Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Today for our trip back over one hundred years we are adjured to get plenty of sunshine; and of course, homes should be kept attractive.
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No article of furniture should be put in a room that will not stand sunlight, for every room in a dwelling should have the windows so arranged that some time during the day a flood of sunlight will force itself into the apartments. The importance of admitting the light of the sun freely to all parts of our dwellings cannot be too highly estimated. Indeed, perfect health is nearly as much dependent on pure sunlight as it is on pure air. Sunlight should never be excluded except when so bright as to be uncomfortable to the eyes. And walks should be in bright sunlight, so that the eyes are protected by veil or parasol when inconveniently intense. A sun-bath is of more importance in preserving a healthful condition of the body than is generally understood.
A sun-bath costs nothing, and that is a misfortune for people are deluded with the idea that those things only can be good or useful which cost money. But remember that pure water, fresh air and sunlit homes kept free from dampness, will secure you from many heavy bills of the doctors and give you health and vigor, which no money can procure. It is a well established fact that people who live much in the sun are usually stronger and more healthy than those whose occupations deprive them of sunlight. And certainly there is nothing strange in the result, since the same law applies with nearly equal force to every animate thing in nature. it is quite easy to arrange an isolated dwelling so that every room may be flooded with sunlight some time in the day, and it is possible many town houses could be so built as to admit more light than they now receive.
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Handsome furniture will not, unaided, make rooms cheerful. The charm of a cosy home rests principally with its mistress. If she is fortunate enough to have sunny rooms, her task is half done. In apartments (rooms) into which the sun never shines recourse must be had to various devices to make up, so far as may be, for this grave lack. A sunless room should have bright and joyous color in its furnishings. The walls should be warmly tinted, the curtains give a roseate glow to the light that passes through them. An open fire may diffuse the sunshine but lately imprisoned in oak and hickory, or ages ago locked up in anthracite. Ferneries and shade-loving plants may contribute their gentle cheer to the room and suggest quite (sic) forest nooks. An attractive room need not be too orderly. A book left lying on the table, a bit of needle-work on the window-sill, an open piano, may indicate the tastes and occupations of the inmates, without suggesting that there is not a place for everything in that room. There is such a thing as being too neat and nice to take comfort in everyday life, and this is anything but cheerful. And then there is such a thing as being so disorderly and negligent that comfort and cheer are impossible. If the house-mother cannot rest while there is a fingermark on the paint or a spot on the window panes, she may make a neat room, but her splint will keep it from every being cheerful. if she has not care for the "looks of things" her failure will be equally sure. A bird singing in the window an aquarium on the table in some corner, plants growing and blooming, domestic pets moving about as if at home, these give life and brightness to an apartment, and afford constant opportunities for the pleasantest occupation and companionship. Books people a room, and pictures on the walls, if selected with taste, are ever fresh sources of enjoyment. You may gauge the refinement and civilization of a family by these infallible tests, unless they have been selected by some outsider. Bits of embroidery, of scroll-work, and a thousand tasteful devices may contribute to the charm of a room and make it irresistibly attractive.
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Tomorrow we will get personal and learn "how to be handsome."
11/19/13
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