The new home cook book

tings can easily be kept clean by rubbing them occasionally with a cloth tied over a broom and moistened with salted water. A fur rug at the bedside is a great comfort, and needs but shaking for neatness' sake : the Japanese goatskins sell at about two dollars and a half each, either two or four making a rug, the latter six feet square. A rug at the bedside and another at the toilet stand, make a hard-floored room entirely comfortable for the occupancy of any save an invalid, for whom the number of rugs may be increased, but even a scant supply is preferable to a nailed carpet. A word of caution about mirrors: do no allow the sunlight to fall upon them, because it occasions a separation of the particles of amalgam upon the back, and gives them an inequality of surface which interferes with reflection and light. In furnishing bedrooms, generally, the lighter the material used the better for comfort and health ; light-weight furniture, light, sheer fabrics for draperies, light woollen coverings for warmth. Light, neutral colors are better for paint and upholstery, and neutral-tinted carpets or rugs that will not fade in strong light ; all these things show ordinary wear less than darker and heavier ones. In those parts of the country where soft coal is used, the question of expediency may arise. So far as my personal experience goes, and that of friends who have long been residents in the West, the dark-hued fabrics gather the obnoxious dust as quickly as lighter colored stuffs, but it is not so apparent to the eye ; to the touch it is instantly revealed, even under the most favorable circumstances. The question is whether one shall choose dark woollen and silken goods that must accumulate smoke and dust, until the semi-yearly cleaning day arrives ; or whether materials shall be used that can be washed frequently and so kept fresh, like one's personal clothing. In the furnishing of bedrooms, a capable housewife, who has strength and some artistic taste, can economize, and at the same time beautify her home, by purchasing unpainted furniture at the factory, or through some dealer, and finishing it at home in any chosen color, or with ebony varnish. The paint-shops sell a glossy mixture of paint called china-finish, which can be applied to hard, well-seasoned wood, which has first been tinted as desired. Light hues, with darker lines of the same color, or panels outlined with gold paint, produce good effects when harmonizing with rugs and draperies. Ebony finishes well with brass, which can be bought in great variety at the house-furnishing and cabinet-makers* shops. Rooms fitted up in this way, with bright-colored chintz draperies and homemade rugs, are really beautiful, besides being monuments to the designer's good taste and ingenuity. If not in too great haste to furnish at first, such a housekeeper may indeed become the homemaker, and every part of her habitation show her culture and ability. HOUSEHOLD ORNAMENTS. But little has been said about pictures and ornaments in any room, because their selection depends entirely upon the owner's taste as regulated by the amount available for such indulgences. As for artistic things, oriental china, bronzes, and bric-a-brac in general, the length of one's purse is the only possible condition ;