AN "IDEAL HOME" EXHIBITION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2857, 16 December 1908, Page 81

AN "IDEAL HOME" EXHIBITION.

By Maorilandj

(For the Witness.) j An English newspaper has just evolved an idea that ought to have originated in America. It has oij^anised, at considerable «osi.. an exposition to ?how exactly wliat p. perfect borne should be, and, curiously enough, the houses shown therein have been, so far as the outer eye can see. almost duplicates of the great majority of American homes. Decoration and equipment are typically American. Tlie exposition is known as the "Ideal Home Exhibition." and the exhibits are marvellously complete. Prizes have be=en offered foi everything connected with the home, from the actual building of it to. the making of jam and tbe care of children, to the rearing of chickens, to say nothirtg of tbe execution of the various handicrafts that mi^ht be, and often are, carriec' on in these modern homes of ours. The awards necessarily vary greatly in value, and range from a few hundred dollars to gold, silver, and bronze medals. There aye two distinct branches to the exhibition. The ground floor is [given over entire!) to inventions and installations for mating homes more perfect aaid less difficult to manage. Also to the showing of model houses. Xothing is too large to find admission, nothing too trivial to 1 be judged unimportant if it can lessen household drudgery. For instance, in tbe section devoted to health tbeTe is an entire pavilion-like cottage to illustrate how those with consumptive tendencies should be treated. It is, a beautiful little thing, built on piles, with a verandah running round the four sides. There are nurses in attendance in some sections, (giving practical illustrations of the best method of attending to invalids — even to the bathing of life-sized models. A creche is also in active operation, wherein are a dozen : babies (hired at the iate of 10s 6d a week) submitting to scientific treatment in order , that anxious mothers may feel more free tc ply the skilled attendants with questions concerning hygiene. It is hoped that j this may do something towards lessening ] infant mortality. i

Cooking is another section to which considerable space is devoted. Every kind of stove, j>ot, and pan known to civilised woman, and many undreamed of, is he r e on view and in actual use. There are | &team cookers that cook half a dozen thing? at once on a single ring of gas; there are breakfast warmers, incubators, and heaters of all kinds and of every imaginable medium. If you do not want tc buy the cookers, you may perhaps be interested in the tabloid food*. Here, so they swear, are tiny inch square packets containing the strength of an ox. And here, too, you may &ec cakes and <Je?serts of wondrous flavour emerge, as by a miracle, when certain mysterious white and coloured powders are jjouied into milk or water, as the case m,iv be. It is as if a conjuring trick were performed before your eyes. Of course, there are row? on rows of canned 'and bottled goo-ds. as well as jellies and soups. White-capped cooks are in attendance manufacturing pies and creams with such ease that the veriest tyro feels able to go and do likewise.. Then come demonstrations of every known- method of decoration and cleanliness. For instance, there are girls hanging curtains in a particularly artistic manner ; neaT by is a stall for the sale of pins to enable you to copy the design. Th-en there comes a wonderful windowcleaning apparatus, that a child could work with one hand while it nursed its doll with the other; polishing outfit* for boots that leduce the labour by half; patent devices for cleaning 1 knives and the pion^s of forks with ease and lightning speed : to say nothing of cinder lifters of aiti.'-tiL design, with covers to prevent the du-t escaping— you could almost sift your cindei-- i\hi!e you talk to your guests. In fact, such sirie? of practical patents are on \ lew tint \ou fee' an hour a day .should suffice to keep a house in perfect order could one be obtained large enough to ar^ommrxlato the pa f ent=' Even fires should lo&e their terror for the hou'e■wife, foi Here v, ondrous Ji^ht-ers are dipplayed, and "ten fires without trouble" aie yours for the modest sum of sixpence. In jet another section is a beautifully laid J out garden, with lawns, and ban'k'n of j cliry-anthemuin.s dividing off kitchen gardeirs. and artistic farmyards, wherein chickens are just emerging from their i sheila .md bees are hard at york manufarUninc; honey. In one corner is a miniature erf hard showing dwarf apple trees i bearing heavy crop c .

Perhaps the ujj'-ta'rs section is the most interesting from tlie aiti.-tic point of yew. Hj'ie is tli.e palm lounge, to cay nothing of tlie lunch countei>; an'l a splendid \ie\r can be obtained of the gay fiacr-de<_l-"pcl hall below fiom any of the com"ortable e3»y chains «-uti (Minding tho oiche-itra. It i«- lioie. too, that the handi- < rafts are <:Usp!a\-ed •with a special view to « ncoiirajin(i home-nnkers to employ tlit-ir leisure hours either to perfoct themselves in .'onie art for art's fake, or to ihou fcUem hovr to make money by the

. exercise of their talents without disruption . of the home. And foefe are the women who do it to give practical illustration of . their "methods. Some are embroidering, som©- painting-; one badjjgtet -Jksgipleted ; a magnince«fc-~pair of .fflßßSDiisi^£=CßP?taici^ across \rh«:h traikd a-j^garS'oK^^Rrn:"^ . chrysanth^fiiustts., Ot-hj§^^^3SCß^^iing^ some are 'weavTiig^a^SiSarc'-ftt^^n^ig; the nouveair.- aiHtr.^je'qF^e^S^' ; *o ; tfc^fr r:: S¥e : shaping baskiefcsrft",Th^Tß&efendcal scfooofc, too. are well repres^frjbed^ Chiei. .among the stalls in^ poißt_-}^H^*>action"is""that of the pewt«r-Jvorker^E^l3ond©n.'« .latest craze; and. indeed,^iße^sKicles fhey .iron, out are loveljy Thefß^.aa^B,^iuirming pewt«r_ tea-caddies" of _<jiiaiHt ;d*^4*» sffixbied small- headed ' "c«aar-lin»ea > , "pevdercovered cigarette boxes anct beaten pitchers ; even pewter trays so Captivating that they" open the ,pufe^' ;to- the most close-fisted. Not fardistaat is-ibe iceramil exhibit, but this falls' far snort of what would be displayed in the, Sfetes, as the j art is comparatively rare in, England. I Near by aTe the pictures, carvings, fret1 "work, bookbinding, and exquisitely worked Tobes both for child-ren and adults. In very truth there hardly seems a branch of work that has not been touched upon, and in th« majority of cases women are the chief exhibitors. The opening of the «hxm was, of course, a. grand xffair. The Lord Mayor of London attended in state, together with several score of fhe patrons «&d patron- • esses, " among whom, were some of the highest names in England, as well as a larjge numbe of titled Americans. But tlie Lord Mayor and his escort was the biggest part of the show. They wore scarlet robes and powdered wigs, hats of weird shapes, and velvet and sable stoles, to say nothing of medals and chains. • Of course, the Mayor aimself was preceded by a stately functionary carrying a huge silver orb of office. His business was to declare the show open, join in tlie opening stanza of "There's no place like' home," parade round the hall and make , purchases, eat the luncheon prepared for •him by the originators of the entertainment, and appear to take an interest in the biggest prize competition — the deciding of bow an ideal home should be equipped. i Competitors were obliged to take one of ! the bomres shown in tbe architectural, side ' of the display, and famish it from baseI nient to garret with articles shown in the exhibition. The first prize foi the- most perfectly equipped home was 500dol. This, ! added to the natural interest in such a j subject, brought forth an army of com.- < petitors.