midnight into a dark room--be the apartment ever so large--with nothing
but a rocker in it, and the impression may be gained that the place has
been turned into a furniture warehouse. And some persons--none of us,
to be sure!--are never happy while any of the floor or wall space is
unoccupied. So the world goes. But if nine out of ten persons bought
only what they could not do without, what they did purchase could be of
a great deal better quality.

No bit of furniture should be purchased for which there is not a
suitable place in the house. A piece may be very attractive in the
salesroom, and its practical qualities may appear irresistible, while
on our own floors it may be perfectly incongruous and perhaps, on
account of its enforced location, almost useless.

If for no other reason, we should go slow with our purchases because we
cannot know the real needs of our home until we have lived in it.
Experience will make some articles superfluous and substitute what we
had not thought to want. There should be a regular saving fund or
appropriation for keeping up the house fittings, and usually it is
found that this fund grows more steadily if we have some definite
purchases in view. Leave some things to be "saved up for"; there will
be less likelihood then of your being included in that large class to
which the newspaper "small ads" appeal--"those who wish to trade what
they don't want for what they do want."



HALL FURNITURE

In a hall of the simpler sort the only requirements are a high-backed