introduced in-tho New York Board of Aldermen by Councilman Sullivan. , lt-was referred to a comriiitteo, and will havo a public hearing. It provides for .Co fine and 10 days' imprisonment for cafe proprietors, etc., who permit women.to use tobacco' in their establishments. .The action:.'of a Fifth: Avenue cafe in allowing women to'.smoke: on Ne\y Year's; Eve is,given as the cause of the, resolution. Smoking is a bad; habit,, and it is a pity when, women indulge,-in, it.;' but .on what possible .print ciple of fair play can it be permitted >to men and denied to women?.