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R URAL H O ME S;
OR
SKETCHES OF HOUSES
SUITED TO
AMERICAN COUNTRY LIFE,
WITH
ORIGINAL PLANS, DESIGNS, &c.
BY
GER VASE WHEELER,
NEW YORK:
CHARLES SCRIBNER, 145 NASSAU STREET.
1851.




Entered.according to Act of Congiress in the year 1851, by
CHARLES SCR I BNER,
In the Clerk's Office of tlhe District Court of the United States for the Southern
X)istrict of New York.
C. W. BE NED ICT,
STEREOTYPER  AND  PRINTER,
201. William Street.




PREFACE.
To THE READERIN the pages I respectfully offer for perusal, I would have
you look for no very new or critical remarks, or learned and
technical disquisitions. Of course it may be presumed that,
in studying the profession of an architect, I have, to the extent
of my ability, mastered the elementary rudiments, technicalities,
and theories of the science; and, although  I might show;earning in discoursing of the nice distinctions between this and
that school of ancient art, and quote Latin and Greek in support
of my own peculiar tenets, I should'very little interest you,
and do nothing towards supplying your want of a plan for your
house.
I therefore modestly present a few notes of things that in
the course of a varied architectural practice have come before
me, and which have left certain conclusions impressed upon my
mind.  In this, I claim no title to originality; others, long ere
now, have written useful and learned- books about houses, and




PREFACE.
how to build them; this, however, I do claim-an intention
of directing  the thoughts of all interested in country-life,
to the embodiment of a fixed principle in rural architecture.
Heretofore, too generally, country houses have either been
on a stereotyped plan, or have shown an unmeaning whimsicality: the true way is, to make the building exactly what
its parts, uses, material, and extent require-ornamental or
plain as you will-but every portion suggestive of a meaning
and a use.
Perhaps this is more easy to direct than to do; the designs
presently following will best show how far in my case the
attempt has been successful. I can only urge that they have at
least the merit of study; and every plan-the practical value
of either having been tested by erection, or of having been
reduced from drawings as elaborately drawn out as if for actual
use by some cautious and very particular builder.
The contents of the book itself will be found to be but short,
simple, and comprehensive directions to all desirous of building
-embracing every variety of home usually needed.  It commences with the first foot tread upon the spot chosen for the
house; details the considerations that should weigh in selecting
the site-gives models of buildings, differing in character, extent,
and cost, and suited to particular localities, and to circumstances,
fully enlarged upon-shows how to harmonize the building with
the surrounding scenery, and to reconcile economical expediture




PREFACE.
with truest refinement of taste —teaches how healthfully to
warm  and ventilate-assists  in selecting furniture, and the
innum'erable articles of utility and ornament used in constructing
and finishing-with remarks upon the adjuncts to a house-its
entrance lodge, and its numerous out-buildiings. It concludes
with final practical directions to building amateurs, giving a
few useful hints as to drawing up written descriptions, specifications, and contracts.
In conclusion, I would say that, in the hope of infusing
something of its spirit therein, I have mentally headed every
page with a sentence suggested as a matin and even song to
every architect and amateur —Mr. Ruskin's great maxim, " Until
common sense finds its way into architecture, there can be but
little hope for it."
G. W.
NORWICHTOWN, CT.








CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
THE EXCELLENCIES OF A IIOUSE-CHOICE OF A SITE,.  11
CHAPTER II.
GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF A HOUSE UPON THE GROUNDDISTRIBUTION OF ITS APARTMENTS,..... 19
CHAPTER III.
SELECTION OF MATERIALS-1OW SUITED TO PARTICULAR
STYLES,.......      27
CHAPTER IV.
HEALTH IN A.HOME;-AS DEPENDENT UPON VENTILATION,
AND ON MEANS OF OBTAINING ARTIFICIAL HEAT,.. 4




Viii                  CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
PAGE
HOW TO BUILD TO SUIT TIIE LANDSCAPE -EXAMPLES OF
RURAL HOMES,........ 56
CHAPTER VI.
ACCOMMODATION SUITED TO A SIIORT SUMIMER RESIDENCE IN
THE COUNTRY —THE SUMMER LODGE,....  78
CHAPTER VII.
THE HOMESTEAD,.                                   91
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SUBURBAN VILLA,.                             109
CHAPTER IX.
THE PARSONAGE HOUSE,....... 125
CHAPTER X.
SOUTHERN HOMES,......... 132
CHAPTER XI.
COTTAGES,..........   145




CONTENTS.                  iX
CHAPTER XII.
PAGE
MEANS OF ARTIFICIALLY WARMING-HOT-WATER APPARATUS
-THE BATHING-ROOM,....... 172
CHAPTER XIII.
SUMMER FURNITURE-CANE-WORK —ENAMELED WARE,.    190
CHAPTER XIV.
ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE-THE ENTRANCE LODGE-OUTBUILDINGS,..........    216
CHAPTER XV.
PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS BEFORE PROCEEDING
TO BUILD-FORM FOR A SIMPLE CONTRACT AND SPECIFICATION FOR THOSE ACTING AS "TIIEIR OWN ARCHITECT,". 238
CIEAPTER XVI.
RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART-ITS INFLUENCE ON
THE MIND, HEART, AND SOCIAL VIRTUES-WHAT AN AMERICAN-VILLAGE MIGHT BE-CONCLUSION,.... 263








RURAL HOMES.
CHAPTER I.
THE EXCELLENCIES OF A IIOUSE-CHOICE OF A SITE.
ALL who build, desire to build well; if cheaply, -still, to
the best of their knowledge and ability,-they desire to build
well.
Unfortunately, however, there are very few who understand
in what the excellencies of a house consist; nor in the effort to
construct a house, do their ideas at the highest soar above a
point somewhat beyond what their last building neighbor has
achieved. By the help of monthly periodical, or other reading,
they have arrived at the conclusion that better professional aid
can be obtained than the skill of the village carpenter, and so
they instruct some architect to prepare plans; not, however,
until wearied in the endeavor to concoct such for themiselves.
In directing him, their minds are generally so obstinately settled
upon some rudely-digested but pet plan, that the professional
adviser is obliged to defer to the opinions of his employer, and
patch up something by way of a compromise between what his
judgment would approve, and what his client insists upon; or




12                     RURAL HOMES.
else risk the withdrawal of his commission-and this, as archi-.
tects must live, he is not desirous to do.
At length, some plan for the internal arrangement of the
house and the character of the exterior settled upon, the drawings
and working directions for the mechanics provided, and the
building is fairly commenced.  It is then, and as the structure
gradually developes itself, the gentleman begins to wish he had
given the subject closer attention before; for even he can see
what improvements might have been made, and how much better
it might all have been. At this stage of proceedings he probably
blames his architect, forgetting that his own obstinacy denied
his adviser a voice, when it could have spoken to advantage.  Finally the building is completed, to the but cold satisfaction of its owner, who is only glad to get so much trouble off
his hands, and to the relief of the architect, whose professional
pride (if he have any) and personal feelings (if he can afford the
luxury) have been perpetually jarred upon and mortified, from
the first pencil-stroke upon paper, to the last nail driven home
in the finished building.
Now, all this might be changed, if the public would themselves seek information on the principles that should guide them
in the selection of a plan upon which to build. A man builds
generally for a lifetime, not to gratify the whim of a moment.
" Build in haste, repent at leisure," is a maxim of which many
ere this have found the truth; nor is the character of a house so
much a matter of mere taste as many assert; the planning of a
building requires calculation, science, experience, as I dare say
all have found who have endeavored to reduce their fanciful
ideas into tangible form upon paper. It is not necessary every
one should re'oeive the education of an architect, but it is neces



CHOICE OF A SITE.                  13
sary every one should know something of the elementary principles of the architect's noble art, not, it may be, of its technicalities,
or the differences, or history of its various styles and epochs, but
something of the excellencies he would incorporate in his contemplated dwelling.
So much by way of introduction. Now, dear readers, I will
plunge at once into the subject that I have to grapple, and
begin by drawing a distinctiori between houses and homes.
Houses may tell very well in advertisements, and speculating
builders know to make them look sweetly pretty upon paper;
but, dear friends, take care that you thoroughly satisfy yourselves
that you can make them homes, before you commit yourselves
to a choice you may afterwards repent.
The excellencies of a home may be briefly stated thus:
CONVENIENT ARRANGEMENT.
FACILITY OF CONSTRUCTION AND OF REPAIR.
PERFECT PROTECTION FROM HEAT AND COLD.
ADEQUATE MEANS OF WARMING AND VENTILATING.
CONGRUITY WITH THE SCENERY AROUND.
In these may be summed up all that has to be studied in the
contriving and the building of a house. To discuss with advantage the several points that present themselves under each head,
I will suppose a friend about to commence the initiatory steps
towards erecting himself a home, and- so will first say a few words
about selection of the site.
Think more than once, before selecting too large a tract of
ground.  Space is desirable, undoubtedly; but a ramble in
country lanes, and in woods skirting your place, is as pleasant
as if in your own grounds, and enjoyed at a far cheaper rate.




14                      RURAL HOMES.
If you really, soberly understand farming, and wish to devote
your time and attention to agricultural pursuits,.well and good;
purchase, then, just so much land as you feel you can control;
or if you have wealth enough to permit you to play at farming,
and to raise potatoes at four dollars a barrel, when you can send
to the city and buy them at three, and to cultivate other charming
crops at a like scale of expense, get as many broad acres as you
have a mind to; but for the particular spot where you mean to
place your house, choose as follows:
Rather prefer a quiet, smiling, little nook, with a rolling surface of natural grassy slopes, tenderly shaded with many trees,
than a rocky, bare, quasi-picturesque territory.
Notice particularly how you are sheltered, by hills around,
firom the quarter whence cometh the wintry wind, and so prefer
rather the gentle slope of a long hill to its summit. Many will
tell you, it is true, of the "fine views" you may enjoy from
thence; but distant prospect is monotonous-I repeat monotonous, though, in so saying, I hazard the infliction of the title
barbarian.   Saving some certainly beautiful effects of aerial
chiaro-scuro, which lighten and quench the gray of the mountain, the view varies but little, however extensive may be the
panorama.
It is the foreground-the familiar objects near the eye that
are varying ever-change of leaf, growth of twig upon twigbudding and fading of flower-constant shifting of the margin of
the near winding brook, that male a coup d'oeil that is never
monotonous, for the relation and the aspect of each atom are perpetually varying.
Apart from  these artistic reasons, there are others of very




THE SITE.                      15
simple and matter-of-fact character, that would lead to the preference I advise.
On the summit of the hill, water is difficult to be obtained
without great expense; on the side it may be found in abundance.
On the summit, stone, and sand, and timber have all to be slowly
and painfully hauled from below; on the side, perhaps, all of
the materials may be almost at hand, and, at any rate, are more
easily reached.
There are some beautiful places (I have one now in my
memory), where, with ravine, and waterfall, and forest trees, and
evergreen groves, below and on either side, the most eligible
spot.for the house seems to be on a large extent of level tableland, that without being on the summit of a hill is yet elevated
above the surrounding surfaces. In such a case, carefully avoid
so placing the building as that it appears to stand alone, unsupported by stately trees or rising hills in the midst. Nothing can
look more bare and un-home-like than an edifice so situated; if
there are positively no trees near, and you have, after careful
pondering over every foot of ground about your place, been
forced to the determination to build your house on such an open
space, all that can be done is, to surround your dwelling as much
as may be with architectural shade, and to give it base upon the
ground by spreading its verandahs, porch, and ombra widely on
either side, trusting to the growth of the young trees you have
liberally scattered around, and to the success of your efforts at
removal and transplanting of larger trees from elsewhere, to provide a natural shade that will relieve the bareness of the building
and give its outlines connection with the landscape.
Again, there are often situations in which you have to climb
some craggy peak and perch your building upon its very summit,




16                    RURAL HOMES.
where it is difficult to determine the character of the parasitical
house that would be appropriate, but as this is not a case of frequent occurrence, and as future chapters will treat of this class
of house in detail, I will dismiss its consideration, and return to
sites more usually adopted.
Say, then, you have selected a few acres of land, prettily
wooded, and on or near a good country road, and you have
stuck a peg into the earth as the spot where your house is to be;
you have been moved by the arguments I have used, and have
wisely determined to make the summit of the hill only a barrier
to guard you from wind and cold, taking your place for building
at an humbler elevation-to which determination you have been
perhaps assisted in coming by some one's applying, to those who
perch themselves on a mountain's peak,
" Their pleasure greatest seems, I ween,
In viewing landscape-to be seen."
The stake that marks the spot where your house is destined
to stand, has been driven, of coluse, after due deliberation; you
have probably had some idea of about the kind of house you
intend erecting, and have pictured to yourself how the window
of your library will peep upon yon pretty sunny dell, and the
curl of the stream you have the good fortune to possess running
through your place; a stately tree is not far off, and you think
how, on a bright day, you will step out from your window upon
the grassy slope, and stretch yourself beneath its limbs, and build
castles in the air, no less substantial than those we are fabricating
now. You cast your eye to an opening in the belt of trees that
skirt the side of your grounds nearest the road, and you see at
once how your carriage drive will wind through there, and bring




THE SITE.                      17
you to the level flat, that you have at once decided shall be
before your door. You see that there is a plentiful growth of
trees towards the north and north-east, so plentiful as to allow of
your cutting its margin back a little; for, you remember to have
been told, trees on the north side of the house must not be too
near, or they will harbor damp; they must be only near enough
to screen the wind.
The same trees, too, will hide your kitchen offices and humbler
buildings firom view in approaching the entrance fiont of your
house; and still walking on and admiring the many pretty vistas
that open upon you as you change the point of sight, you
mentally resolve that in such a room you will have a projecting
window looking three ways, that shall command views as varied
as they are pleasant.
You delight in finding that the level flat on which the house
shall stand, is large enough to permit glorious verandas on the
west, and on the south a spacious ombra or shade room (for the
coining of which long wanted word, I claim a patency), and which
(see Frontispiece) open to every breeze that blows, and roofed
over at the top, will make you a charming place for a siesta in
the afternoon, when the summer sun is looking a little too
curiously upon the exposed sides of your dwelling.
Of course you have noticed that the spot is abundantly supplied with good water.  Perhaps you have found some plentiful
spring in the hill-side above you, the superior level of which will
permit the luxury of water carried to every part of your house,
bed-rooms, bathing-rooms, etc., and that, too, clear, fresh, spring
water, and not stagnant roof-wash in a cistern; or some engineering friend has shown you how, from your never-failing brook
below, a hydraulic ram will, at an expense of a hundred and




18                    RURAL HOMES.
twenty dollars, convey its liquid treasures up to your door, and
into all your rooms; and you think of the pleasant splashing of
a little fountain in your plant cabinet or ombra, until you can
almost hear the tinkle of the drops as they patter in the vase
brimming over with its sparkling contents.'You are not going to " lay out your grounds," as it is called
-at least, not yet; you think nature has done very well so far,
and that all you will venture upon at present is to assist her;
and so you devise how a parterre there, and a clump of shrubs
here, and a little cleaning of the ground generally, and a week's
labor in clearing out the too luxuriant growth of under-brush inyour woods, will do all you care to do at present. So all you
undertake just yet, by way of preparation, is to mark out the line
for your carriage drive, and to have the stones you collect off
your grounds thrown thereon, and to have the earth turned up
and well dressed, that you destine for your flower-garden and
lawn-meaning, after the latter is m.ade, to let a few sheep be
your gardeners, knowing that the expense of an invisible wire
fence will be far less than the maintenance of a man to mow and
keep in order, and that your sheep will pay for themselves.
The fruit and vegetable garden, with a small, sheltered patch
for herbs, you place near the kitchen and servants' offices, and
are not very anxious they should be in sight; for, horticulturize
it as you will, a row of bare bean-poles is not a very sightly object
from a window.
You have now turned over all these things in your mind, and
are ready to hear something more about the house; so at this
point I will close this chapter, for I can scarcely go further in my
capacity of architect, or I shall have the landscape gardener step
in and say I am trenching on his ground.




CHAPTER II.
GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF A HOUSE UPON THE GROUNDDISTRIBUTION OF ITS APARTMENTS.
THE planning of a house comprises, not only the arrangement
of its rooms and offices, but the occupation also of the ground
upon which it is to stand. Hence, a plan may be very well
arranged in itself, so far as the convenience of rooms, passages,
stairways, and domestic accommodations is concerned, and yet
be ill adapted for erection upon a particular spot.
Thus, many books that give illustrated descriptions of villas
and cottages sadly fail, when a reader endeavors to practically
carry out any one of the designs they contain. He finds, however suitable it may appear at first sight, yet, when his ground
comes to be fairly mapped before him, and he pencils his plan
thereon; or, when better still, he goes upon the ground itself
and pins out the outlines of his house, he generally has to abandon and change so much of the design in the book, as to involve
the trouble of beginning almost de novo, as, in fact, it would
prove ultimately more satisfactory if he did.
The designs that illustrate this book are not offered for actual
embodiment and execution. They are merely given as models




20                     RURAL HOMES.
of what, under certain circumstances explained in detail, would
afford good studies for those about building. So far only as the
exigencies of the case in point are met by the examples herein
contained would I counsel their adoption —no farther.  There
probably will be many hints and fragments of detail that can
profitably be employed by those who may be about to construct
a home; but I do not desire any of the plans to be considered
as patent medicines suited to every disorder.
It is scarcely possible to do justice in designing a house, without study upon the spot where it is to stand.  A carefully prepared map even, is not sufficient, so many considerations affecting
the composition of a plan, which it is impossible a map should
fully present.
Not merely the style and general character of a house are influenced by the contour and aspect of features in the landscape
around, but its outlines on the ground, its arrangement in masses,
equally are subject to the same laws that would direct the form
of its exterior. So that it is almost impossible to find a design
which, perfectly suited to one spot, shall, in every respect, be entirely appropriate in another.
The first thing to be done upon the ground towards planning a
house, is to secure it a good aspect.
In England, it is very common to face the building, not due
north and south, east and west, but to place it diagonally, so that
the sun shall, in a greater or less degree, have access to each side
of the house. This plan has advantages, which recommend its
adoption in soime cases here.
Although the southern side of the house has, in warm weather,
the sun upon its front for a longer portion of the day than any
other, it is nevertheless the most desirable for occupancy. A




GENERAL ARRANGEMENT.                   21
breeze almost always, even in hottest sunshine, rustles from  the
south, and the even, steady light, although bright and accompanlied with heat, is cheerful. Properly contrived blinds will
screen the sun, and due regard to the position of doors, windows,
and ventilating valves, will'secure a constant change of air within
the rooms.
As a general rule, the entrance hall should not open towards
the north, but towards the east, south, or west; if, however, any
local peculiarity obliges the necessity of the northern side being
chosen, take care that the hall door is screened by a porch, closed
towards the north, and open through on the two sides, as then
though the door be thrown back, the entrance of the cold'air will
be prevented.  A. carriage porch might easily be so arranged,
the northern side filled in, and the eastern and western open
with a broad ar'ch-affording space enough for a carriage to be
driven through, and allowing the travellers to alight under cover,
and screened in winter from the nipping wind.
The kitchen and domestic offices may jut out towards the
north, and stretching towards the belt of trees and shrubs the
previous chapter described as screening the northern exposure,
would leave the'more desirable points of the compass for the
main building.
If your destined home-life is going to be that of one at leisure,
or a seeker of rest and refined and refining ease, you will probably desire your choice room  to be a sort of snuggery, halflibrary, half-saloon, but wholly comfortable.
And so you take a sunny southern aspect for its one side; and
if your room be very large, you divide its unity somewhat by a
bay-window at one end, probably the eastern; In this, when the
noonday blaze is pouring on your exposed side, you may sit




22                    RURAL HOMES.
ensconced, and read quietly with untroubled eye in the shade of
its recess. Or you only occupy one outer wvall-the southern —
as a side to your room, shading that by a widely extended
veranda, or an ombra, as represented in the fiontispiece; thus
having always perfect seclusion, with a cool and shady retreat, at
the hottest portion of the day.
Your next thought will be of your dining-room, touching the
aspect and position of which I have a few words to say.
If you are going to be an early-feeding, unsitting-after-late
dinner family, let the room look east, and for this reason. In the
middle of the day, when you sit down to table, a room darkened
to exclude the sun, is both inconvenient and uncomfortable for
purposes that, like carving, demand a steady light. By noon
the sun will be off the eastern side, so you may dine in comfort,
without interposing a blind as a barrier between your table and
his scrutinizing glance.
If, however, you make the late afternoon or early evening meal
the principal event of the day, a room with an end looking west
through a bay in which the golden, glowing light may stream
cheerfully in, richly touching up the crystal and the china upon
your table, and adding another depth of mellow beauty to your
apricot and peach, will, I think, be more pleasant; and so the
question, touching, as I conceive it to do, upon these two
points, I will leave, if you please, open for your consideration.
You, of course, will provide a little gem of a room-if octagonal,
or oval, or quaintly cornered, so much the better-for the lady
of the house; and whether boudoir, book-room, or work-room, as
its fair presiding deity may determine, let it have the sunniest
aspect, the most charming prospect you can give it; for there
will the taste that can best enjoy the enjoyable-in outer view



DISTRIBUTION OF ROOMS.                   23
and inner elegance, mostly congregate.  Place it south or southwest, opening into a plant cabinet or an ombra, not, I think,
directly leading on to the main piazza, or its sweet seclusion
would be marred; but yet in reach of all the agreeable adjuncts
to the house which you have been able to attain.
The room  answering to the saloon, drawing-room, or best
parlor, is difficult to treat in a country-house.  That a large,
cheerful, gay, and airy room  is desirable, I am not disposed, of
course, to deny; but a room opened only occasionally, filled with
finery, which is covered up fiom vulgar, gaze three-fourths of the
year, seems to me too party-ish and pretentious for the country.
Still, a room for the evening accommodation of a large family,
and for the occasional reception of company, is at least a convenience; and so, cautioning against the vulgar error of sacrificing all the comfort of the other rooms in the house to the
attainment of a showy parlor, we will consider the provision of
such a room a necessity, and trust to the good sense of its occupants to appropriate it properly.
Make a large, well-lighted apartment, facing south or, west,
with windows opening upon a spacious piazza; it may be en suite
with the dining-room and boudoir, but not, to my taste, with the
library. Any feature that will break the regularity of its outline,
as a projecting bow or bay window, will take from the too dressy
character of the room, and will be desirable, not only on that
account, but from the increased cheerfulness of internal aspect it
will impart.
In all good houses should be a gentleman's dressing-room;
near the hall and the dining-room; but yet so cunningly contrived, as, whilst easy of access, to be nevertheless retired, and its
entrance secured from observation.




24                     RURAL HOMES.
The principal staircase should be roomy and easy of ascent,
I would advise that it be of, though connecting immediately with.
and not in the main entrance hall, as the latter could give an
area of unobstructed space, very desirable if the house, as in
holiday times, be filled with many dance and frolic-loving people.
The first landing on the stairway leading to the chamber-story,
should be so arranged as to come on the same level as the floor
of rooms and passages over the offices, as it will then be
handy to the back, or servants' staircase, and to the bathingrooms, etc.
The sleeping apartments, I will only speak of here just so
much as they are influenced by the distribution of the rooms in
the floor below.  They should be spacious, well-lighted and
ventilated, and should all have separate means of access to the
hall or corridors.
Dressing-rooms, linen-closets,  housemaids'-closets, bathingrooms, etc., etc., should be thought about in arranging the
chamber floor, and the servants' stairway and passages ought, if
possible, to be entirely distinct from those used by the family.
Some few directions as to the proportions of rooms seem
necessary to accurately plan the outlines of the building upon the
ground, which, dear reader, is all we will attempt at present, and
then, when the excellencies of a house as laid down in the last
chapter have been understood, examples of houses, and ground
and chamber plans filled out in detail, can be discussed with
greater profit.
The height and proportion of rooms must, in a measure, depend
upon the size of the building; there are, however, certain restrictions that may be stated.
A dining-room, to secure the comfort of the diners, should not




DISTRIBUTION OF ROOMS.                  25
be ever less than sixteen feet, though, provided the fire-place be
at the end, and not the side of the room, if needs must be, a less
width will do; but fifteen is the minimum  even then for servants to get comfortably between the table and the wall.
The drawing-room should not be square, but rather long than
otherwise. The fireplace should be at the side of this room, unless its situation in reference to other rooms opening in connection
with it, would render that position objectionable.
As a rule, endeavor not to have windows at opposite sides or
ends of rooms, (unless only one end be kept open at a time,) or
they will produce cross lights and some unpleasant phenomena
of shadows and reflections, very trying to a fair face or a cherished picture.
The absolute proportions and heights of rooms have caused a
good deal of argumentation and writing amongst those learned
in such things; but, as a, general rule, I may state to you that
the height of a room, to produce a good effect, should never be
less than three-fourths of its width; or, as a still better and more
consequent guide, it should be one-third of the sum of the width
and the length added together.
Thus, in an apartment sixteen feet by twenty, by the first rule,
the height would be twelve feet; and the sum of the width and
length being thirty-six feet, one-third of that would again give
the height as twelve feet; and by either rule the result would be
the proper altitulde for such a sized apartment.
These rules, however, will not apply to long galleries, corridors,
etc., of which the proportions are generally as varied as they are
arbitrary; but as a basis for determining the proper height
of rooms, as usually proportioned, their guidance may very safely
be trusted.




26                     RURAL HOMES.
The kitchen and domestic offices should bte so arranged on the
ground as to afford ready access to the vegetable garden, the
farm yard, and the lane or road. Their adjuncts, as wood-shed,
out-house, and the like, should be enclosed within a high wall oi
fence, that may shut them from view, unless the screen of trees
and shrubs will do so effectually.
It is very desirable that there should be abundant space fcr
all culinary and domestic operations; this may be gained, not so
much by large rooms or yard, as by convenient arrangement of
the different portions of the offices. A large kitchen is not nearly
so really useful as one of moderate size, with proper conveniences
of pastry-room, store-closet, cook's room, sink-room, and scullery
attached. A kitchen, even for a very large household, need not
be more than fifteen or sixteen feet by twenty, provided it has
all these adjuncts conveniently near.  The fire-place should be at
the end rather than the side of the room; it is then more easy
to avoid the heat, and greater room is given to move about, and
more wall space for shelves.
The domestic offices should so join on the main body of the
house, as that a pantry may communicate with the dining-room,
and a passage may be preserved from the kitchen or servants'
hall into the principal vestibule of the dwelling.
These hints will suffice to show what must be thought about in
mapping out the- house upon the ground; we have now the
skeleton. In the next chapter, the materials in which to embody
the design that is thus far framed, will be described.




CHAIPTER  III.
SELECTION OF MATERIALS —HOW SUITED TO PARTICULAR STYLES.
Now for the house itself. The best way to set about building
a country house, I suppose I ought, with Abernethy, to say, is
to " take advice"'-put yourself under the guidance of a professional man. We will suppose that already done, and so I,
standing in the light of architectural adviser, will proceed to the
best of my ability to give the requisite information-as fully as
if my retaining fee had been secured in the shape of a promised
"five per cent." upon the cost of the proposed erection.
The true way to commence, is to first consider the subject in
its common-sense, working-day light. You are going to put up
what you mean as your home; you want screening from the
sun, and sheltering from the cold; you desire to be at all times
snug and'comfortable, and free fiom. all harassment, in any way
traceable to your dwellifig's external character or internal accommodation.
You have a wholesome dread of the horrors of a leaky roof,
and of possible weekly repairs; you shudder at the idea of a
damp bed-room, or a mouldy cupboard; and you have misgivings touching the amount of you- S:aint Anthony-like forbear



28                     RURAL HOMES.
ance under the broiling tortures of a stifling July night, beneath
a metal roof, and in an unveintilated bed-room; and so all these
thoughts make you reflect very deeply before choosing your
material and your style. You notice I class these two together
because I hope to show that the one influences the other rather
more than it is the fashion, just now, to allow.
In choosing your material you are, of course, influenced by the
selection your neighborhood affordsc.  Wood and stone are
those generally used; brick not being introduced so often into
country buildings as I think it might be with great advantage.
For a house on a very large scale, wood seems unsuitable,
because, in a greater or less degree, it is suggestive of temporary
intention in the erection.
Stone is of many characters, and needs varied treatment. Its
use is often a source of very great expense, where a character is
attempted the particular specimen of material will not allow.
Brick does not seem as yet'to have had a fair chance of trial:
and thouoh, where stone and timber are in abundance, I would
not, of course, prefer its adoption; still there are many places in
this country where it is both cheap and readily obtained, and in
such places I conceive a far better use might be made of it than
has, so far as my personal observation goes, been attempted.
England, France, and  Germany abound  with  charming
cottages, entrance lodges, and manorial residences constructed of
this material; and those who only associate with the mention of
its name a rectangular oblong three inches and a half by eight,
would have a much more respectful opinion of its capabilities
were they to see Holland I-ouse, llHotel Choiseul, or the innumerable pretty things dotted about the sunny lawns of Western Germany.




WOODEN BUILDINGS.                     29
If your building is of moderate dimensions, and with timber
conveniently near, you prefer to use wood, do thus:  Let timber,
and timber only, be evident in every part of your building.
Don't veneer it all over with a thin ceiling of inch boards, nicely
planed and fitted,. and then sanded, and painted, and lined off,
in imitation of stone; because if you do, no one will really be
deceived by it but yourself. Especially, don't heap Pelion on
Ossa, and glue up fluted monsters of carpentry in front, and
fancy because they have the outline and proportions of Doric
columns, and have painted white lines at even distances thereon,
running round them at about the height courses of stone would
be cut, you have shown your classical taste, and possess a GreCian
edifice. You have no such thing; you have only a great deal
of unnecessary and expensive wood-work constantly to paint and
keep in repair, and which the sooner you sweep away the
better.
If you like a smooth, unbroken surface, and prefer ceiling your
house to clap-boarding or upright planking and battens, well and
good. Ceil it and sand it also, if you will, (and sand is an admirable addition to your whitelead and pigments,) trusting to your
verandas, projection of roofs, window  caps, sills, and other
features, to cast shadows and reflexes enough to break the
monotony of a level surface of tint, which you will find by these
natural causes more varied than if lined off into blocks with
whvite paint and a rule stick.
A rustic treatment of this material is often effective.  The
veranda may be supported with cedar or cypress posts, upon
which the bark has been left, farther preserving its adhesion by
small tacks driven in here and there, and the whole varnished
with a pitchy varnish to preserve from the weather. The house




30                     RURAL HOMES.
itself must be less arclitectural and finished in its details to conform  to this style; and by covering externally with upright
planking and battens, by projecting the roof at least four feet,
and by avoiding everything that looks like pretension, a very
pretty and economical dwelling may be constructed.
A  buiilding so contrived should be rather low than high;
should be spread upon the ground; should have high-pitched
roofs, with the gables free from the decoration admissible in more
ornate styles.  The rafters and roof-timbers that project may be
simply finished by cutting their ends into the form of an S, as in
the annexed illustration, and by substituting a deep roll moulding,
firom six to twelve inches deep, running alike under the eaves
and up the gables, in:lieu of a cornice. The windows should be
low and broad; rather than of their usual proportions; and
many of my friends will thank me for telling them  that to such
a house outside blinds will be not only not unsightly, but a
source of beauty, if properly managed; which I would do in this
wise:  Cut the outer or lower side of the slats to a curve, or
some variation fiom  a horizontal line, and make the frames
broader than usual, and paint them  a shade or two darker or
lighter than that of the house.
Such a building, roofed with shingles, and painted a quiet




GOTHIC HOUSES.                      31
gray, with its veranda  and ombra wreathed  with  graceful
creepers, I can picture now before me as a very pretty home.
One constructed in accordance with these principles will be
found exhibited in detail in a subsequent chapter.
Another style, for which wood is a suitable material, is that
called "Gothic."
Unfortunately this beautiful and eminently rural style has
been vulgarized and greatly abused; and I know that many
persons of pure taste are hence frightened when the idea of
" Gothic" is presented to them as the style suggested for their
home.
Excuse me now, if I speak a little scientifically.  Gothic is an
architectural classification of principles of erection now determined simply to mean pointed, in contradistinction to those
principles which recognized rectangular lines as their fundamental
basis; thus classic architecture, as it is called, with its upright
columns and pilasters, and its entablature and cornice resting on
them  at right angles, or springing from  them  in semi-circular
curves, is very easily distinguished from that style which has its
lines all tending upwards to a point, and of which its curves, in
every instance, meet in a point.  The different periods at which
certain styles of pointed architecture prevailed, give the name to
its various classes now in use.  Rural Gothic is wrought out
fiom these different styles, and though the peculiarities of each
period of pointed architecture are very marked, they have become
universally so blended in modern domestic architecture, a description of the points of difference in each period is scarcely
needed.
But the great principle upon which all were based, and in
which all agreed, was reality: every form  of' even the simplest




32                     RURAL HOMES.
moulding; every line and portion of the building was contrived
exactly to answer the purpose for which it was intended; and in
this we will gladly follow the mighty artist-minds of old whilst
we scorn the petty trickery of servilely copying a bit here and
there of their immortal works, and leaving unnoticed the inborn
principle which made each bit of detail beautiful.
A Gothic house, then, is a building, the character of whose
architecture is distinguished by the upward direction of its
leading lines, and by such curves as may be introduced meeting,
or having a tendency to meet, in a point. It may be highly
ornamental, or left perfectly simple; but true taste will be outraged if ornament, beautiful as it mayv be in itself, is introduced
where it does not serve some purpose of construction.
The gables, and the windows, and the doors, and the veranda,
and ombra, may all be decorated as richly as you like; but it
must be their composing parts that receive the decoration; there
must be no ornamental work stuck on here and there without
meaning and use: too much ornamental wood-work about
a house, any way, is a nuisance, and a source of continued expelse.
In arrangingthe outlines of your plan upon the ground, the
selection of wood as the material will permit of a more varied
and irregular shape than stone or brick, the corners, which, in
mason-work, add so considerably to the expense, not being a
source of greater outlay. But irregular outline on the ground is
apt to involve intricacy of roof; be therefore thoroughly satisfied
the latter is going to give you no trouble before you commence.
Dormer windows on the roof are greatly in favor with those
who design Gothic houses. Unless they are clear above the
eaves, so as to allow the eaves' gutters to run below them in




GOTHIC HOUSES.                     33
unbroken line, they will, in heavy rains, or after a thaw, be
sources of great trouble.
A very pretty effect may be attained by cutting off the corners
of the shingles before nailing them on, or by rounding them off,
or giving them any other form that will work in such a manner
as to present the appearance of an ornamental pattern on the
roof. The covering of the veranda is generally of metal, but
where the slope will allow similar shingles to be used, the effect
is not only more pleasing, but the chambers whose windows
overlook, are less exposed to the radiated heat from the large
surface of metal below.
Those who have noticed recently erected Gothic country
houses, will probably remember that the windows seemed a
source of some difficulty; they were either ordinary sash windows, that did not seem to harmonize with the house, or they
were such as gave great trouble to the inmates.  I would advise,
where the character of open tracery is attempted to be given,
that it be made solidly and as a fixture outside; being, in fact,
as it may well be supposed to be, the ornamental support of the
lintel above; and that the part filled with glass be behind and
independent, having,, however, divisions similar in character to
the outer frame. This method of executing an ornamental window will, I think, be found productive of more external and
internal effect, and certainly remedies the difficulties I have, in
the course of my experience, found to exist.
The modern Italian bracketted style is one which has been
frequently adopted for wooden buildings.
It demands more regularity of external outline upon the
ground, and hence is better adapted for a villa, in finished




34                     RURAL HOMES.
garden grounds, than for a rural home in a picturesque and
natural situation.
Its element consisting in the constant recurrence of horizontal
liles, a flat roof seems almost indispensable; a high pitch, or
pointed gables, are therefore out of place.
It permits great variation in the heights of different parts of
the building;  but the breaks must be made vertically fiom  a
horizontal line-not by slope pointing above slope, as in the spire
and tower of a Gothic structure.
The species of buildings whence this style, as used now,
originated, abounded in cam2nanili, or bell-towers, the form and
character, though not the uses of which are retained-the upper
story of said towers being finished as an observatory, affording a
cool and pleasant retreat, from  the, open windows of which an
extended prospect may be commanded.  In a house of mine on
the Hudson, this portion of the tower is intended as a billiardroom.  For small and unpretending country dwellings, this style
is desirable equally with those on a large scale, and in many
situations would be found to look more home-like than, perhaps,
almost any other.
The great objection is the necessity for a flatter pitch of roof
than a shingle covering will allow; and there are many reasons
that a metal roof should not be resorted to, where shingles can
be used.  A  sufficient pitch of roof to permit covering with
shingles would give an entirely different character to a house
erected in this style; but a modification may be resorted to,
which will render such a pitch perfectly admissible.  In such a
case, the slope of other roofs, such as veranda, porch, efc., should
agree with it; and it may farther be harmonized by making the
brackets much longer or deeper than if the roofs were flatter.




MATERIAL.                       35
Circular-headed windows are found very generally in the
various examples of buildings from which this style has been
derived.  They are often introduced il modern buildings here;
but where outside blinds are to be used, they do not look very
well, as each half of tho.blind, when open, presents an unsightly
appearance.
One advantage this style possesses is the adaptation it affords
to internal furnishing and'decoration.  Gothic furniture is too
apt to look outrd; but any species of modern cabinet work, excepting Gothic, looks well in a room of this character.
Wood when selected for the construction of a dwelling of this
character, has one disadvantage Connected with it, in the too
great temptation to introduce ornamental work, which in this
facile material is apt to lead into the putting uprof a great deal
of unnecessary carpentry, the maintenance of which will be attended with expense.
In speaking of these three different classes of country housesthe Rural, the Gothic, and the Italian-I have comprised all
those that are generally seen. Other varieties there are, I know;
but they all have so much in common with some one or other of
these three, that my readers will not wish me to describe
them.
Stone, with its pleasant associations of moss and fietted surface, seems the material for a quiet, rustic home; there is something in its aspect, of appeal from  the long, long past, and of
promise of endurance in the future, that must make it especially
sought after by those who preach a crusade against the ephemeral.pretensions of the present day.
Where it is found in abundance upon the spot, and its charac



30                     RURAL HOMES.
ter is such as a respectable mason would recommend for building
purposes, I would say, use it for your house, by all means.
If you are from the city, do not, however, fancy, because stone
is your material, that you must have a Fifth Avenue fiont.  If
your stone is susceptible of dressing and tooling, as it is called,
and your purse and the character you mean to give to the architecture will allow cut stone to at least portions of the erection,
there can be no objection to artistically displaying the material
to the best advantage; but even then, unless you are seeking to
build a palace, do not think of having your building *faced with
cut stone.  Rough stone, as it comes from  the quarry, and laid
in its natural bed, for the walls, and cut stone for your door and
window dressings, and your plinth and porch, if you will; and
the one will give contrast and value to the other.
If, however, the texture of the stone should not prove sufficiently fine for working, and you desire to build the walls
simply in a durable and substantial manner, use the stone as
follows:
Let the quarrymen split it off just as the veins of the stone
make it most easily worked.  Select such pieces as, from their
length and even quality, seem adapted for sills and lintels, and use
the remainder just in the shape it naturally comes upon your
ground from the quarry. In building your walls, lay the stone in
its exact bed as it lay in the quarry, and here and there let long
pieces be introduced, the length of the thickness of your walls;
these, lying across, would serve as bonders to the walls, and will
materially strengthen the work.  A wall built in this manner, in
irregular, courses, looks remarkably well for country buildings,
and- it is the method in which the time-honoured rural chulrchles




STONE HOrSES.                     37
of England have been built, than which more simply beautiful
or more durable erections cannot be found.
A
This sketch shows the wall laid in the manner described;
solid " quoins" as they are called are built into the corners, one
alternately overlapping the other.  The other stones are placed
in layers with the direction of their lamina as imbedded in the
quarry, and at certain distances apart " bonders"-indicated by
letters A and B-pass solidly through, and give union and adhesive connection to the masonry.
Many builders will tell you to place your stones edgeways or
upright, instead of in the solid manner I have described; and it
is true the masonry will look as if constructed of larger blocks,
and will have a more regular appearance, but it is by no means
so durable-the walls, in fact, being no more than shells of outer
and inner veneering of smoothly-fitted slabs of stone placed on
end, and filled in with loose bits of rubbish and mortar,  A wall
can even be built more rapidly if laid as I direct; because no
time is taken in selecting the stone, and of course the stone is
quarried and built into the walls at less expense.
Persons complain of stone houses in the country being damp.
This inconvenience is caused by the walls not being properly
built, rather than by the nature of the material itself. Such
dmpness as may be found in a stone building, comes, not from




88                     RURAL HOMES.
surface exposure to the weather, but from wet arising in the
walls by capillary attraction from the ground.  A wall built as I
speak of, would prevent this; because the pores of the grain
would be horizontal, and the possibility of dampness finding its
way by any means through the interstices upwards, may be
guarded against by building a course of slate into the walls
above the ground, and immediately under the joists of the first
floor.  This, where slate can easily be procured, is an infallible
method; and where it is not within reach, a course of large
stones, of the width of the thickness of the walls, and about
four inches thick, laid in hydraulic cement, will do equally
well.
A wall may be plastered inside, without any furring out, as
usually done, if built as above, and without any fear of wet finding its way in.
A country house, to be built of stone, in the rural manner
described in my last, would require to be of very simple form;
there should be few breaks in the outline, and the effect called
by artists " breadth" must be that sought.
The veranda, windows, doors, and roof, may be treated in a
manner similar to that recommended for the rural home sketched
in the commencement of the chapter. The windows should be
set deeply in the walls, and the roofs have a greater projection,
and their timbers that show  be somewhat heavier in their
scantlings.  Let the stone be rough, just as the masons lay it,
knocking off, here and there, with a hammer, any fragment that
seems to jut out too prominently, and I would much prefer that
the walls be not rough-cast.
In building on a Gothic plan, the style would have to be less
ornate in its details than if the material were wood, and the




STONE HOUSES.                     39
minutiae of the building should be more massive in theirt chAtacter.
Bay-windows, or other projecting portions of the plan, only
partially extended up the walls, may be more easily and always
more economically constructed of wood than of stone. Indeed,
unless the piers between the openings be very large, the latter
material can scarcely be used unless cut, and then entailing considerable expense.  But so constructed, (of wood) a different
treatment must be sought; stone must not be imitated, but the
character of the design of such a feature be evidently appropriate
to the material; —harmony with the rough stone walls being
obtained' by the wood-work being sanded to protect from the
weather, and painted to suit the tone of coloring of the stone.
By the means thus taken to preserve (a mode perfectly allowable
and no wise approaching the vulgarity of imitation), the tint of
the rough wall and the quality of its texture will be assimilated
with.
Outside shutter-blinds never seem to match with rough stone
walls; and as the thickness of the latter is such as in all cases
to permit of their being arranged inside, I would advise their
being so contrived, and a pent roof over the window will add as
much to the picturesque external appearance, as it will to the
internal comfort of the building.
An illustration is here given of such a window covering.
Theroof, a simple lean-to, is supported by brackets built into
the walls of the house, and made of wood. This covering should
be so placed as that the head of the window would be about one
foot above the drop of the roof.
The modern Italian, as described in this chapter, is as suitable,
for erection in stone as in wood, but the masonry should generally




40                     RURAL HOMES.
be more regular and finished than would be requisite for either of
those described before.  IIence the expense will be greater, but
provided the simplicity of the wood-work and other portions of
the house were agreeable, a, rough stone building would look
very well, even if its outlines and its general form  were in
strictest accordance with the severest requisitions of the style.
Open arches are prominent features in an Italian rural building; the veranda, the porch, ombra, and window-openings,
especially those of the upper story of the tower, may take this
beautiful form, and the massive nature of the material of the
house will blend delightfully with the ideas of strength the arch
conveys.
Terraces are constantly associated features with this style, and
if the ground upon which your home is to be, naturally presents
a terraced appearance, a very little aid from  art will soon
convert it into the beautiful form that is so suitable to an
Italian villa.
Moulded brick might be frequently used upon a countryhouse; and brick, as a suitable material for building, must
receive a few moments' attention before I bring this chapter to a
close.




BRICK AS A BUILDING MATERIAL.              41
It is not so suitable for Gothic as for other styles, though the
Tudor, as it is called, which is but a later period of Gothic
architecture, seems well adapted to its use, and England and
the western portion of the Continent of Europe abound in examples.
Brick walls should be built hollow.  They will be cheaper,
drier, and afford room for sliding-shutters, windows, and blinds,
and, above all, give the opportunity for thorough and easily-controlled ventilation. Insist upon your builder wetting the bricks
before laying them on the walls, if even you have to pay the
labor of an extra man on purpose to do so.  Your walls will be
stronger and drier if you do.
Do not, as a general rule, permit any smoke-flues in outer
walls. They are the cause of an extravagant waste of heat, and
of unsightly seams and stains down your external walls, particularly if painted.  If you have a cistern in your roof, build a
kitchen or some constantly-used flue through it.  You will then
not fear frost; and if, once every six months, you will place
therein a bushel of powdered charcoal, you need not have stagnant, fetid water, breeding corruption in your home.
If your brick house is to be painted, cover it with two coats of
paint in the fall. The bricks will be thoroughly dry then, and
the quantity of paint will be amply sufficient to repel all wet
during the winter, and will be ready-toned down to receive the
finishing coat or coats in the spring.
Whilst in this connection, a few words upon the painting of
a brick building, and I have done.
The color chosen should be one that will suit the objects
around.  If there be many lichen-covered rocks near, or grey
mountains in the distance, against which the building is seen,




42                     RURAL HOMES.
the tint should be a cool grey, which may be made with any
blue that will stand, mixed with one tenth part Venetian red,
and lowered with white as requisite; and I have frequently used
sand upon brick buildings with great advantage, by mixing it
with the last two coats, or even the last, and applying it with a
wire-brush, which, though requiring a strong arm, is much more
satisfactory in its effect than if the sand were dusted on, which
leaves a number of shining particles to catch the light, and by
their dazzling appearance, destroy the quiet, even tone of color a
house should possess, and which the former method will secure.
If the house be surrounded by trees, many of which are evergreens of dark foliage, a lighter and more distinguishing color
may be used.  Cream color, made by mixing one part raw
umber, two parts raw sienna, one fourth part burnt umber, to
one hundred parts white lead and oil. The last coat, mixed
with silver sand, is a very beautiful tint for a building in such a
situation.
The taste of the owner will no doubt lead to the selection of
a proper color, particularly as I have said enough to guide him;
and I will conclude, by quoting the advice given by a noted
English landscape painter under similar circumstances:  "Pluck
up a tuft of grass near you, observe the tone of coloring the
earth adhering to its roots possesses, and paint your house the
tint you see there."
The gist of this remark lies in the fact that the tone of coloring of natural objects immediately around you is the best possible
Iattern-card fiomU which to select the pigment you desire your
painters to use.




CHAPTER IV.
HEALTH IN A HOME;-AS DEPENDENT UPON VENTILATION, AND
ON MEANS OF OBTAINING ARTIFICIAL HEAT.
A COMFORTABLE home must be both a warm  and a sweet
one.
Its warmth is dependent in winter upon its provisions for artificial heating; its sweetness, at all seasons, upon its ventilation;
its thorough comfort, upon both.
Dickens's " Household Demon," an air-tight stove, will afford
the one, so far as certain degrees of the thermometer are any
indication, and an open door and window, when its hot breath
has become a little too searching, will, according to generally
received country practice, supply the other.
The cold air thus admitted is soon weakened by its battling
with the stifling heat, and another reinforcement from without
becomes necessary; and so, in severe weather, the temperature
ts constantly jumping from  extremely hot to extremely cold.
&fter a while, the decomposed air gathers upon the ground,
where its weight has taken it, and heaps itself up, layer upon
layer, until it reaches the mouth and nostrils of those sitting in
the room, who, in every eighteen respirations, inhale in the
course of a minute, a gallon of stuff so foul, as, could it be made




44                    RURAL HOMES.
sensible to sight in the form of a refreshing draught, would fill
them with loathing and dismay.
With an open fire, the evil is somewhat lessened, but not removed; with a furnace, it is changed. What is to be done?
Would you cut off all means of artificially warming? Certainly
not; but, in warming —purify!
The simple principle upon which this purification must be
effected is this:  Provide a means for withdrawing the debris of
every gallon of warm air you admit, and you may do so in the
following manner:Say you are sitting in a room eighteen feet wide by twentysix feet long, and that the fire-place, or register, is in the centre
of one of the longer sides; the windows are at one end, and the
doors at the other, or in the side opposite the fire-place.
~~~~~A              B
By the h.l  of the annexed plaa, I can make the method I
would plopose apparlent.




IMPERFECT VENTILATION.                 45
In this, the letter.C represents the position of the fire-place
or hot air supplying register; the doors into the room are, we
will say, upon. the opposite side, and the windows at either
end.
As the freshly warmed air comes into the room it will
gradually ascend, and in its ascent will incorporate with itself
the lighter portions of decomposed air that have escaped firom
the lungs, leaving the heavier but equally impure gases to settle
near the floor.  For the escape of this upward flow of foul air,
openings are made in or near the ceiling, at the points indicated
by the letters A, A;-these openings communicate with air-ducts
or flues, which I will presently describe.
If, however, the aperture for the escape of foul air be solely at
the ceiling, much of the warm, good air will fly off, as well as
some of the upper vitiated atmosphere, and hence lower the
temperature of the room, and demand an increased supply of
heat.  The ventilation, therefore, of the apartment given as an
example, is not yet complete.
Many persons who have furnaces or other heating apparatus
in their buildings, complain of not being able to obtain a sufficient heat, not being, perhaps, aware, that the fault very probably
lies in a want of means for escape of the dense impure strata of
air that are stagnating just above the floor, and through which
the fresh warnm air cannot penetrate in sufficient purity and
volume to raise the temperature of the room.
This was found to be the case at the Patent Office in Washington.  An excellent warming apparatus had been used, but in
a certain room, about forty feet square, tightly closed, and with
(I think) but one window at the end, it was found impossible to
attain a heat exceeding forty degrees Fahrenheit, with the ffir




46                    RURAL HOMES.
nace turned on to its full blast; when some one suggested to
cut a hole in the floor, which was no sooner done than the
confined ponderous gases plunged down the aperture, and in a
few minutes the thermometer showed the excessive heat of ninety
degrees.
These remarks I introduce to show the necessity of providing
some downward conducting flues, as well as those leading upwards. At the letters B, B, are openings in the wash-board immediately above the floor of the room  conducting into air
passages that discharge themselves below.
The action of the air in the room thus provided with apertures
for escape and supply of air will be as follows:  As it rolls in
volumes of warmth into the room, it will expand and ascend,
moderately, however, because the top openings must not be too
large for undue escape of heat. As it becomes used, the. deoxygenated portions having a heavier specific gravity than the
pure air, will fall towards the floor, and be drawn off by the airducts and dissipated  below.  The  lighter, heated air also
expelled from the lungs, will escape into the apertures above, as
will also all superfluous heat, the apertures in the ceiling being
provided with regulating valves, so that, guided by a thermometer within the room, its occupants may gi aduate the supply
from the register and escape through the flue.
These apertures for the upward escape of air must be furnisled
with one of Arnott's Patent Ventilating Valves, a simple and
most effective little article recently introduced from England, and
now furnished by the Berrians, 601 Broadvay, with great improvements in external form'and appearance, and in the method
of acting.
This ventilator is provided with a balanced valve, which




VENTILATING VATLVE.                      47
closes instantly at the slightest puff of air from above; hence
effectually-preventing downward draught, or the escape sf smoke
into the room  if placed in connection with an ordinary smokeflue.
A regulating lever is also attached by which the opening of
the valve and consequent size of the aperture of escape may be
adjusted at will.
A cut is here given showing this little machine. The outer
portion which comes flush upon the wall might be made of any
form or ornamented at pleasure.,,, }I t.,,II1,' I1.,. ~1 1~,ll i i1Fii,, J
fipp I, 1i lI
__ _ __ _ ___i_____!_I___   )(i~ ~!kmi i   ii'ii  
FRONT VIEW.                         SIDE VIW.
The box is let into the wall., so that the outside face may come
even with its surface.  The price for one as here represented is
three dollars, other and more ornamental forms are in proportion.
The flue for downward escape of impure air may conduct
into any part of the cellar, or even into the open air, and an
ordinary register, or simply a perforated metal front, would be
all that is needed within the room.
In making these flues, abrupt turns or shoulders, or any other




48                     RURAL HOMES.
direction than a perpendicular one, must be carefully avoided,
unless the current be very strong.
If the house is warmed by a furnace, a very perfect means of
ventilation may be adopted by providing an escape-flue and airchamber of large dimensions, through which the smoke-flue from
the furnace may be led, the spare heat from which would, by its
radiation, cause expansion and consequent rapid motion of the
air contained in the flue and air-chamber around it, and hence
provide a current sufficiently strong to draw off all impure air
from the various rooms which, by means of air-ducts, communicated with it.
But these air-ducts must equally be means of escape for
impure air, both from the upper and lower portions of the room,
or the ventilation will be very imperfect.
The form and nature of the flues themselves require attention. If built of stone or brick, their inside surfaces should be
pargetted or plastered, or the roughened sides will too greatly
impede the passage of the air by friction.  A circular, elliptical,
or square with bevelled corners are more desirable forms than
the narrow parallelogram  usually employed, but on account, not
so much of expense, as the unwillingness of masons to depart
from established usage, although cylindrical flues are very commonly used in England, and are found to be more cheaply built.
They are, I believe, almost unknown here.
But the mere provision of these flues is not all that is necessary, nor would the method of ventilation here described be
sufficient except during such seasons as will allow the use of a
furnace or fire.
The air will not ascend of itself into these flues, nor will it




METHODS OF VENTILATION.               49
descend and be discharged without some motive power being
given to it.
This motive power, when a furnace or fire is in operation, can
be obtained by the radiation of the artificially heated air, and
all that will be necessary is to terminate the flues that lead
above the building with a "cowl" or "wind-guard," to protect from draughts of air. In his admirable and invaluable
report upon "Ventilating Buildings," Dr. Bell, of the McLean
Asylum for the Insane, near Boston, says:  "Any flues depending wholly upon the action of cowls or turn-caps in any
of their numerous forms, are totally unequal to the demands
of a constant, reliable ventilation."  Those ventilators which
are so constantly advertised to the public as at all times causing
circulation of air within the building cannot therefore be depended upon-they will only assist-but unless used in conjunction with other means (presently to be described) their
action will only be when there is a current of air flowing across
the rdof, and bearing upon the sides of the ventilating cap
employed. Of these numerous machines, that made by Janes,
Beebe & Co. of New York, is undoubtedly the best, and will
take advantage of the slightest breath of air that stirs.
The reliable means, therefore, to be employed is this: One
of the escape flues from the room must lead into. a shaft which
may ventilate the whole house very easily and economically,
and in, the following manner: At all times of the year
culinary operations demand a heating apparatus, giving a constant, though, perhaps, varying degree of warmth.  The clischarging smoke-flue from this, conducted into a large shaft,
would at all seasons produce motion in the column of air
therein contained, and this, aided too by a ventilating cap o"
3




50                     RURAL HOMES.
extra size placed at the top of the shaft, would. draw off from
all the rooms that could be brought in connection with it the
vitiated air, from both above and below.
To exemplify this, let me refer again to the little plan given.
Let one of the upper apertures communicate with the shaft,
to be used during summer-let one of the downward shafts
also so communicate-and the other, left as before, but kept
always open, would supply cold fresh air to the lower portion
of the room, a thing so necessary, that it seems strange
builders should only permit cracks, or the occasional opening of
doors, to admit what the first principle of pneumatics requires,
it being impossible that vitiated air can escape, when no fresh
air can take its place.
Open windows are not always desirable, nor to ventilate
successfully and reliably are they at all to be wished for; but as
this involves an explanation of a system  of ventilation more
thorough and elaborate than ordinary dwelling houses would
require or permit, I will content myself with saying, that it is
best to consider windows as only auxiliary aids to ventilation,
securing perfect circulation of air in the apartment without.
The shaft spoken of in connexion with the kitchen fire may
be thus supplied with hot air:
A large metal chest or chamber, supplied with fresh air fiom
behind, should be built into thei chimney of the kitchen, or other
room where fires are daily used. This chamber must be placed
back of the fire-place, stove, or other cooking apparatus, or over
the boiler, if hot-water bathing apparatus is provided. It must
be capable of containing not less than ten cubic feet of air, and
from its top a pipe, not less than six inches in diameter, would
lead into the discharging flue intended for ventilation, and then




METHODS OF VETTILATION.                 51
diminished so as to leave around it, in the shaft, a space of at
least two inches in the clear, each way. Thus diminished, it
should extend upwards in the flue for at least ten or fifteen
feet.
The radiation thus caused will produce a sufficiently strong
current to draw off from the rooms connected with it all impurities of atmosphere, as before explained.
In many parts of this country, and especially in the Southern
States, a summer kitchen is used, which is detached from the
house. In such a case, it is more difficult to obtain the necessary motive power for successful ventilation, but as the smokeflue from the kitchen might be led sufficiently near to the house
to permit the erection of a lofty shaft for the especial purpose of
drawing off its foul air, the same principle can be employed.
The air-ducts cannot be led to the kitchen if detached, on
account of the almost impossibility of drawing air without an
immense force in a horizontal direction, but the hot escaping air
from the fire-place can more easily be led, and if the shaft be
lofty (which some such feature as a tower or corner turret would
allow it to be) and its top be terminated with one of Janes' most
powerful ejectors, there will be little difficulty in obtaining the
motive force requisite.
A very simple means of ventilating a room only occasionally
used, is by placing a lighted lamp in an ordinary flue, providing
the aperture with one of Arnott's valves to prevent downward
draught. The heated air from the combustion of the lamp will
produce an upward current, and thus ventilate the room without
in any way producing increase of temperature by the burning of
the lamp.




52                    RURAL HOMES.
I have contrived a little apparatus for this purpose-of which
the following is a description.
The whole apparatus is comprised in a metal screen, intended
to supply the place of an ordinary fire-board at such times
when the grate is not used.  The lBwer portion is open, for
the escape of the foul air fiom the floor of the room, and
above is a door, inside of which on a small shelf is the lamp.
This lamp can be made to burn camphene, lard oil, or any
cheap combustible, as the formation of the trumpet-shaped
tube or chimney which encloses it, is such as to prevent carbonization. When shut, the lamp is covered above the flame
with a metal trumpet-shaped funnel, opening as wide as the
flue will permit at its mouth, and reduced to -four inches
diameter above, extending up the flue at least one foot above
the height of the room. The radiated heat from this would
suffice to give motion to the column, of air within the flue,
and a cap at its top would secure, with this little machine, a
perfect and always reliable ventilation. Near the ceiling, into
the same flue is an aperture furnished with Arnott's valve for
escape of warm air from the upper portion of the room. The
tube within the flue need not be removed at any season, as it
would not interfere with the draught of any grate or stove that
in winter might be used, but would rather increase it; the lower
portion of the funnel, which could be made in a length of three
feet, might easily be detached and connected *when required.
This apparatus can be supplied by Janes, Beebe & Co. of New
York, or ordered through the Messrs. Berrian, and its cost need
not exceed twenty-five dollars.
It is very necessary to the comfort of a home that the kitchen
should be thoroughly ventilated; and though my readers will see,




HEATING APPARATUS.                   53
from what I have said, that this room may be more readily
purified than any other, they will agree with me in condemning
the want of attention that has so often permitted a nuisance,
fiom escaped effluvia of cooking, that might so easily have been
avoided.
A ventilating flue should be provided, not only in the kitchen
itself, but in the vestibule, hall, or pantry, connecting it with the
main body of the house, and the store-room, vegetable-room,
larder, and, of course, bathing-rooms, etc., should each have an
air-duct for supply and escape.
Chambers immediately under the roofs of country houses
are fiequently rendered scarcely habitable, in consequence of the
heat.
This excessive heat may be greatly lessened by making a
double roof; that is, by flutrring out a space all over the roof,
from the under side of the rafters to the line of the ceiling.
This space, say of about a foot deep, would, if made perfectly
tight, afford a receptacle for a stratum of dead air, than which
a more perfect non-conductor cannot be found. External heat
could not penetrate through  this double roof, and in cold
weather, internal warmth would not be lessened by contact
with the cold inner surface of the roof.
Houses artificially heated, are usually supplied either with
hot-air furnaces, of which there are several kinds, by steam,
or by hot water.
Heating by means of hot-water apparatus is deservedly attracting great attention now, and when constructed on scientific principles and the radiating surface is sufficient (the want
of this being the common fault), is an agreeable, healthy, and




54                    RURAL HOMES.
economical method, and one I would, from experience, recommend in preference to any other.
There are many machines for effecting this end before the
public, but I have rarely found that the pretensions of thb,
greater number have been justified by their actual operation.
An Italian villa erected in Connecticut from my designs, was
provided with a ventilating and heating apparatus in which
hot water was used, which, after a trial of eighteen months,
has given such entire satisfaction, that I am induced to make
mention of it here, particularly as its manufacturers, Janes,
Beebe & Co., of New York, have so distinguished a reputation,
I can refer to their work without incurring any suspicion of
intention to " puff."
The building has a frontage of nearly ninety feet, is built
of brick and stone, and upon a somewhat exposed situation;
every room is ventilated and most pleasantly warmed, by a
heat which, though capable of increase to almost any degree,
is yet so soft as neither to warp the wood-work of the building
nor the furniture, and is produced by an expenditure of fuel
so trifling, as would surprise those who are accustomed to the
hot-air furnaces in ordinary use. The working of this apparatus
is the subject of praise from all who have witnessed it, and it
has now been in action sufficiently long to thoroughly test its
merits.
In another chapter, before closing this little treatise on Rural
Homes, I shall detail at length the peculiarities of this apparatus, and recur to the subject of ventilation and of heating.
At present, I wish merely to say just so much on the
general principles of the former, as will enable my readers to
understand the allusions made here and there in subsequent




HEATING AND VENTILATION.              55
portions of the book;-thinking, too, that ventilation is so important a means of attainment of comfort, it ought to be
thought of from the first, so that the " home" to be contrived
may be " both a warm and a sweet one."




CHAPTER V.
HOW TO BUILD TO SUIT THE LANDSCAPE —EXAMPLES OF RURAL
HOMES.
THE right to look upon beautiful scenery, is a privilege all
possess in common: those whose means have enabled them to
claim ownership in some lovely garden-spot of this beautiful
country, have no right to mar the fair harmony of nature by the
intrusion of a discord of their own. The purchasers of land
therefore, in the country, cannot, in building themselves a home,
follow the bent of their own inclinations so entirely as many
would have us suppose. A man has no right to disfigure some
noble scene by an unharmonious dwelling' how often this has
been done, those who have rambled on the banks of the Hudson
(this but as an example near home) can testify. Congruity between home and landscape is secured by no necessarily increased
expenditure. On the contrary, those buildings of most economical and simple character generally possess the charm of fitness
which costly structures attempt in vain.
Undoubtedly, the excellence and charm of a home consist in the
perfect keeping of the artificial construction with the natural




SELECTION OF A PLAN.                 57
objects and the scenery around. The uniform Palladian Villa,
that would be out of place in the mountain gorge, or beside the
rocky glen and leaping torrent, will be perfectly in congruity
with broad lawns, grouped trees, smooth, widely-stretching
glades, and the placid lake. This perfect congruity between
home and scenery would be easy of attainment, if the operations
of deciding the character and arrangement of the building were
less mechanical. The owner of the ground is generally contelnt,
if the builder to whom he shows his plans tells him he can
deliver to him, by a certain day, and for so much money, a
house like the one delineated. How have these plans been. probably obtained. If the gentleman or lady about to build
possess at all a literary, or even only a picture-book-loving taste,
some "Architectural Design-Book for the Million" has been
turned over, and, after many. tea-table discussions upon the
merits of the " Swiss Cottage" style, the " Anglo-Norman," the
" Etruscan," or the " Castellated Gothic," some pretty picturehouse has been selected. Armed with that, an architect from
the city has been called upon, the picture shown to him, the
ground-plan of the house determined, and, finally, a "set of
drawings" engaged to be furnished by a certain day, and at a
stipulated price.
Probably even this small call upon professional aid would not
have been made, had not the builder advised to get some " archytect" to " draft the plans," knowing that even the most wretchedly
slender skeleton of a plan, if fiamed by a draughtsman, will be
easier to work from than the artistic performances of the amateur
employer. The architect has neither a voice nor an interest in
the matter-the drawings are ordered and paid for, as a bale of
goods. He has not seen the spot selected for the building;
3*




58                     RURAL HOMES.
knows nothing of the tastes or habits of life of its future, occupants, and is naturally only desirous to get the job done as
quickly as possible, knowing, by past experience, that, should he
venture any departure from the instructions given him-however
essential they may, to his cultivated judgment, seem —the drawings will probably be returned to him for correction, and his
labor lost.  How tame, common-place, and unsuitable the building must be when erected, my readers will be able to judge.
What, then, should be done?
The building should, even to its minutest detail, be studied
and determined on the spot; and an architect who has the
interests of his noble science at heart, will always insist upon the
necessity for this very first step. Both the architect and the
contemplator of the building must be guided by such simple
rules as I will here attempt to state, Endeavor first to be impressed with the suggesting influences of the spot. If the range
of vision be limited, the scenery quiet, and possessing a selfcontained charm  of beauty or grandeur complete in itself, the
character of the house may be left more to the bent of the
owner's taste, than were the building a prominent feature in an
extended range of landscape-a connecting link in the chain of
beauties around. If the first be the case, the house-governed,
however, by certain rules-may be more fancifully developed,
more profuse in details, and more whimsical, than in a situation
like the latter. There every outline must accord with the prevailing character of the natural forms around, and the details
and architectural, features must be bolder, more marked and'
expressive, in order to be defined by the eye that views them
after a scale formed upon the bold fragments of nature's architecture. These considerations are the text fiom which all rules




CHOICE OF STYLE.                    59
for the choice of styles may be deduced. General outlines and
effects, rather than minutiae of details, are to be studied, to
secure congruity between art and nature; the niceties of particular styles are only to be so attended to that they may not
conflict with the first great truth of harmony of the general
masses. Almost any style may, in the hands of a master, be
made suitable for a given location; and there are few modern
styles that may not architecturally be moulded to the requirements demanded.
So, then, I come once more to a definition made before, that
the style must grow out of the circumstances bearing upon the
building, upon the nature of the materials, the peculiarities of
climate, of domestic habits, and, above all things, upon the prevailing influences of the scenery around. Inl high mountain
scenery, where the outlines of the forms around all point upwards, and shoot into pyramids of beauty towards the skies, the
building, in its lines, must not contradict this tendency: the
prevalence of horizontal lines and parallelisms must be cautiously
avoided, and the style chosen must be such as, without violation
of its attributes, will permit this character. Thus, we see, in
olden times, the builders on the plains erected flat-roofed, widelyextended dwellings, with row upon row of parallel lines; but in
mountain lands, up soared the gable, and high-pointed pinnacle
and spire, until the architect seemed emulous of soaring aloft
with the mountain peaks and stately hills.
Let me now sketch a scene such as my readers will be able to
picture before them without any effort. Here is a road leading
fiom a country town. At a distance of two or three miles from
the busy market-place, a quiet lane leads from the more frequented public road, and a quarter of a mile down this lane we




60                     RURAL HOMES.
will enter a gate, and walk upon the grass within. The lane we
have left continues its winding and tree-shaded course to a bridge
which, half a mile off, stretches across the stream that originally
induced the settlers to choose the town below, where its waters
flow in greater volume, as their site. -The ground is tolerably
level, and has trees scattered here and there; but, as is generally
the case, not very much has been done towards its cultivation.
We have progressed to the centre of a field of about ten acres
bounded on one side by the lane, which we will say is east; on
the north by a row of trees, that divides the land from that of
the neighbors; on the west by a.small stream, that is seeking
the river below; and on the south by the land skirting the
river's banks, and by the rising country and hills beyond. There
is nothing particular about the place: its surface is undulated,
and the scenery and distant view are only just so beautiful as
the environs of every town will show. What is the suggesting
influence of the -place?  Simply, quiet occupancy; the more
exalting influences must be induced by the home itself. In my
first introduction to you, dear readers, I sketched the prelhninaries
I would recommend in forming a home, so that I will say nothing
about pegging out the house, etc., but will try and describe
the building that will best suit the ground that we have imagined.
We are going to build on a moderate scale-say five thousand
dollars have been left, after purchasing the ten acres of landand we wish to make that sum serve to complete our home in
every particular, excepting inside furniture of the house.  Great
care and economy must of course be used; for the more void of
particular interest the site appears, the greater necessity there is
to avoid an appearance of baldness,  The entrance upon the




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FORM OF THE BUILDING.                  61
ground is from the lane, at the nearest point to the northern
boundary line. All I would do at present, would be to measure
off four hundred feet south of said line, and to plough up a strip
thus wide from east to west, leaving a cart road close to the
northern boundary, which may serve as approach to the stable
and yard which will terminate the strip spoken of on the northwest.  The house will be somewhat exposed. It will be seen
from the public road on the north; though, excepting firom the
upper windows, the road itself will not be commanded from the
house. It will also be seen from the lane, and from the opposite
side of the river. The position for the house is determined to
be at about one hundred and fifty feet from the lane, there being
no local reasons to demand placing a greater distance between,
which would only require a more expensive means of approach.
The sum at disposal will permit a building of comfortable dimensions; its form  on the ground may be thus arranged:  The
main portion-which would contain a library, seventeen feet by
fifteen; a drawing-room, sixteen by twenty-five; a hall, nine feet
wide and seventeen long;-would make a block thirty-six feet
south by twenty-seven feet east and west. This block would be
carried higher than the wing, containing a dining-room, fifteen
by twenty; a small boudoir, or morning-room, ten by fourteen;
a staircase, store-rooms, pantries, etc., and a commodious kitchen,
which would all be contained in a block thirty-six by thirty-four.
These dimensions, which include thickness for walls, chimneys,
etc., enclose an area of about two thousand feet, and the division
of the space is adjusted so as to afford the most economical form
for erection.
The plan here given represents the arrangement of the rooms




62                     RURAL HOMES.
upon the ground or principal floor, No. 1 being the entrance hall
with its coat closet C.
LA  1.
I.
+          +.+         +          + -    4
PLAN 1.
2. Is the library, with a fire-proof safe inserted in the wall,
light hand of the fire-place.
3. The drawing-room, with a projecting window or bay on
its western side.
4. The dining-room, with sliding-doors between it and the
drawing-room.
5. The boudoir or morning-room  with a large store-closet




ARRANGEMENT OF THE ROOMS.                 63
No. 9, and a work and book-closet in the other end of the
room.
6. Is the kitchen-on one side of which is a screen filled with
ground glass to give light to the end of the staircase-hall and
to the small entry leading to the kitchen, the scullery No. 7, and
the store-room No. 8.
10. Is the waiter's pantry, communicating with the diningroom, and furnished with a sliding opening into the kitchen for
the serving and removal of dishes. Within this pantry is a large
china and plate closet conveniently placed and adequately
lighted.
The staircase is in the inner hall, leading fiom the main
entrance towards the domestic offices, and is privately and conveniently placed. The back or servants' stairway leads from the
scullery.
Round three sides of the house stretches a veranda twelve
feet wide, breaking round the bay-window on the western side
and stopping against the dining-room, so as to extend to one of
its French windows.
The chamber floor is thus distributed:  The staircase lands
first upon the lower level over the dining-room, kitchens, etc.,
which are not as high as the rooms in the main body of the
house; it then ascends a few steps and opens into an octagonal
vestibule lighted by an opening filled with stained glass in the
attic floor, immediately over which is a skylight in the roof.
No. 1. Is a large chamber, sixteen by twenty-five, over the
drawing-room, so large as to allow of division if necessary, the
partition extending to one of the mullions of the window on the
western side, and enclosing a convenient dressing room. In this
room is a very large closet at its northern end,




64                     RURAL HOMES.
No. 2. Is a chamber, same size as library below, provided with
two closets, one of large size, and connected with it as a dressingroom or child's-room, No. 3.
PLAN 1.
PLAN 2.
No. 4. Is a large chamber over dining-room, with a dressingroom or child's sleeping-room, No. 5. This room is provided
with a very large closet in its southern end, and under the closet
next to it, which opens, into room; No. i, is a space formed by
the different levels of the floors of the two rooms, which might
very advantageously be occupied by deep drawers for linen, etc.
No. 6. Is a servants' sleeping-room  over kitchen, with a deep
closet therein.
No. 7. Is what might advantageously be used as the nursery,




ARRANGEMENT OF THE ROOMS.                 65
containing a fire-place, and an inner room, No. 8, which might
serve as a sleeping-room for the nurse, or as a dressing-room if
No. 7 be used as a chamber. Near to No. 8, in the vestibule
leading from the back staircase, is a large linen-closet for the use
of the housemaid.
No. 9. Is a pleasant room containing bathing apparatus,
which, being so near the kitchen range, could easily be supplied
with hot water at very little expense. A water-closet is conveniently close, and yet separately entered, as being more commodious for use.
The entry by the back staircase might be lighted fiom the
roof, though, as the window on the staircase opens immediately
upon the centre of the passage, the amount of light would probably be found sufficient.
In the roof over the main part of the house, an additional
sleeping-room, or even two or three might be contrived for servants, and in the open garret over the wing a drying-room could
readily be obtained.
By looking at the plans, the whole arrangement of the interior
of this house will easily be understood; the exterior is represented in the illustration a few pages back. The elevation is
that of the eastern front, and the design is delineated geometrically instead of in perspective, in order to give a more useful
representation of the character of its architecture.
On looking at the illustration it will be seen that one portion of the house is much higher than the other.  This is
caused by the superior elevation of the rooms in the main
portion of the house, their height being as follows: Rooms
1, 2, 3, are each twelve feet six inches high from floor to ceiling,
and the other portion of the house but eleven feet.  In the




66                     RURAL HOMES.
floor above 1, 2, 3, are eleven feet high, and the rest ten feet
high.  In the main portion of the house also, the walls are
carried above the ceiling-line over chambers three feet high all
round, so as to form  a half attic, making a good deal of available room in the roof, and a cooler and -more easily ventilated
building.
The veranda is twelve feet and a half high where it comes
against the wall, and drops to eleven feet three inches, making
a slope of fifteen inches in its entire width on the under side.
The rake of its roof outside would be greater, the rafters being
deeper against the walls than at their feet, a mode of framing
which is lighter and may be made more pleasing in effect.
The roof of the main building is hipped each way towards
the stack of chimneys in the centre. It projects over the walls
four feet, and is supported by brackets. The roof over the
wing is also hipped on its northern side, and projects two feet
on the east and west, and three feet on its northern end.
Thus far I have given the general distribution of the parts of
the house, and the external features of its design-I will presently
describe them in detail, after I have endeavored to give the
reasons that induce the selection of a particular character or
style.
The nature of the scenery is simply rural. The features are
not marked or bold; the lines are mostly parallel, though the
surface occasionally undulates; the house, therefore, to harmonize
with it, must be simple, rather regular than picturesque; must
seem stable and permanently fixed upon the ground; every
accessory must be fitting; and although, if the means permitted,
ornamental construction would be perfectly admissible, the
general contour of the building, of the, details or the masses of




DETAILS OF THE EXTERNAL FEATURES.            07
decoration, must be such as not to disturb the eye, or break the
simple charm of quiet, unobtrusive beauty.  The vicinity of the
building to a town, the small means allowed for expenditure,
and, we will say, the readiness with which the material can be
obtained, determine the selection of brick as the substance of
which the house shall be principally built; and as the use of
this material obliges the necessity of a simple, reglular plan, and
uniform outline, we will conclude to adopt a building in the
modern Italian style as our type for erection.
I will first detail the entrance, or eastern front. The hall
doors should be simple, heavy doors, divided down the middle,
and each half, say two. feet three inches wide. On each side are
side windows, and a transom window across the top. This
arrangement I prefer to making the doors themselves sashdoors filled in with glass. The latter look a little more stylish,
but are more easily broken by a sudden slam-to from gusts
of wind. These windows, especially those at the top, should be
made to open, in order to secure a circulation of air without
the necessity of constantly open doors.
The eastern window, under the veranda, friom the library,
should be a French window, closing in the middle, and either
hung upon hinges or made to slide into the walls on either
side. If hinged in the ordinary manner, take care to direct
your carpenter to provide Woodbridge's Patent Weather-Strip,
which will not only make them tight at bottom, and exclude
all dust, wind, and most driving storms, but will make them
more easily opened and closed, from the simplicity and durability of the apparatus that both fastens and protects them.
Over this window, another would be required in the chamber




68                    RURAL HOMES.
of the floor above, and another over the hall. These windows
may be as simple as you please.
Above them again, I would make a small semicircular break
in the line of the roof, running over a circular window which
would give light to the attic; this window is placed in the
centre of the main building.
Here, with the kitchen buildings, stretching out north, and of
course of a lower elevation, are all the features we have on the
eastern side of the house; now let us see what can be done with
them, to obtain the desired effect.
In the first place, we will settle the character of the veranda,
which we can now do, having grounds to go upon. The building
being necessarily regular and of even surface, from the nature of
the material, a rough, rustic veranda would be out of keeping,
as would also be a classic colonnade, or a light trellis work. The
posts supporting its roof may be thus made. Put together
studs, two inches by three, in the form of a cross, around a
centre stud, four inches square; the outer studs to be furnished
with cut brackets at top and bottom, extending say four inches
at the bottom and six at the top, so as to form  caps and
bases, and the edges to be chamfered off until within three
or four inches of the top and bottom.  The cornice of the
roof to be very simple, consisting of a fascia, and above that
a heavy roll moulding, and, if means will afford, to be enriched
with brackets. The roof to be covered with metal or shingles,
and the under side to show the rafters, and to be ceiled above
them, and not straight across. These posts would be so arranged
as not to come in the way of windows in the rooms, and might
be placed in pairs, close together, and each pair about nine
feet from the next. Where the veranda runs around the bay



DETAILS OF THE EXTERNAL FEATURES.            69
window in the drawing-room, on the western side, the space
above would afford a good opportunity for a balcony entered
from the chamber floor, which might again be protected by a
light'roof, supported on brackets, over the window leading upon
it. Simply directing that the floor of the veranda would look
best if laid in narrow strips'of southern yellow pine, oiled, and
that some of the beautiful seats procurable at the Berrians'
be scattered here and there, I shall not have occasion to refer
to this portion of the building again.
The roof needs very simple treatment in order to secure a
desirable effect. The chimneys in the main house are gathered
exactly into its centre, around a ventilating discharging flue,
which may be terminated with an ejector, as described in the
preceding chapter on ventilation. The projecting cornice of the
roof will be supported by blocks following its rake and surrounding the foot of each rafter. These blocks, in fact, would be
formed by casing out the feet of the rafters to about eight by
six, and by cutting them at the ends into the form of the letter
S, (as described in chapter iii.)  The cornice to be nothing more
than a heavy roll moulding containing the gutter, and of the
simplest character.
A good effect may be given to all of the windows in building
the walls, by making a projecting face of two inches thick and
one foot wide, all round the opening, resting on the stone sill
below the window; this face, however, would be only in the
way if outside shutter blinds were used; but as the manner in
which I have in' a former chapter directed brick walls to be
built, namely, hollow, would allow of blinds to slide right and
left, I suggest this mode of finish, and advise that the blinds
should be made inside, and to slide.




7o                     RURAL HOMES.
We have now before us all the outside features of the house
-the building is simply treated —breadth of effect has been
gained by the avoidance of all obtrusive features, and the character of the home is perfectly congruous with that of the landscape. The quiet tone of coloring that pervades the natural
objects around will best be harmonized with by painting the
brickwork of the house with a warm, gray sanded paint, as
spoken of before, and by giving to the wood-work a more lively
tint, marking the difference of the materials without producing
too violent a contrast.
The wing containing the offices and real buildings, must of
course be of the same character as the main house; the roof
and cornice similar in treatment, though subordinate in design.
The stabling, barns, etc., should also present the same character
of finish, though only where such finish is essential, and not
merely ornamental. The barn, etc., may be built of wood-the
planking at the sides perpendicular, and the joints covered with
battens, the roof prqjecting, but without any cornice, the rafters
being cut at the ends into the form of an S.
Now, I have given the house and all its details, and in sketching them have thought of the nature of the scenery that surrounds, let us, dear reader, walk down the lane, and see how
such a house deserves the character of a home; how it will meet
the requirements I have, from  the first insisted, constitute tho
claim to that title. We open a substantial gate, heavily framed,
and its timbers chamfered, and walk towards the house. Its
view is at first concealed. by a belt of shrubs and trees, around
which the road makes a slight detour. As we walk on, its front
opens out upon our sight, cheerful, light, and yet massive, like
the stately trees and sturdy hills around. We step upon the




EXTERNAL VIEW.                    71
veranda; and as we take a seat beneath its shade, a peep
through a window discloses a cheerful room, fair, not fine within.
Seated in our chairs, we look down the green grassy meadow,
sloping towards the boundary dividing us from our neighbor's
lands on the south; and we notice how, by means of a sunk
fence, and by the skilful planting of a few trees here and there,
similar in character to those beyond, we have connected his
grounds with ours, and how, without robbing him of a single
acre, we have increased our sense of occupancy, in looking
around. A few sheep are quietly grazing, and birds are hopping
about near the house, and twittering as they light upon a crumb
or an earth-worm; the stream is heard fitfully in the distance
as the soft wind comes and goes, and all we see and hear increases our sense of simple beauty and quiet enjoyment.
Stepping out upon the lawn, we turn and look upon the
house. The broad veranda seems like a base to the building,
and gives massiveness and apparent firmness to its foothold upon
the ground, equally as it imparts lightness and variety to its
outline. The overshadowing roof, with its varied light and
shade, seems a fitting finish to the building; and the leading
parallel lines of the veranda are reproduced in its unbroken
horizontal line of cornice, and in the uniform elevation of the
windows. There is a peculiar stamp of fitness upon the whole;
and the building and the grounds, the natural objects and the
result of art, are in perfect congruity, and their union produces
a sense of that most chairming of all excellencies —homebeauty.
In this ideal scene I have thus erected a house, which may be
found to contain elements useful to those who desire to construct
a house of about the size and character of this for themselves.




72                    RURAL HOMES.
The simplicity, economy, and convenience that I have attempted
to embody therein, would probably make it favorably received
by many, and if the scenery or the circumstances any where'be
identical with those I have described, the fac-simile copy of this
design might perhaps with advantage be made. The cost of
construction would certainly not exceed four thousand dollars,
leaving one thousand for the out-buildings, gates, and fences,
thus appropriating, as I at first supposed, five thousand dollars
to the erection of a country home.
I will now take another scene, and sketch therein another class
of home.
Near a small country village, a road leads from its main
street, screened on either side by trees from the sun, and slightly
undulating in surface, giving here and there a pleasant glimpse
of landscape, varied in beauty and extent. Here and there
along this road are homes of the village gentry, and those families of more wealth and leisure, whom love of the country, and
the convenient contiguity of the village to tihe town wherein the
gentlemen are professionally employed, have caused to select this
neighborhood as their place of abode.
The class of house, of even the wealthy, has hardly attained
the dignity of the Suburban Villa, nor has' it the wide stretch
and informal arrangements of the genuine country house. The
legitimate -cottage seems the proper model for such a housenot the modern, pert, and inconvenient structure filled with odd
corners and all sorts of vulgar prettinesses; but the " little house"
— the true synonyme of the word cottage.
In the State of Connecticut, about a mile and a half from the




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DESCRIPTION OF A COTTAGE HOME.              73
village town of East Hartford, leads a road nobly shaded with
spreading trees, and on either side are such residences as I have
spoken of. Amid a beautiful orchard, and backed by shade
trees, stands a cottage home, erected two years ago from my
designs, for a gentleman, who finds himself so entirely satisfied
with its arrangements, and is so proud of its picturesque appearance, I will close this chapter by giving a description. The
building is framed of wood-has a high pitched roof, and is
substantially and thoroughly built.  A large cellar of brick runs
under the whole house, extending even under the verandas, thus
making the building at all seasons thoroughly dry, and in the
summer pleasantly cool. The occupant of the house, Mr. Henry
Olmsted, required a building half farm-house, half residencewith rooms spacious, and entries convenient both to the domestic
offices and to the residence part of the house; a sort of two
buildings under one i'oof-a style of house in very frequent demand in the country.
The illustration shows a perspective sketch fiom  the southeast, taken by a daguerreotype from the building itself.
It will be seen that the peculiar feature about the house is
the extreme projection of the roof. In fact, the veranda is
shaded by the main roof itself, the latter being supported by
framing of a very simple and effective character on the end,
and by posts, formed of studs put cross-way together, and cut
and moulded top and bottom, at the sides. The sharp gable
over the side is framed so that the construction shows externally
-this being no shamn, but the actual framing of the roof within,
the chamber ceilings of that part of the house being lathed upon
the curved beamns that support the roof. The sides of the house
are planked, and their joints covered with battens, the roof being
4




74                     RURAL HOMES.
shingled.  The heads of the doors and windows are protected
from  the weather by moulded labels, upon which the battens
rest, and though the detail about the building is very effective,
no ornamental work is any where introduced which does not
serve some constructive purpose of design.
leads into the entrance hall, No. 2, in which is the principal
staircase of the house.




DESCRIPTION OF A COTTAGE HOME.              75
On the right is a sitting room, No; 1, which is fifteen feet by
seventeen feet six inches.  From the hall is a parlor, No. 3, sixteen by nineteen, in which is a large bay-window, and of which
the French windows open upon the verandas on either side.
Behind this, communicating with the sitting-room, is a diningroom, No. 4, which is also sixteen by nineteen, and opening fiom
which is a large store-room, No. 7, fitted with shelves, and store,
and china, and glass-closets, etc.  No. 5 is a large kitchen,
twenty-one by nineteen, and No. 6 is the scullery and sink-room.
A back staircase leads up to the floor above, as shown on the
plan, and on each side of it are large closets, one into the parlor, and the other into the dining-room. The kitchen has a doorwindow on its western side, so that entrance may be had without
going through the house, and a similar' door, protected by a
porch on the northern end of the scullery, which leads towards
the farm-yard.  The rooms on this floor are all spacious, their
arrangement has been found extremely convenient by the occupants, and the plan will readily make it intelligible.
The chamber floor is similar in its distribution to the floor
below. No. 1 is over the sitting-room. No. 2, over the parlor.
No. 3, over the dining-room.  No. 4, a large chamber over the
kitchen. No. 5, a long room over the scullery, etc., lighted on
the east by a dormer-window on the roof. There are large
closets in Nos. 2, 3, and 4, and a large additional one might be
made from  No. 1, over the entrance hall, unless, like Mr.
Olmsted, the builder preferred the open, unobstructed, and
cheerful light, obtained by leaving the end unoccupied.  In a
portion of No. 5, a bath-room might very easily be partitioned
off, as the space is ample to allow it, and the nearness to the




e6                     RURAL HOMES.
kitchen below would permit the bathing apparatus to be supplied with water at a trifling expense.
PLAN 4.
The cost of this house may be stated at from twenty-five
hundred to three thousand dollars, the margin being left for the
amount of labor expended on the outside and inside finishings.
As erected in Connecticut, its cost was nearly three thousand
dollars, but the workmanship and materials throughout, were all
of the highest quality, and the extensive cellaring before alluded
to, might not by other builders be deemed necessary, and would,
of course, if curtailed, reduce the expense.
Its picturesque appearance attracts great attention, and as




DESCRIPTION OF A COTTAGE HOME.                77
creepers become trained upon the open tracery and posts of the
frame in front, the cheerful aspect of its southern end will be
greatly improved.
Its style is Gothic-so far at least as the high roofs, the
pointed arches of the tracery in front, and the character of the
labels over the windows-determine any distinctive style.  The
whole is painted a deep cream  color, the bold projections of the
roofs, posts, and tracery, casting interlacing lines of shadow that
vary the tint most beautifully, and for which reason a light tone
of coloring has been chosen. These effects of light and shade
would be lost if a darker background had been given as the
color of the house.




CHAPTER VI.
ACCOMMODATION SUITED TO A SHORT SUMMER RESIDENCE IN THE
COUNTRY-THE. SUMMER LODGE.
THERE are doubtless other scenes than those outlined in the
last chapter, which might advantageously be sketched, and the
means to obtain congruity therewith detailed; but in the examples given, a character of scenery very commonly encountered,
and a class of house constantly in demand having been considered, I propose in this and subsequent chapters to select
rather buildings not so usually met with, hoping that the designs
given may prove proportionately more valuable.
There are homes which are only homes of a season-homes
no less dear than those lived in at all times, but intended only
for occupancy during such portions of the year as the leisure or
the taste of their owners will permit. Many spend the winter
in the city, the summer in the country; and a home suited to
summer life is the one I will attempt to sketch here. The house
should be roomy —that is, the limit of hospitable accommodation
having been set according to the means of the owner —the
rooms, the passages, the chambers, and the domestic offices,




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DESCRIPTION OF A SUMMER LODGE.              79
should all be of liberal dimensions. There is no necessity to be
cramped in the country; and a house with a few but large
rooms in it is much better deserving the title of a Summer
Lodge than one with many but small chambers.  It should be
spread upon the ground-rather low than high, with spacious
verandas, and with shading and projecting roofs. The hall
should be roomy, and so opened in the house as to be used as a
sitting apartment, its position always at some portion of the day
making it cool and sheltered from the sun. The staircase should
either be distinct in itself, and carried up independently of the
house, or should be a means of thorough ventilation to the
building if placed in a more central position. The chambers
should be especially contrived with a view to perfect ventilation
and lowest attainable summer temperature, and this object may
be assisted by a means which perhaps many of my New England
readers will at first doubt-that is, by having as few windows as
possible. The more glass there is in a room, the hotter it will
be in sunshine. Have just so much light as is needed; the
position of the window or windows, and the use of other means,
will secure ventilation and coolness more effectually than windows on all sides, as I have seen.  So much by way of preface
for the inside -now for the outside.
Let me here sketch a scene that I have often studied, and
which is resembled, no doubt, by many a familiar spot in the
reach of most of my readers.
Little more than fifty miles from New York, away from railroads or North River, and yet within an hour's drive of either,
is an inland lake.  There is nothing particularly grand, or wild,
or beautiful about the spot, and yet it has a charm that endears
it to all who have lingered upon its margin.  The sheet of water




80                     RURAL HOMES.
is three or four miles long, and its surface is broken by many
rocky and tree-crowned islands, that give variety and increased
extent to the views from shore to shore. The margini is rocky,
and pretty well wooded; here and there is an acre or two of
natural lawn, stretching into the woods, and on the other sides
the road, in points nearly touching the water, and again hid
from view by an avenue of trees, winds along. But few houses
are in its vicinity-a small and quiet country hotel, a store, a
wheelwright's shop, and a *grist mill, the wheel of which is
turned by the overflow of the lake, are all that mark civilization
and man around. Its level is very high —so high as to be a
matter of curiosity, increased, too, by the fact that on one side
of the lake a narrow ledge of rocks separates it from a smaller
pond, which is one hundred and twenty feet below. I am thus
particular, because, doubtless, many of my readers will recognise
the description of the lake, and will be able to tell how far
the house I am going to sketch would be suitable upon its
banks.
There is plenty of wood around-much that would make
timber for building, and, at all events, sufficient to justify the
use of timber as the material.  The character of the scenery
is natural; wild, without being grandly magnificent; smooth
spots here and there, suggestive of quiet, effortless cultivation;
and the massy rocks and old trees seem to plead that no pretentious modern dwelling be allowed to thrust its tricksied face
for reflection upon the silver lake they frame. On one side of
the lake, the rocks and trees have drawn themselves away, and
have left an open lawn of an acre or more, sloping gently to the
lake, and extending along its bank for three or four hundred
feet; then come rocks again on either side, and then another




DESCRIPTION OF A SUMMER LODGE.              81
opening or two, but not so clear as the larger one, which will be
the site for the house. As far back from the water as the space
will permit, the house lifts up its eastern front.  The entrance is
on the eastern front, and the kitchens and offices stretch towards
the north, where also is the road by which access to the house
can be gained. The southern end looks across a varied prospect
of rock, and tree, and glen, parallel to the winding margin of the
lake, and the west looks upon the woods, and through them
upon glimpses of noble prospect of hill and other distant lakes,
miles and miles beyond; upon this side the trees have been
cleared away just sufficiently to make a little parterre and a
vegetable garden, a small dry lawn, and a shaded walk, and the
morning of a hot July or August day may, on this side of the
house, be passed without fear of sun or heat.
The ground plan here given will fully explain the internal
arrangements of this floor.
The entrance is in the centre of the eastern fiont. A recess
covered over by a light roof, supported upon brackets, will allow
a carriage to drive up to the door and its occupants to alight
under shelter. The hall, No. 1, which is so large as to admit of
being used as an occupied apartment, extends throughout the
whole space between the two wings of the main building, and is
ten feet by twenty-six. At its one end are sliding doors opening
into a spacious drawing-roomn, thirty-three feet by sixteen, No. 2,
a truncated bay-window at its southern side, making the apartment of pleasing proportions. In front of the hall is a diningroom, No. 3, twenty-six by sixteen feet, and communicating
therewith is a large waiters'-pantry under the staircase, and beyond it the domestic offices.  No. 4 is a library, sixteen feet by
fourteen, with a projecting window in its eastern side. This
4A*




82                     RURAL HOMES.
room  would scarcely be required any longer, as the spacious
t!          |   m     -
PLAN 5.-SUMMER LODGE.
hall would afford room (if more be needed) for recessed bookcases anld niches filled with old china or honored busts.




DESCRIPTION OF A SUMMER LODGE.              83
The staircase is in the inner hall, No. 5, and is of ample size
and grand appearance. No. 9, is a vestibule leading towards the
kitchen and domestic offices, which are of most ample dimensions and convenient arrangement, and are distributed as follows:
No. 10 is a large store-room, to be filled with shelves and
presses as needed, and leaving sufficient space for occupancy as
a morning or work-room, a fire-place being provided " against a
rainy day."  No. 6, under the staircase, is the waiters'-pantrv,
and in drawing the working-plans to an enlarged scale, provision
could easily be shown for coat, and hat, and shoe-closets, etc.,
all of which the present drawing is necessarily too minute to
exhibit in detail. No. 7, is the cooks' serving-room, communicating with the waiters'-pantry, and No. 8, a plate and chinacloset for those articles in daily use. The position of the back
staircase will be apparent from the plan.
No. 12, is the kitchen, communicating with which the servants'
hall, No. 11-a very necessary, though not usually provided
aspartment.  No. 13, is a scullery and sink-room, opening upon an
enclosed back porch, No. 15, by a door in the end of its inner
side. No. 14, is a larder and kitchen store-room, and No. 16 a
laundry, which also comrmunicatPes with the back porch and with
the servants' hall.
These domestic offices are of unusually generous dimensions
and variety, but in the hope that the necessity for a more liberal
accommodation for culinary purposes may be apparent to my
readers, I have made this summer lodge a model in this respect.
I would in this connection say, that the plan here given for the distribution of the domestic buildings is one that has received from
me long study, and has been commended by very- many competent
judges. In Mr. Downing's country houses, a standard authority




84                     RURAL HOMES.
on such subjects, especial attention has been called to a somewhat
similar plan, and the slight changes I have in this example made
from  the design published in that excellent book, have been
determined upon from the desire to concentrate the arrangement of the adjuncts to a country kitchen.
The ventilation of the servants' portion of the house, where
other than the usually provided circulation of air by doors and
windows, might readily be secured by the construction of an airexhausting shaft at the back of the kitchen fire-place. The radiated heat from the latter would cause an upward motion in the
column of air within the shaft, and communication having been
established therewith by means of openings provided with the
Messrs. Berrian's Ventilating Valve, all impure and heated air,
together with effluvia from culinary operations, would be carried
off.
The arrangement of the chamber floor may be seen by
reference to the chamber plans.
The principal staircase lands at its first flight upon a level with
the floor over the domestic offices, opening upon which level is
the back staircase.  Then, as the superior height of the rooms
in the main house requires a rise again above the rooms in the
wing, a flight of stairs leads up to the floor of the hall and the
chambers over the main portion of the house.
The staircase is very roomy, airy, and well lighted, and would
have a grand and imposing appearance. Through an open
arch-way leads a corridor over the entrance hall below. Out
of this are partitioned off small rooms, No..3 and No. 7, forming
dressing-closets to the chambers with which they connect. In
the centre of this corridor a large space is left which would permit a pleasant recess for sitting, and as its window would com



DESCRIPTION OF A SUMMER LODGE.              85
mand a view of the lake below, this would be, particularly in
the afternoons and evenings, an agreeable spot for chit-chat for
the ladies of the house.
CHAMBER.-PLAN 6.
The sleeping apartments are all spacious-so spacious, that as
dressing-rooms are plentifully provided, I have not curtailed their




86                     RURAL HOMES.
dimensions with partitions for closets, preferring in this case that
wardrobes or other furniture conveniences be made their substitute.  No. 1 is a large chamber, sixteen by nineteen, and communicating therewith is a room, No. 4, which might as occasion
served, be used either as its dressing-room, a separate chamber,
or as a dressing-room  to chamber No. 5. No. 2 is a sleepingroom, sixteen by fourteen, communicating with which is a light,
airy dressing-closet, six by eight, No. 3. No. 5 is provided with
a closet, gained out of the thickness of the inner wall and the
projection for the chimney-breast, and is sixteen by fifteen.
No. 6, over the library, is sixteen by fourteen, and is provided
with a dressing-closet, No. 7.
The position of the doors, windows, fire-places, etc., has been
especially thought of, in reference to the convenient placing of a
bed and the requisite articles of furniture usually contained in
comfortable sleeping rooms.
Over the  domestic offices, in the wing, are the following
rooms:No. 8, entered after descending a wide flight of stairs in a corridor lighted from above, is for a bathing apparatus and a water
closet. In this corridor is a large closet for the use of the housemaids, designated by the letter C on the plan. No. 10, off the
back staircase, is a large, well lighted.linen closet; and Nos. 9
and 11 are servants' sleeping rooms, each one provided with a
spacious closet.
It will be seen that the chamber accommodation is upon the
most liberal scale; but if the mode of life of its occupants demanded it, an increased number of rooms might be gained in
the attic, the height and pitch of the roof permitting, in its
centre, without any additional increase of height of the posts,




RUSTIC FURNITURE.                 87
several rooms, both with economy and advantage. The external
appearance of such a house should be simple, rustic, and broad.
The character of the exterior must be suited to the material.
The covering should be plank, put perpendicularly, and secured
with battens. The roof covered with shingles, projecting four
feet at the eaves and. gables, and supported by simple brackets,
as shown in the perspective sketch at the commencement of the
chapter.
Without intending to carry out the style into any ornate
excess, I would suggest a modification of that called Gothic, as
appropriate to the scenery and material. The gables might be
relieved by showing some open framing, and some ornamental
construction, the details of which, however, should be simple and
bold. The eaves may be supported by simple brackets, following the rake of the roof, and resting on corbel blocks, and a string
course, against which the upright battens may terminate. The
windows should be simply square-headed, with mullions in each,
dividing the aperture into openings or bays; and in the library
I would make a projecting bay-window on the eastern end, giving
a cheerful sitting-place for a book, and occasional peep across the
lake, and affording on enrichment to the general appearance of
the eastern front. The verandas and the porch would be simply
made of wood-the posts of the trunks of trees, with the bark
thereon, (nailed and varnished as described in a previous chapter,)
and the seats upon the verandas of similar character.
So much of effect may be obtained by the careful and artistic
placing about the house and verandas of articles of rustic furniture, I have given some specimens of simple manufacture suited
to the purpose. The chair here shown is of a simple but durable
construction, and admirably suited to' the veranda or to the




88'RURAL HOMES.
RUSTIC CHAII
grounds of a summer lodge. It is made strongly and compactly,
and the bark is left on, so that it may be in keeping with the
appearance and texture of surrounding objects. The price ranges
fiom two and a quarter to three dollars.  Cheap and good.
RUsTI  TABLE.
A rustic table is made to accompany the chairs given above,
and is as pleasingly simple. It is very firmly made, and its price
is five dollars.




RUSTIC FURNITURE.                 89
For shady nooks here and there in the grounds, and for the
centre or between the windows of the veranda, the subjoined
Ruswo SoFA.
design of a rustic sofa would be found very appropriate. The
price would be eight or ten dollars, according to the size. All of
these articles, together with an infinite variety of other odds and
e'nds suited to the embellishment and comfort of country life, can
be found at the Messrs. Berrian's, Broadway; and the firm is
daily adding to its stock, and keeps the run of every thing new.
The furniture and internal fittings of such a house should be
very simple, but convenient; and in my chapter upon " Summer
Furniture" will be' found many examples of articles adapted to
such a building. The whole building should be painted and
sanded, and the entrance doors should be made of yellow pine,
or other hard wood, oiled and varnished. The chimneys might
be of brick, with a simple cap and base of stone, or of the former
material. The verandas would look best constructed in the rustic
method before described, and the detail of the whole of the external woodwork should be very bold and simple.




90                   RURAL HOMES.
Thus the house and scenery would accord; and the building
so treated would form no unfit model for a " Summer Lodge."
The estimated cost of this building is eight thousand dollars.
This has been arrived at by actual figuring upon enlarged drawings, by a competent builder, as if for actual execution.




CHAPTER VII.
THE HOMESTEAD.
THERE is a style of house needed in parts of this country,
somewhat analogous in intention, though not in absolute purpose, to the manor-house of England. Although the absence of
a law of primogeniture here necessarily tends to prevent the
retention in one family of a " household-place," yet there arc
many large landed estates, of which at least some one central
portion may safely be hoped to be preserved intact, and in
which a homestead as a culminating point for the sympathies
and gathered remembrances of the family, would be very
desirable.
This want, without wishing even by implication to advocate
any principle repugnant to Constitutional feeling, or Republican
character, I will in this chapter seek to supply.
Perhaps it would be in such a class of house that a national
architecture would most probably -in time develope itself. Public
buildings, edifices for trade and commerce, small residences
erected by individual fancy and but for a temporary occupancy,
are too much controlled by impulse, the fashion or the style of
the moment, and other easily understood causes, ever to generate




92                     RURAL HOMES.
a specific style suited to the genius and the wants of a great
people.
Therefore it is, I think, fairly to be supposed that the countryhome of the landed or retired gentry, having to meet an
universal want, will, as an universal taste is gradually attained,
become the nucleus of a style of a People's Architecture.
It is not likely that the first efforts will be free from effects of
the trammels of precedent and the stereotyped maxims of the
architectural schools, but after a while the valuable principles
only will be remembered that gave beauty to this and that bygone style, and the details, peculiarities, and arbitrary rules be
set aside unless subservient to the governing tauth. But truth
in art is progressive; it developes itself into perfect fullness only
step by step; the germ may be with us now, but the glorious
beauty of the complete flower can only be surmised. The mistake that is most to be guarded against is, unnecessary whimsicality on the one hand, and the difficulty of steering clear of old
associations on the other.
For the rural home of a land-possessing family, a house must
be contrived with reference to the following necessities:
In the first place, its character must be one that will attach the
sympathies of its occupants. This too, not merely by its absolute
and Aesthetic beauty, but by. inherent qualities of fitness and
unison with the purposes of life, and with the tastes and principles
of the owner.
The severity of the purely classical styles is certainly not congenial to modern American taste, nor are their examples
practically adapted to the climate and nature of the country.
The innumerable.varieties of the styles that have been originated
by the necessities and the changes of modern times from the




GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE.                   93
classical model, have many of them excellencies that must commend their adoption here and there in this country. Yet there
is nothing specific, nothing suggestive about any one of them,
and therefore, for the universal adoption under local restrictions
of a people's architecture, some other element of design must be
suggested.
The Gothic, from a congeniality of origin with the race that
controls this vast continent, has in its elements a principle that
makes its adoption seemingly more fitting than the styles of
Greece and Rome. And yet, in the strict sense of the term, a
Gothic house is not the homestead that we are seeking; it approaches it more nearly it is true, but from causes I will attempt
to explain, does not satisfactorily embody the characteristics that
are required.
Gothic architecture as applied to domestic purposes requires,
if properly carried out, a peculiarity and completeness of detail
and finish that render. the noble examples with which Europe is
thronged unfitting for reproduction here, or indeed there.  By
this I do not mean that lavish decoration is indispensable; on the
contrary, there are thousands of ancient buildings as simply,
honestly plain as puritan could wish: but, pervading every
minute detail, the governing principle of Gothic art must be
plainly felt and seen. The principle alluded to was then a truth,
but now from the development of fresh necessities the truth
remains the same, but its working has become different.  The
great governing truth was then as it is now-fitness.  But the
genius of the age then was ecclesiastical, the suggesting influence
of Gothic art reverential worship; and so deeply were its examples imbued with this, that whether in cathedral, chapter
house, manse, or cottier's lodge, the all influencing spirit was at




94                    RURAL HOMES.
work. This gave in the upward, soaring tendency of all its
leading lines the constant recurrence of features beautifully significant then, and fitted eminently to the most scientific principles
of construction. But now the forms are merely copied, and a
house is made Gothic "because it looks pretty," and does not
any longer become Gothic, because the influence and feeling of
the times would in no wise else find embodiment. Thus the
source of beauty in Gothic art was the constant subservience to
the truth of fitness; that fitness determined not only by the
exact adaptation to constructive purposes, but by the pervading
church feeling of the times.
This has now become changed. The once powerful concentration of thought to one specific end, that produced results so
grandly and so wonderfully beautiful, is no longer amongst us.
We do not deplore its departure, or weakly sigh for the "good
old times;" we have other good, as a substitute, and the advance
of time, and change and improvement in social and intellectual
condition, demand now a change in the circumstances to which
the ever-existing truth of fitness must be applied.
We of this Saxon race have, however, advanced with Gothic
art rather than have left it. We have still congeniality with its
principles, and we feel somehow always a home-whispering voice
at the heart, when we gaze upon some crumbling beauty of its
production in our nation's birth-place across the ocean, different
and more dear than the emotions that fill our souls in Greece
and Italy. I think this is so universally, and the growing fondness for modern "Gothic cottages" seems to show that the
inborn feeling is seeking outer vent. But the best as yet attempted in this line has been scarcely more than meagre imitations of some Gothic building complete in itself, or of bits of




THE HOMESTEAD.                     95
detail copied here and there, and woven into a patchwork, generally more whimsical than skilful. I hardly know of one honest
effort to take to pieces the machinery of Gothic art, and find out
its working power,' and then apply it here; and yet this is what
should be done before essaying the introduction of a style so
marked in its features.
Let me now attempt the task; and if not successful, the
endeavor will perhaps interest mx  readers sufficiently  to
repay them for the time I would have them bestow upon this
chapter.
Required to define a house suited to American life, manners,
and climate; in which the element of design shall be exact fitness of every portion to the purpose for which it is intended.
Decoration to be embellishment, and to grow out of the circumstances of treatment of construction as they may arise, rejecting
all that does not serve some definite purpose, or carry out some
specific idea. This is what I propose to do.
Material, climate, and method of carrying on the workings of
domestic life are the first considerations to be thought about.
We will suppose the scenery and educated taste to be sufficiently
similar everywhere.
The natural materials of nearly universal provision in the
States are timber and stone.  The climate, though varied in different portions of the country, demands, however, nearly the same
protection against its contingencies. The dreary snows of the
north require the same form of roof, for instance, as the deluging
rains and furious winds of the south, and it is a truism  that
"' what will keep out the cold will exclude the heat."  Stone and
wood can be made equally subservient to the same principles of
construction, although widely differing in character.




96                     RURAL HOMES.
Thus, then, there seems no peculiar constructive difficulty in
this country to the use of any consistent style of architecture;
so far, therefore, there is no obstacle to encounter.
The first constructive want demands a steep, high pointed
roof. That is easily given, but it'will affect the rest of the building. How? It will require the general lines not to contradict
the upward pointing tendency of this prominent feature of the
edifice. So, then, we have a first element of design to work
upon-upward direction of its main lines. But this, if universally carried out, would involve a form not suited to every situation, or congenial with every style of scenery.  Therefore the
design must in character present such a harmonious combination
of the vertical line to accord with this.soaring tendency, and the
horizontal line, to accord with the ordinary features of every day
landscape.  But this can only be done, without danger of violation of one of the first laws of symmetry, by making the vertical
character the main feature of the house, and the other subordinate, arriving,-in fact, at the pyramidal form or an outline based
upon its principle.
In the illustration serving as the fiontispiece is a view of the
building I have designed as an example of the class of houses I
am attempting to describe. The general outlines of the mass,
although broken up into bold features which embody the vertical
principle, present a symmetrical, and really, almost a cubicular
appearance. And yet the summit, or " sky line," as painters
would call it, is varied in the extreme; the breaks, however,
being formed by bold projectioms in plan, rather than by diversity of height. The pointed gables that cre vn the different portions of the structure are no less necessary as portions of the
construction than of the composition. The tower, containing in




TIlE HOMESTEAD.                    97
its uppermost story a room for command of extensive prospect,
is the most strongly marked feature of the building, at least as
regards the first impression upon the eye, in viewing the general
mapping of the parts of the edifice; but it is not only very useful in itself, as will presently be seen by reference to the plan,
but its treatment and intention are such as to lift the building
up, and give symmetry and meaning to its outlines. The high
pitch of the roof tells its own story; wind and weather might
assail it in vain, and as, on looking closely into a proof of the
engraving now before me, I find that possibly the small projection I have intentionally made at the eaves might mislead into
the supposition that I intended a parapet running around them,
I would here remark that such is not the case. A gutter is provided, which extends so as to overlap the upper surface of the
walls merely a few inches.  Dripping eaves would be inconve-.nient, and the streams of water soon deface the walls, and a
widely projecting roof would, in this particular case, add nothing
to the provision for protection of the mason work, and would
only cause the accumulation of a larger body of water from its
additional surface; and by its projection, removing the gutter
farther from the walls, would make a greater difficulty in conveying it into the cesspool or cistern into which it is to be conducted.
Next to the tower, the most prominent feature that would be
likely to challenge remark is the large porch-like projection on
the south. This is the ombra-the meaning of which word I
have before explained; and it will at once be seen, on looking to
the plan a few pages ahead, to be a very desirable and most
comfortable addition to the house. A geometrical elevation of
the eastern or entrance side of the house is given, drawn to a
5




08                     RURAL HOMES.
scale of one twentieth of an inch to the foot, a scale which, I will
remark, is used to all the plans in this book, where no other
directions are given.
In this, the general character of the architecture of the building is easily discernible. It will be seen to be simply what the
forms of each part themselves suggest. The details, and such
ornamented construction as is permitted, are merely embodiments of the leading principles of design already laid down.
The entrance-way is through an arched opening into a vestibule;
arched because the construction required it; and the material,
which is assumed to be stone, permitted greater strength to be
gained, and with superior economy and character by such a form
than by a square-headed opening with its lintel and posts.
The rough edges of the stone are cut off at an angle,-chlamfered, as such a process is technically called, and the radiating
joints of the masonry round the pointed arch are protected from
injury of water lodging therein, by a hood moulding a few
inches above them, cut off abruptly on the under side, so as to
at. once throw off the water, and sloped to an easy curve on the
upper side, so as to lead the wet along, and discharge it perpendicularly at the " drip," or termination of the moulding.. Buttresses are shown to the angles if this projecting block of building.  These are necessary, because so much of the stone-work
has been cut away, to allow the opening to the door on one side,
and the window on the other, that the superincumbent weight
would be too much for the piers thus left, unless' they were aided
and strengthened by buttresses, or other such support. The bay
window that projects on this side is a feature too commonly met
with to demand remark. I would only call attention to the connection given therewith.and the building, and the preservation




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THE HOMESTEAD.                     99
of the unity of principle decided on fiom thefirst, by the arrangement of the windows above it, by which the pyramidal form is
carried out, and the parallelism and horizontal tendency of the
lines of the upper part of the window, blended into a return to
the vertical expression. The same remark also will apply to the
combination of the windows in the other gable, facing south. The
central portion recessed, where is the ombra, has, you will observe, a uniform and intentional parallelism and strict adherence
to horizontal lines. This, if the.building were cut off here, would
cause an unsightly want of symmetry in the whole mass; but
the tower on one side, the connection of the ombra therewith,
and the marked character of the pointed gable that flanks it on
its other side, make it a subordinate to the whole mass, a necessary background to these prominent features, and a point of contrast that permits the boldness of the rest to be more apparent.
Thus much at present in regard to the exterior. Let me now
direct attention to the arrangement within.
The plan of the principal floor is thus disposed:
No. 1 is the entrance vestibule, with inner doors shutting it
out from the hall, No. 2. The vestibule is twelve feet square;
the hall eleven feet wide by twenty-five in length.  This hall is
lighted by a large window looking north, and communicates
through an opening also shut off by double doors, with the staircase hall and vestibule No. 7. The main hall would, from the
nature of its light, be an appropriate place for the hanging of
pictures, and would be also-as it should be-at all times a cool
and agreeable apartment.
Immediately on entering the hall is a door leading into the
library, a large and cheerful room, twenty-six feet by sixteen, on
one side of which is a bay window, and at the end a stone fire



100                   RURAL HOMES.
proof closet recessed and arched overhead, (No. 4,) in which
books, plate, or valuable papers could safely be stored. The
drawing room, No. 5, is entered from the main hall, and also
PLAN r. —GROUND PLA.
from the vestibule.  It is twenty-six feet by about twenty in the
clear, and its one sideis, by means of large windows, made so
as to be entirely opened to the ombra. Connected with the
drawing-room is a small boudoir or ladies' room, being the first
story of the tower, and is thirteen feet square. The boudoir,
drawing room, and library, all open on to the ombra, alarge and
agreeable shade room, the natural artistic development of the




THE HOMESTEAD.                    101
progress from  the ancient "stoup."  This is a delightful place
for sitting in, and as an easily obtained addition to a suite of
rooms, cannot be too strongly advocated as a feature in American
domestic architecture. It could be enclosed with glass in the
winter, and artificially warmed; thus used as an enlargement of
the drawing-room, or as a conservatory.
The staircase hall, No. 7, contains the principal stairway, and
also a double door leading on to a veranda which might extend
along the side of the house, including the western side of the
boadoir or not, as seemed desirable.
The dining-room, No. 8, is a large room, twenty-four by seventeen in the clear, exclusive of the projecting western window.
Communicating with this is a waiters'-pantry, No. 9, furnished
with glass and china closets, and opening into a vestibule, No. 10,
in which are stairways leading to the kitchen below, and to
the floor above, and also a door into the main hall.
I have in this design assumed that the land so falls away on
the northern side as to permit the kitchens to be in a basement
below, hence the arrangement of the domestic offices is not
shown; but if more desirable, they could easily be extended in
a wing jutting out towards the north, and made to communicate
with the pantry as at present shown.  The spot upon which
this design was studied had the ground so falling away, and induced the arrangement I have given.
The chamber plan gives ample accommodation for a large
falmily, and with a due regard to rooms for guests.  It is thus
arranged:
The staircase leads to a landing on which is a door into
chamber No. 1, over the boudoir, which, not being so high as
the drawing-room, etc., is entered upon a different level above,




102                   RURAL HOMES.
to that of the floor over the main portion of the house. Above
this is another room of similar size, and then a space in which is
a stairway leading to the observatory or upper story of the
tower.
1 I. | 6K
PLAN 8.-CHAMBER.
Continuing up the main entrance, the vestibule shown upon
the plan is reached; this is nine feet by nineteen. A door in
this leads to a large sleeping-room, No. 2, the same size as the
dining-room below, and to which is a dressing-room, not shown
upon the plan, but occupying the place designated by No. 3.




THE HOMESTEAD.                    103
This room (No. 3), containing a bathing apparatus, etc., is on a
level with a landing on the servants' staircase, and is entered by
descending a few steps from the spacious hall or corridor over
the hall below. As this room need not be more than eight feet
high, a dressing-room might be contrived over it from the chamber last spoken of, a step or two being made between the floors.
No. 4 and No. 5, are chambers over the drawing-room, each of
ample size and well provided with roomy closets.
No. 6, is over the entrance vestibule, and the recessed closet
below is thrown. into the room, thereby making it a very convenient shape for a bed. No.'7, is a room the full extent of the
spacious library below, and over the bay-window, a balcony is
obtained entered from French windows. Nos. 8 and 9 are closets.
Above this the roofs would permit cool, well-ventilated, and
large sleeping-rooms for servants, and it will at once be seen
that the provision for the repose of guests is as hospitably ample
as would probably be needed.
The finishing and furnishing of such a house should be
governed by the same intention that controls the external design.
The library with its roomy book-cases, easy-chairs, tables, and two
or three folding-stands for portfolios of engravings, with a pedestal
and a bronze or a bust here and there, only requires a natural
arrangement to be in perfect taste. The doors of the room, of the
lower presses or closets, of the book-cases, may be hinged with
some such massy hinges as the annexed cut represents.
These are of American manufacture, and can be procured
silver plated, brass, or bronzed. I saw them a few days ago, and
was so pleased with their appearance, that, thinking a representation would be valuable, I have introduced one into this chapter.
They can be procured of Baldwin & Maany, 49 John Street,




104                   RURAL HOMES.
New York, where is kept constantly an unusually large and varied
assortment of everything appertaining to the metal work and
finishing of a house. At the same establishment, among the
HINGE.
many articles of ingenuity, beauty, and utility I examined, I
selected a number of things that I thought would be a means of
making these directions for the perfecting of a home more practically useful, and in different portions of this work I shall, from
time to time, introduce such as seem worthy of notice.
An immense variety of beautiful articles manufactured in
porcelain could very advantageously be selected fiom in imDOOR-KINOB.
bellishing and firnishing a homestead, amongst them, door-knobs,




THE HOMESTEAD.                    105
of which a specimen is here given, display some truly artistic
taste in their designs, and are no less elegantly than firmly and
durably made.
A great improvement has been introduced by Baldwin &
Many in the manufacture of the shanks of these articles-the
old objection of the knob being liable to become detached from
the shoulder, being in those made by this firm entirely.removed.
The windows opening out of the drawing-room, boudoir, and
library into the ombra should be made to close in the centre,
either swinging back upon hinges, or sliding into the walls.
There is frequently a difficulty in properly securing the two
halves of such windows without a complication of bolts and
locks that renders their use objectionable.  A simple and beautiful little machine invented in Paris, where these windows are
greatly used, has recently been introduced into this country,
and as I have found it effectively to answer its purpose, I
give here a representation. It is called the "Espagnlette Bolt,"
ESPAGNLETTE BOLT.
and is procurable at the warehouse of the same firm  I have
5*




10.6                  RURAL HOMES.
just alluded to. Its working is very simple, the leverage
bringing the two parts of the window together, and constantly
drawing them as closely as their construction will permit. This
and  Woodbridge's Patent Weather-Strip are very valuable
for French windows.
The drawing room and boudoir will permit such enrichment
as taste and means will suggest, taking care, however, that the
room be not too much cumbered with light or useless articles of
fine furniture, and that the effect of breadth which the simple
grouping together of a few choice pieces here- and there would
easily induce, be not frittered away. The wood for the doors, the
staircases, the library and dining room furniture, should all be
national-Southern pine, black walnut, American oak, and chestnut, oiled and polished, (not varnished,) will afford a sufficient
variety, and the design of all these accessories should accord with
that of the house.
The glazing of the windows might be. made a means of imparting considerable character to the house. The old glass used
in Gothic times could then only be manufactured in small pieces.
Hence the minute " quarries," (as they are called,) and the leaden
reticulated casements found in churches and domestic buildings
of olden times. The servile copying, however, of such forms
into modern buildings, when the improvement in the manufacture of glass renders suchs mall lights unnecessary, is a miserable mannerism, and I have seen many a really sensible house
spoiled by the ridiculous embodiment in its design of an obsolete
mode- of construction.  Furthermore, the leaden strips which
held the glass in old windows was small and unobtrusive, and
projected so little from the glass, that the outline of its intersection was scarcely seen, the decoration generally running all over,




DESCRIPTION OF A SUMMER LODGE.             1o0
the window being usually so cunningly wrought that the black
cross lines formed by the lead bindings seemed portions of the
embellishment rather than constructive parts of the window.
Here wooden sashes supply the place of the lead; and when
diagonal or other geometrical forms are introduced into modern
Gothic windows, the necessity for making the work sufficiently
strong obliges the use of wood-work so thick and heavy, that the
light is obscured, and the appearance of the whole casement is
clumsy. The beauty of our clear modern glass, the unobstructed
view its large and clear panes afford, plead for an honest and
sensible use. Therefore let the panes be large, and as the square
or parallelogram is not always a harmonious outline in such a
house as I am describing, let some variation in its form be attempted. This may be done by leaving some large and unobstructed glass opening for view and light, and surrounding it
with a simple border of framework, made of right lines disposed
at various angles, and the spaces between, if wished, filled with
stained and mosaic glass, of such dainty device and sparkling
hues as will best harmonize with the decoration and tone of
coloring within.
But I cannot pause, or there will not be space left for other
matters no less important or interesting than the homestead.
Remarking only, in conclusion, that the masonry of the house
should be rough, if of stone, and that a porch under which a
carriage could drive might, without violation of the principles of
the design, be erected before the entrance door [I omitted this
in the views, for the sake of making the marked feature-of the
ombra still more prominent], that broad lawns should be left
before its fronts, with shade trees placed in accordance with proconceived design, not spotted here and there as if their planter




108                   RURAL HOMES.
had sailed over in a balloon and shaken them  out of a peppercaster; and that such a building finished substantially and consistently would cost twelve thousand dollars, or might be so
treated as to be built for less, —I commend this study of a homestead, and these ideas of the elements of design, suggestive of a
national Rural Architecture, to the attention of all lovers of the
beautiful, the real, and the true.








B 
SUBURBBAN1  VILLA   p 107




CHAPTER VIII.
THE SUBURBAN VILLA.
THE immediate vicinity to a town seems to require or permit
a more ornate and less utilitarian style of building than would suit
the broad and open country. The evidences of advanced civilization, wealth, and spendor around justify, in the home for retirement from the cares and turmoil of the city, a modest putting
forth of the position, consequence, and taste of its occupants.
The neighborhood of many of the manufacturing and commercial towns of England abound in beautiful examples of the Villa
Rustica. The environs of London, particularly St. John's Wood,
and the neighborhood of the Edgeware Road, are studded with
handsome places and pretty cottages well arranged for the purposes of the life for which they were built. The Continent of
Europe is full of them, though of a different type to the Anglicised villa suggested by the home efforts of Palladio and Vitruvius, who drew their inspiration from  the pure taste of the
courtly Roman gentlemen, the once fathers and patrons of art in
Italy.
Less progress has, perhaps, been made in the suburban villa,




110                   RURAL HOMES.
in this country, than, in almost any other branch of architectural
study, not for want of opportunities for experiment-every town
and city in the Union more or less abounding in them-but
from the prevalence of two great mistakes, which I think most
of my readers will admit to exist. A gentleman desirous of
building a family home in the outskirts of the city, is. apt to fall
into one of these two errors, either that of endeavoring to drag
the city out to his door-step, (evinced by the high three windows
on each floor, back and front, a house the type of which exists in
any newly attempted settlements in the distant wilds of far
away up-town): or he falls into the other error, and erects him
a house, too large on the ground for his lot, too whimsical for
contrast with the necessarily many regular forms around, and too
evidently, if good in itself, requiring a large, cheerful lawn and a
background of forest-trees to set it forth to anything approaching
to advantage.
The villa should always be retired, if even on a most constantly frequented street and road. Still, though the depth of
the lot will not, in all cases, permit of the building being placed
back, and the planting of a screening belt of evergreens and
shrubs to shut it out from view, by placing the rooms most constantly used by the family, and the flower garden in the rear or
side, (as the aspect will suggest,) the conveniences of privacy and
retirement may be attained. I would not wish to shut a house
into a well of tall trees and impervious fences, but neither would
I counsel the bare and unprotected arrangement so generally in
vogue, which permits each passer-by to command the movements of every one within.
Were I asked what should be the feature most prominent in
an American villa, I would say " the veranda," for to no portion




THE SUBURBAN VILLA.                  111
of the house are perfect comfort and effective appearance attributable so much as to its provision for shade.  In fact, this may be
considered the element of the character of the design, and the
"veranda style" in this age of, new nomenclature would be no
unfit description of a class of house otherwise difficult to be
placed in the list of recognised orders and styles. If my leaders
will permit me to decide this as the first important consideration
in determining the character for the house, I will endeavor to
suggest the treatment it should receive in different localities and
under different circumstances.
Where the immediate neighborhood of a large city possesses
considerable and varied natural beauty, with ground irregular,
and with mossy rocks, and sparkling water here and there, to
mark the links between the busy city within, and the wide range
of nature without; the building should, in a measure, carry out
the same feeling. It may be that the house stands on a natural
terrace of mossy bank and rock; the surface of the road may
undulate, dipping now suddenly down to the bridge over the
river that brings wealth to the city, and now stretching far
behind, up and down and right and left, until its course is lost in
the distance. The probability is that the shape of the lot is
regular-a rectangle parallel to the street, and so great irregularity of outline upon the ground would be both inconvenient
and unnecessary; for the easiest way to reconcile broken surface
of country around with form of building is by breaks in height,
or, as it is called, in the " summit outline." A tower and lookout may shoot up somewhere fiom the block of the main
building, and break lines else monotonous; and this or any
other irregular feature may the more easily be ventured upon if
the veranda base is ample, and by its bold appearance unite and




112                     RURAL HOMES.
keep down all that might otherwise have seemed too distinct
or prominent.  In such a situation, almost any style will be susceptible of adaptation in its details; perhaps the high-pointed
Gothic might, unless very carefully treated, appear too positive,
and challenge too much observation from the absence of that
partial means of concealment which should not permit it to be
seen all at once; or if so, only from a distance, and where there
is a background or a balancing object beyond or near to it; and
this, from the necessity of close proximity to a public road, and
from  the desire for careful and minute finish in'details, is not
easy here. The Italian is, perhaps, universally adapted to the
purposes of villa building, and as the house now to be described
originated in Italy, and has even given a name to the building
itself as well as its style, it may be considered, in the absence of
reasons, to demand a preference for any other, as the legitimate
style for the suburban villa.  This style I have before sketched,
and as it is susceptible of infinite variety in its treatment, and
is, moreover, one equally adapted to the simplest home and
grandest mansion, its adoption for the purpose named, will, I
think, appear suitable.
This style must not be confounded with the Roman or the
classic, and no visions of lofty columns or of pediment must flit
before the eyes of my readers on encountering the term'Italian.
It is a fact, that in the suburbs of Rome, Florence, Genoa, etc.,
the column was seldom or never seen in any relation to a domestic purpose. With the exception of a few graceful columns
supporting the inner arcade of the atrium  or court, a simple
pilaster or antse, here and there, and a truncated column affording a pedestal for a sun-dial, I am not aware of the existence of
any ancient dwelling of the villa class, possessing column, pedi



THE SUBURBAN VILLA.                 113
ment, or portico. It remained for us in modern times to combine
the temple and the three-story firont, and to disfigure a building,
and bring opprobrium  upon the classic style, by erecting the
masses of unmeaning carpentry our every suburb shows. The
ancient villa had a broad overhanging roof, spacious covered
cloisters or walks, (answering to our veranda now,) and generally
a means of covered carriage-approach to the hall of the dwelling.
It had also a peculiarity seldom retained here (excepting in
Mexico,) in an inner court of large size, covered over at the top
on the same level as the roof, and decorated with fountains, mosaic pavement, parterre and statuary, and with an arcade of
simple columns, or light open metal tracery, round the four sides,
upon which the doors and windows from the apartments within
looked, there frequently being no windows in the outside of the
building that could afford any prospect without, the whole of the
view being comprised of the objects in the court within. Many
old houses in England, and several hotels here, (the Astor, for
instance,) are built upon this plan, excepting the provision of
outer windows, as well as those upon the court, and the arrangement has evidently been made from that of the ancient villa.
Within, the rooms should be spacious, and their heights somewhat greater than would be considered necessary in the country;
the hall should have an outer vestibule, if there be no porch,
and also an inner vestibule, communicating with the principal
rooms, and capable of being shut off at times from the hall. I
would here say, that a hall running through the house, if not so
made as to afford a means of cutting off a portion as a screened
vestibule from one suite of rooms to the other, is not only a
great waste of space, but is really an inconvenience, and I can
think now of many good houses spoiled by this one thing-the




.114                   RURAL HOMES.
hall seldom being of noble enough dimensions to be considered as
an apartment in itself, and only becoming a long, narrow passageway, inconvenient to cross, and too small comfortably to sit in. The
kitchen buildings, if stretching out in a wing, may be easily rendered an appropriate and even ornamental portion of the erection;
or if below, as in succh houses they sometimes are, a very sharp
eye must be kept that the builder has not forgotten the provision
of the most ample flues and ventilating air-ducts, for the prevention of the admission of the air and odors from  below into the
floors above. A conservatory is an ornamental, and, I am
pleased to believe, is becoming a necessary adjunct to a villa. It
may sometimes be placed on the second floor, (over the carriage
porch, for instance,) with great advantage, though the capabilities of the house for reception of company are increased, by
making it so that it can be used in connection with the rooms
on the principal floor.
The house being required more frequently for the entertainment of a large number of persons, like the town-house, has to
be contrived to meet such a want, and at the same timeneither
cramp the home comforts for the family, nor oblige them  to
build a larger house than their number or way of living may
need. This excellence of adaptation to both purposes can be
attained more by skilful arrangement of the rooms and passages
than necessarily by great space. The ombra, or certain portions
of the veranda, may be contrived in such a manner as to be
occasionally, or at certain seasons of the year enclosed, and thus
form, at little expense, and no increase of real size of the house,
additional rooms for the reception of guests; and as the demand
on such occasions for extra sleeping rooms has not to be met
also like it would be in the country-house, such a facility of




THE SUBURBAN VILLA.                 115
down-stair expansion would' be a great excellence in the suburban
villa.
I have incidentally mentioned the carriage porch; my readers
will themselves see how desirable such an appendage at all seasons would be. This should extend sufficiently far to allow a
carriage to drive and put down its load at the entrance door of
the hall, under cover; and its roof might be made either a delightfully spacious balcony from the chamber floor, or, as suggested just now, would afford an opportunity for a conservatory
at little additional expense.
In all the designs selected for the illustration of this little
work, I have made the veranda, ombra, or other provisions for
architectural shade a prominent feature; in the suburban villa
such a portion of the building requires a somewhat more regular
and architectural treatment than would be desirable in the
country house; and as such a treatment can only satisfactorily
be obtained by a scientifically detailed drawing of the building
and its parts,. I have preferred, in the villa that illustrates this
one of my rural homes, to give one that has been erected, and
which, from its internal arrangements, and picturesque, yet finished aspect, has given satisfaction to its owner and his neighbors.
I will suppose the spot upon which it stands, describing the
building itself, however, exactly as it is.
A mile or two from the city, just where the stone flagging of
the pavemented town is merging into the neatly kept gravel
walk of the suburbs, stands the house whose title heads this
chapter. A thick belt of shrubs and evergreens, protected from
injury by vagrant hands by an outer fence or paling, shuts out
the lawn and garden between the house and the public road, a
timber-framed gate and a handsome stone pillar on either side.




116                   RURAL HOMES.
marking the entrance to the drive within. We will enter, dear
reader. The road, ten feet wide, and as smooth as gravel will
permit, curves towards a nearly circular space which sweeps
before the arcade in front, which supplies the place of a projecting portico or carriage porch.
Within the porch, a flight of steps leads to the vestibule, and
through double doors into a square hall, with, if you please, a
marble floor, or, perhaps, one of encaustic tiles, and the corners
are ornamented with niches and vases, or statuary. On the left,
an open archway leads into another vestibule, containing the
principal staircase and the entrance to the library, which is in a
campanile, or tower, that will be presently spoken of. On the
right, a similar archway leads into a vestibule leading to the
offices and kitchen, in which is a door conducting into a gentleman's dressing-room, bath-room, etc., contained in a projection
which answers to that of the tower, and between which is the
entrance-porch previously spoken of. In the hall immediately
opposite the entrance door, are double doors leading into a boudoir, or saloon, and which may be thrown into the hall when
needed. On the left of this is a large drawing-room; on the
right, the dining-room; and beyond it, the pantry, china-closet,
kitchen, and other domestic offices. On the floor above are spacious sleeping and dressing-rooms, bath-rooms, etc.; and the
tower is carried up a clear story above the roof, affording a cool
retreat, where the breeze blows unmolested, and whence a cheerful and extended prospect of the town and the country beyond
is commanded.
The aspect of the house is as follows: the entrance-friont is
east; the tower on the east and southern corner; the drawingroom south, with an end west; the boudoir and drawing-room




THE SUlBURBAN VILLA.                117
west; and the kitchens, etc., protected on the north by an enclosed yard containing wood-sheds, etc., and extending to an
avenue which runs along and bounds the northern side of the
grounds. A large veranda is on the western side, and a smaller
one (as being more exposed to view from the street, and consequently less desirable) on the south.
The grounds run back, in all, from the road about four hundred and fifty feet; the house is placed back one hundred feet,
and as near as possible to the northern boundary, so as to permit
as large a lawn and garden on the southern side as the space
will afford. The stable and offices are at the extreme western end
of the grounds, screened firom view, by means of a thick plantation and a fence, and conveniently entered from  the road or
avenue on the north.
The external appearance of the building is designed to suit
the situation. Being, so near a city, and the objects contrasted
with it being regular, and more or less ornate, a roughly-rural
erection would be out of place, though not more so than would
be a regular city-house. The ground undulating, and its level
being considerably elevated, some harmony is desirable between
these circumstances and the distribution of the parts of the
building. Accordingly, the tower spoken of is placed at the
south-eastern corner, where, as it is the object that first meets the
eye on approaching from the city, it has a bold and picturesque
appearance; and as the view of the scenery around is extremely
fine, there seems every reason that means for an extended lookout should be so provided. The projecting portion of the front
balancing this tower, and which contains the gentleman's dressing-room, etc., (which, you will see, I almost always insist upon
in a home,) extends merely to one story, and terminates in a




118                   RURAL HOMES.
somewhat ornamental manner, with pedestals crowned with vases,
and an open balustrade between; whilst between it and the
tower, the projection of the porch affords an opportunity foi
making a large balcony, entered from the chamber floor, and in
which many beautiful plants might be reared, as it would be
very easy to enclose the top and sides with glass, removable at
such seasons when the increased heat of so much glass in front
of the windows might not prove desirable.
The style to be chosen for the house seems to me to be most
readily met by the use of the genuine modern bracketed Italian,
with projecting roof, somewhat flatter in its pitch than in a house
farther in the country, and with the brackets, the cornice, the
chimney-caps, etc., of a more finished and architectural character
than I have heretofore described. The material selected to be
brick, with stone dressings to the windows and chimneys, and to
be painted and sanded a deep, warm cream-color, with those
parts of the building which are constructed of wood, painted the
same tone of color, but of deeper tint.
The southern end is pleasingly embellished by the addition
of a large projecting bay window in the drawing-room, extended up to the chamber floor, and finished with pedestals,
vases, and balustrade, in a similar manner to the projection
on the eastern front. The veranda would be of wood; or
I have occasionally seen some patterns in iron that are very
satisfactory, although the extreme stiffness of design too often
observable in articles of this material, generally makes them
anything but desirable. Janes, Beebe and Co., of New York,
have recently imported some patterns from Europe, of such great
beauty, and which they are re-making in 4o exquisite a manner,
I would recommend all interested in artistic smithery to call and




THE SUBURBAN VILLA.                 119
see their extensive collection.  The Art Journal has done much
to raise the character of the designs of metal work in general;
and such of my readers as have anything upon which they wish
to exercise their taste, connected with the useful or ornamental in
metal, will find the examples there given, and since reproduced
by Janes, deserving a close study. The firm have, likewise, some
ornamental tables, seats, flower-stands, fountains, vases, etc., of
equal merit of design and workmanship.
The grounds of a villa near a city afford opportunity for
the introduction of very many durable objects of art, which, if
chosen with reference to their use and purpose, greatly enhance
the pleasures of a stroll therein; though my readers will, I hope,
not think this remark a justification for the admission of the vulgar " garden images " that the cockneys love to stick about their
places, or of the quaint, though I think no less vulgar, conceits
and practical-joke machines that degrade Chatsworth, in the
shape of imitation men fishing, and tin trees that drench the
gazer standing beneath them.
The ground plan here given will make the arrangement
of the rooms on the principal floor easily evident.
No. 1, is the entrance arcade, recessed back a little from the
projection of the tower, so that the line of its lower step may
not protrude beyond the tower's base.  This arcade is of a
heavy, massive character, the columns with panelled recesses, and
the soffits of the round-headed arches above sunk in a similar
manner.  Its ceiling is divided by beams into compartments also
deeply recessed, and its floor and its widely spreading steps are
of the Connecticut brown stone. No. 2, is the hall,'about fourteen feet square, and provided with coat and hat closets on either




120                     RURAL HOMES.
side of the arched recess, in which are the double-doors to the
boudoir, No. 6.
GROUND PLAN. —SUBURBAN VILLA.
No. 3, the library, sixteen feet square in the clear, its real
accommodation being increased by a large recess, No. 4, under
the principal staircase, which being fitted up with shelves and
presses for books, materially adds to the actual size of the room.
This apartment is the first story of the tower, and by the treatment of its inside cornices and its windows has a simple and
hghty artistic effect.




THE SUBURBAN VILLA.                121
No. 5, is the drawing-room, a spacious, well-proportioned
room, twenty-six by eighteen, exclusive of the projecting baywindow on its side.
Communicating with this is the boudoir, No. 6, fourteen by
seventeen, opening by means of a large French window (as do
also the drawing and dining-rooms) upon a wide veranda extending entirely along the garden or western side of the villa.
Next to the boudoir is the dining-room, No. 7, eighteen feet by
seventeen, attached to it being a waiters'-pantry and china-closet,
No. 8. This pantry is made with a slide into the kitchen, No. 9,
for the convenience of serving, but, as will be seen at a glance to
the plan, does not open directly into the kitchen, and by that
means no effluvia or exposure of the culinary operations would
be likely to be inconveniently present.
No. 10, is the kitchen pantry, with a back vestibule leading
into an inclosed yard containing every requisite to the comfort
of the house, which should be within easy reach, and.yet kept
out of sight.
No 11, is the gentleman's dressing-room, which having a door
into the passage leading by the dining-room to the kitchen,
would be conveniently near the dining-room, and yet secured
fiom sight. This room contains an inner dressing-room, No. 11,
and a bath-room and water-closet-and the whole suite might
be used as a sleeping-room and corresponding appurtenances, if
thought preferable to the occupancy which I have designated.
No. 13, is the scullery, and as underneath the building is a
large, well-lighted cellar, a cool-larder, vegetable-room, and a
laundry ale reached below by a flight of stairs under the back
staircase which leads from the kitchen to the chambers above.




122                    RURAL HOMES.
The distribution of the sleeping apartments will be seen by,
reference to the plan of the chamber floor.
CHAMBER PLAN.
No. 1, is a large chamber, the same size as the drawing-room
below; it has a pleasant balcony over the projecting southern
window, and is so large as to admit readily of being divided into
two rooms if thought better. It has a large closet as shown on
plan, provided with deep cedar drawers.for preservation of
clothing from ravages of moths.
No. 2, is of the same size nearly as the boudoir below.




THE SUBURBAN VILLA.                   123
No. 3, a room  over the dining-room, out of which is taken a
space for a staircase to the attics, and for a large closet.
No. 4, a chamber over the library, provided with pleasant
balconies on the eastern and southern sides, and making a wellproportioned and very cheerful room, being higher than the
other chambers on this floor, in order to give sufficient elevation
to the tower.
No. 5, is a small sleeping or dressing-room, with a bath
attached, and No. 6 is a pleasant room over the kitchen. In the
attic above is the cool and airy upper story room of the tower,
and two large, well-ventilated rooms in the roof, with a space for
drying clothes, and for storage of trunks, etc. The whole well
lighted and protected by a very thickly framed and covered roof
from the heat of the sun. Openings are constructed for the
admission of properly regulated currents of air across the space,
so that the dead stagnation of close atmosphere generally found
in attics is entirely prevented.
The finish of this house throughout is of the highest order,
more expense, in fact, having been incurred in its plate-glass,
silvered door-knobs, registers, polished doors, etc., etc., than
many would care to undergo, but with all of this the expense
would not exceed ten thousand five hundred dollars to erect just
such another building.  The house is warmed and ventilated
throuflghout by Janes' Hot-Water Apparatus, a mode of warming
of such excellence, that a chapter especially to explain its principles has been thought desirable, and will be found in a more
advanced portion of the book.
The grounds for such a house should be more artistically
dressed than the more extended gardens of the open country,
and here and there a few quiet objects of art in the way of seat,




124                  RURAL HOMES.
or vase, or pedestal may be scattered, giving connection to the
house and grounds, and pleasant points of rest to the contemplative eye from within or during an out-door stroll.








T   E    P'  ARS ONiAGE "
_______    _:....::
Elevation
r                                              I
V'  I       I
( (RUD iOD PLAN,




CHAPTER IX.
THE PARSONAGE HOUSE.
MANY a rural village, now but a pretty assemblage of shading
trees, neatly kept streets, and cleanly painted houses, might be
made to contain points of absolute beauty, and be models for
imitation, and vehicles for teaching the simple country folk
around,-if they possessed but each one an appropriate Parsonage House. The church is ungrudgingly made as ornamental as
the means and taste of the villagers will allow; and many a
meeting-house that finds little favor in the eyes of the more
travelled stranger passing through the place, is looked upon with
a pride and a reverence no ways inferior in intensity to the feeling that swells the heart of the dweller near Trinity, or the residents of ancient Cathedral Close in church-abounding Europe.
Though country churches I could say a good deal about, I must
make no mention of them here; and yet are they not to many
a gentle heart-rural homes?
But the glebe house, the residence for the pastor of the flock,
having; in common with the houses of the residents of the village, the same necessities, and looked upon with a more do



126                   RURAL HOMES.
mestic eye than could be its church, may easily, by its quiet,
every-day appeal, draw the heart closer and closer to the person
of the minister, and the church he dwells so near. No sectarian prejudices need bring into play a heap of objections to
this; all sects who have a church in which to gather for assembled worship, and a settled minister among them to follow and
to love, should see that the dwelling of the pastor is, as it were,
a part of the church; for most sure it is that the domestic life
and teaching of the man are worth more in the village annals
of wavering weak ones saved, than the eloquence or the fervor
of the pulpit. So the abode of that teacher, the scene of his
domestic life and quiet home-teaching, should be as cheerfully
made a feature in the village scene as the house of God.
Moreover, setting apart a house for especial occupancy by the
minister would render a religious community more permanent
and stable; for provision for the dwelling amongst them of a
constant guide, as long as buildings framed by human hands can
last, would be so serious and engrossingly interesting a matter,
no light breath could shake the stability of the band of men
who, with one heart and mind, lent themselves to the task.
Therefore will I assume that there is a want of some directions
for building parsonage houses, and that, though they must, for
reasons presently to be given, be more distinctive than other
country dwellings, they are no less to be considered and
treated as rural homes.
The parsonage house must be more distinctive in its character
than other residences, because it is, in the first place, set apart
for a particular and never varying occupancy, and because it is
built for all time. The tastes, manners, and means of the flock
may change, but only so much as necessarily influenced by such




THE PARSONAGE HOUSE.                 127
changes need parson-life, vary; for stability is the vital element
of religious teaching. Then, with the altered tastes and manners
would come altered styles and fashions in building, so again
must a distinctive character be assigned to the church's house,
based on principles that, like that church's teaching, know " no
change or shadow  of turning."  These principles, after the
remarks I have made upon "the homestead," I need scarcely
say, are fitness and honesty of constructive purpose. The house
is wanted for the residence of a refined and intellectual man,
and yet one whose family life must be regulated by strictest, yet
elegant economy. To meet these wants, a plan must be contrived
with no ordinary care. The showy rooms, folding doors, and
divided parlors of the houses most esteemed by the villagers,
must not be thought of for a moment; nor, on the other hand,
must the parsonage be a mere kitchen and keeping room. The
student, the teacher, the hospitable friend, the thrifty housekeeper, must be conveniently lodged-each one attribute of
parson-life be recognized and provided for. So there must be
the inner study for seclusion, the cheerful, roomy library for
earnest talk, the ladies' parlor for livelier occupancy, the diningroom, and a shaded  porch, and  hospitably spacious hall.
Kitchen and store room, pantry, and sleeping rooms are more
matters of course, and so are less distinctive. A small expenditure
is absolutely essential, and even where the church has been a
costly structure, there seems no reason that the parsonage house
should be other than a simple, honest building.  If the house
be too large, it will inevitably entail expense upon its clerical
occupant; if too ornately decorated, it will be a constant source
of outlay to the parish. An expenditure varying from two to
five thousand dollars would probably cover all that might be




128. RURAL HOMES.
requisite; and as the arrangement of the building and its distinctive character are wh]at I would dwell upon in this chapter,
I have given a design of a parsonage house suitable to almost
every situation where one is required.
The building material may be of stone, brick, or timber.  In
the particular case for which this design has been made, stone is
the material selected; but, with some slight modification of the
roof on the front gable, a timber framed construction would be
perfectly suitable. The cost of this building, if executed in the
manner shown in the accompanying illustration, would be a little
under five thousand dollars if executed in a substantial manner
in stone; if of timber, and no more ornament introduced than
the -exterior view presents, its cost would be about three
thousand.
The external character of the design is of that simple, quiet
nature, that without challenging attention by any very marked
or peculiar features, or by a severe attention to the restrictions
of any one style, commands attention and gives pleasure to the
passer by. As it would stand near the church, which, if of
stone, would probably present some conformity to ancient ecclesiastical architecture, a certain congruity of outline is necessary
between the soaring tendency of the lines of the church structure
and those of the parsonage, so a pointed roof, a pyramidal
arrangement of the whole mass seem  necessary. Hence, the
sharply rising front gable, which, as the rough masonry of which
the house is built; would permit at no increased expense the
picturesque management the design shows, instead of being
covered by a projecting roof, is built in steps, behind which the
roof stops.  This, tbough perfectly permissible and productive
of very good effect in stone, would be out of place in a wooden




THE PARSONAGE HOUSE.                 129
building. In the latter the roof must project beyond the face of
the wall, and may be decorated with some simple and durablymade large board, or be left plain, with.only a heavy roll moulding as a cornice, supported by blocks or moulded corbels placed
at intervals of a foot or two apart.
The distribution of the rooms on the principal floor will be
apparent upon examination of the ground plan.
No. 1, is the entrance porch, a wide and open covered space
in which, on either side, should be an ample seat for hospitable
resting of the caller at the house. Within is the entrance hall,
No. 2, a roomy apartment, nine feet by sixteen, at right angles
to which is the staircase hall, and passage way to kitchen below.
In this design I have supposed the ground so to fall away as to
allow the kitchen and domestic offices below, but in any other
situation where such an arrangemeut would not be desirable,
*they can be extended in a wing from the northern side of the
house.
No. 3, is a parlor or ladies' room, sixteen by thirteen, the
corners of which are cut off, to form in one end a fireplace, and
in the others three convenient closets.
No. 4, is a large library or principal room, both for general
occupancy and for reception of parishioners, a large room of such
a nature being far more desirable in a parsonage house than a
showy drawing-room, or parlors divided by folding-doors.  This
room is sixteen feet by twenty-five, and its western French windows opening on to a large veranda, would be a very pleasant
apartment. Communicating with this, in such a manner as to
be thrown into it at any time, is a private study for the exclusive
use of the pastor.  This room  is sufficiently large for such a
purpose, being sixteen by thirteen feet, and the wall space is.6.




130                    RURAL HOMES.
ample enough to afford room f6r a sufficiently large number
of books, the room connected with it being also furnished with
book-cases. Annexed to this is a back porch, which, as being
nearest the church, would be the readiest entrance to the
minister's study, and would give seclusion and private access to
the room.
No. 8, is the dining-room, the door of which is immediately
at the head of the stairs from the kitchen, or, if the offices be
contained in a wing, a pantry could be constructed to take the
place of the porch, No. 7, and thus connect with the kitchen.
The dining-room is fifteen by seventeen, exclusive of the projecting window, and as its aspect is east, would be cheerful and
pleasant. The arrangement of this floor, it is thought, would be
found very convenient for the purposes for which the house is
intended, and the space has been economised as much as possible
to secure the results desired.
The sleeping-rooms are contained in the floor above, a plan
of which will show their arrangement.
PARSONAGE HIOUSE. —CIHAMBER PLAN.




THE PARSONAGE HOUSE.                  131
No. 1, is a chamber over the dining-room, and of the same
size; it is provided with two large closets, and attached to it is
a smaller room, No. 9, over the hall, which would serve as a
dressing-room, or is sufficiently large for a child's sleeping-apartment.
No. 3, is over the ladies' room below, and has in it a roomy
closet.
Nos. 4, 5, and 6, are conveniently arranged sleeping-rooms
over the library and study below.  In the attic, formed by the
high pitch of the roof, could easily be made at least two airy and
good-sized sleeping-rooms, lighted and ventilated by windows
in the gables at the east, west, and south.
If thought advisable, a bathing apparatus might be placed
in the dressing-room, No. 2.
The accommodation comprised in this building is all that its
purpose would require, or might be increased somewhat if the
domestic offices were contained in a wing instead of in a basement below the main house. If in a wing, the rooms in its
second story could obtain in addition to servants' sleeping-rooms
a bath-room and water-closet, leaving No. 2 as a private dressingroom to the chamber with which it connects.
Other plans might be made which would give the desired
accommodation, but this has seemed to me to contain all the
requisites of a simple, substantial, parsonage house, and has been
designed to form not only a building suited to the pastoral wants
of its occupants, but to be to them and theirs, at all seasons,
a rural home.




CHAPTEIR X.
SOUTHERN HOMES.
A  HOME in the sunny south is a very different thing to
arrange to one suited to a northern clime. Space for free ingress
and egress of occasional breeze-space, too, that can be convertible into habitable apartments, is the first element. Compactness is only valuable, as securing economy in construction, and
as affording convenient nearness of relation in all the constituent
parts of the building. Life out of doors is not the necessity that
has to be met, as affording cool retreat from  summer's sun, but
shaded retirement within.  Therefore, what in a northern house
would be an ample provision of architectural shade, in the shape
of veranda, porch, and ombra, does not constitute all that has
to be thought of in planning the agrermens of a southern home.
The elements of construction, too, are widely different; the
roof of the northern building has to withstand, at times, a direct
pressure from  the weight of accumulated snows; that of the
southern has to resist lateral assaults of tornado and heavy winds.
These influences exert a corresponding sway upon the material
embodiment of the other parts of the design. The walls have




S O U TH E[] R N  f- O ~I S E~ —adapted to a. larvae household —elevation            pa, 13.'








SOUTHERN HOMES.                   133
to be strong, yet pierced with larger openings for doors, windows,
etc.; and light-because wood, the material generally used,
derives its strength from scientific framing, and with liability to
sudden strains, mere weight would only tend to weaken. To
give these remarks a practical bearing, I would say that a roof
of high pitch is indispensable, not only on account of its slope,
allowing a shingle covering, which will be lighter and cooler than
one of metal or slate, but in order that its sides may not be
injured by sudden and violent wind-storms, which in southern
countries are of more or less frequent occurrence.  The roof
should project at the eaves and over the gables, the rafters being
brought down and supported by struts or brackets, which, pinned
into the principals or posts of the frame of the building, will
lessen the thrust of the roof, and prevent its spread.  The windows should be large, and above all things, should nearly occupy
the entire height of the room, so that ventilation may equally be
applied to the ceiling and the floor.  The doors, both external
and internal, should be double, one being a close-pannelled,
ordinary door, and the other with slats that will open to admit
a current of air, and at the same time give seclusion to the room.
All the doors and windows should, for comfortable habitancy of
the house, be provided with folding-frames, lightly made, and
covered with netting, either of wire, gauze, or muslin, to exclude
those flying torments that infest a southern home.
The internal arrangement and distribution of the rooms should
be such, as that the kitchens and domestic offices may be cut off
from the main dwelling, and yet be so near as to allow all the
machinery of living to be fully attended to; the dining or livingroom  may be on the side nearest the kitchen buildings, and,
connecting them together, may be an airy, well-lighted vestibule,




134                  RURAL HOMES,
containing on the one side a waiters'-pantry, so arranged as to
open upon the sideboard in the dining-room. This pantry must
farther have a direct communication with the kitchen, or with a
serving-room attached thereto. The other side of the vestibule
should contain spacious store, china, and glass-rooms. Below
this, -should be a large cellar, artificially ventilated, (of which,
more anon,) in which wine, fruits, meat, and vegetables may be
stored. The kitchen buildings must be much lighter, and more
spacious than anything that would be contrived for a northern
home; —in fact, the domestics require, as it were, a distinct
house, and a separate establishment. Nothing could be made
prettier than a roomy block of kitchen buildings, with the
little cots of the colored servants artistically grouped around.
The house itself should have wide and spacious halls, —
spacious only, however, where ventilation can be served;-otherwise, merely loss of room. Halls running across each other, their
ends by sliding screens at any time convertible into separated
apartments, form a good basis upon which to begin the design
for the ground plan of the house.
The plan annexed shows the arrangement of the rooms. A
wide and airy veranda surrounds the house, stopping at the connecting building between the main' house and the domestic
offices.
No. 1 is a wide hall running clear through the building and
opening by means of double-doors, (provided also with Venetian
blind doors within,) upon the veranda floor.
No. 2 is the library, a spacious and airy room opening en suite
by means of double-doors with the boudoir, No. 3, and thence
with the drawing-room, No. 4. The boudoir or vestibule is
made with wide folding-doors shutting it out fiom the entrance




SOUTHERN HOMES.                   135
hall, so that, as occasion needed, the entire space might be thrown
open.
j~~c_
SOUTHERN IIousE.-GROUND PLAN.
No. 5 is the dining-room, of the same large size as the library
and drawing-room on the other side of the entrance hall.




136                     RURAL HOMES.
No. 6 is a large chamber, eighteen by sixteen, with an alcove
at its one end to contain a bed, and communicating therewith is
a dressing and bath-room, No. 7.
No. 8 is a gentlemen's dressing and wash-room, opposite, the
dining-room door, and its entrance being under the staircase, it
would be secluded and yet easily reached.
No. 9 is a large hall closet for hats, shoes, etc., and adjoining
it is a smaller closet for brooms and other articles in daily use.
No. 10 is a corridor leading from the dwelling portion of the
house to the kitchen buildings, and contains a back flight of
stairs to the chamber floor.
No. 11, a large pantry filled with shelves, and every convenience for a waiter.
No. 12, a light and airy room, containing presses for china,
glass, and such dry stores as would be desirable.
No. 13, a serving-room, whence the servants would convey the
dishes to the waiters'-pantry, from which room they would be at
once placed upon the sideboard or table in the dining-room.
No. 14 is a very large irregularly octagonal kitchen with the
cooking apparatus in the centre, and No. 15, is a servants' hall,
or outer room, connecting with which may be a laundry and such
other domestic offices as southern life may need. The peculiarities of the plan are space, simplicity of arrangement, and
facilities for ventilation.  Independently of the natural means
the arrangement of the plan would afford of securing the latter,
artificial aid is offered in the following construction of the kitchen
fire-places. These are shown built around a large octagonal flue,
and a view of the exterior will exhibit this flue carried above the
roof of the kitchen in a somewhat formidable manner. The inner
flue is for purposes of ventilation; arnd the action of the air con



SOUTHERN HOMES.                  137
tained in it operated upon by the heat communicated thereto by
the surrounding smoke-flues from the kitchen fire-places, could
draw off with considerable force the contents of all air-ducts
opening therein. The base of the tower contains a ventilator for
the especial cooling and purification of the kitchen and its
adjoining buildings, and its action is as simple as it would be
effective.  The floors and ceilings of the main portion of the
house should have air-ducts leading into downward shafts connecting with the ventilating shaft, and they might be led along
and concealed in the roof over the connecting building between
the house and kitchen wing.
The rooms on this floor in the dwelling part of the house are
fourteen feet and a half high; and in order to show the whole
of the house, the plan is drawn to half the scale of other designs
in this book, being to a scale of a fortieth of an inch to a foot.
On the floor above would be very spacious chsambers, and the
plan would cut up into a great number. In the centre, the
principal stairway would enter upon an upper hall ten by twelve,
which, carried up into the roof, and then beyond it, as a species
of tower, would give an airy and pleasant circulation to the inner
atmosphere of the house. Bath rooms might be got from off
the first landing of the staircase, over the dressing-rooms and
bathing-rooms below, which, not needing to be higher than ten
or eleven feet, would afford ample space above for these desirable
means of comfort. The distribution of the chamber floor being
so evidently dependent upon the partitions of the plan below, I
have not given a separate plan.
This would make a house of the dimensions of seventy feet
front by fifty-two deep. The roof should hip up all ways towards
the central projection, and the chimneys of the building might




138                   RURAL HOMES.
easily all be so gathered as to form turrets to flank the species
of tower that I suppose occupying the middle of the roof.
The material I have most frequently found used is wood.
The style suitable for such a building would be one admitting
greatest breadth of effect and simplicity of detail. Any one
of the styles I have described in former pages could be easily
modified to meet the requirements in such a case. The Italian
would probably be the most appropriate. Its peculiarities and
its genius would seem more in character under a southern sky
and amid southern scenery than any other.
The veranda should be extended clear round the front, rear,
and flank, to where the kitchen buildings join on, their projection
being hidden by a thick screen of flowering shrubs. The southern
veranda has already been incidentally mentioned, and the provision of one on the northern side must depend upon the peculiar
situation of the house. Not being a necessity, as those on the
other sides are, I do not insist upon it here.
The perfect ventilation of such a building will constitute its
most habitable excellence.  This can be secured by proper
arrangement of dooms and windows, and by artificial assistance,
in the way of air-flues, discharging above the roof, and their
openings into the rooms provided with the Berrian's ventilating
valve, which has been so often referred to in previous pages.
One material aid to the maintenance bf a cool and equitable
temperature in the house will be in the perfect ventilation of its
veranda. Though it would seem, as this is always so open, that
nothing more could be done, those persons who are willing to
make the experiment with their thermometer will be surprised
to find how much higher the temperature of the air immediately
under the ceiling of the veranda is, than that at the same alti



SOUTHERN HOMES.                    139
tude within the rooms.  This is, naturally enough, caused by
refraction, and by the accumulating pressure of ascending heated
air.  Unless some means of escape be made for this, much of it
must find its way into the rooms.  This call be done by making
in the veranda roof occasional openings against the wall, at such
points where chamber windows do not open immediately thereon.
Provide over these apertures small projecting pent-roofs, to
protect from the effects of rain; make them  about six inches
wide, and three to four feet long, and at intervals of ten to twelve
feet.
The cost of such a building would greatly vary in different
portions of the southern states; but, unless unusual difficulties
in the way of procuring efficient workmen prevented, the expenditure needed to elect it in a thoroughly substantial and well
finished manner would not exceed thirteen thousand dollars, and
in some situations would not require more than from eleven to
twelve. But this is a larger and more expensive house than is
frequently needed. I will proceed, therefore, to the description
of one on an entirely different scale.
The principle onl which the success of a design for a small
southern home will depend, appears to me to be its perfect
adaptation to purposes of ventilation.  Convenience of arrangement, and economical distribution of the space contained within
its boundary walls, can be obtained by study of houses aroundc;
but the means of procuring satisfactory circulation of air is not
so easily determined.  A house on a small scale-of which, say
the accommodation would be found sufficient with four principal
rooms on each floor —might very economically and advantageously be arranged in the form  of a cross.
The plan would, in fact, show four apartments, all radiating




140                    RURAL HOMES.
from a centre, that centre containing the escape flues for smoke,
and the fire-places of each of the rooms, together with provision
for means of artificial ventilation, of which latter I will presently
speak.
But the rooms thus coming together to a centre, would require
a space left from which to radiate, amounting to a cube of the
width of their ends; this would waste room. I would propose,
therefore, that the corners of the rooms so connecting be cut off,
leaving the inner end of the form of a half octagon.  The cube,
then, would only be that of the straight side of the octagon; say
five feet square, sufficient to contain all flues and ventiducts, and
making an economical arrangement for the rooms.  Passage
ways would be saved by the ends thus coming together, one
room opening into the other by a door'placed in the sloping side.
Taking this cross form as that for the plan of the house, I will
attempt a description of such a home in detail.
Take a block thirty-six feet long by fourteen feet wide; let
this represent the transom of the cross; a block eighteen feet
long and sixteen wide would form the lower portion of the stem,
and one of similar dimensions the upper. These would intersect
the transom in the middle, thus leaving the latter to project ten
feet on either side. The transom points west to east, and the
entrance is in its eastern end.  A large parlor runs south,
entered from the entrance hall through the angular side; and,
jutting out west, also so communicating with the parlor, is the
dining-room.  On the north, connected through a pantry with
the dining-room, are the kitchen and domestic offices.  This
comprises the general distribution of the rooms on the ground
floor. I will now speak of them in detail.
On the ground-plan, No. 1 is the entrance hall; No. 2, a




SOUTHERN HOMES.                     141
large and well lighted closet; No. 3, the principal parlor; No.
4, the dining room; No. 6, a large and light pantry, with..
SMALL SOUTHERN HOUSE.-GROUND PLAN.
space for store and china closets; No. 5, the kitchen; No. 7, the
scullery, in which, if a cellar were excavated, might be the staircase leading thereto.
In the entrance hall is situated the staircase, running up with
an easy curve, concentric with the half octagon end of the
apartment. Under the stairway is a large hall closet, and in the
hall is an enclosed vestibule, and an entrance to the kitchen.
The hall would made a pleasant third room,.particularly for
afternoon occupancy, the sun being entirely off its sides, and the
enclosing screen forming the entrance vestibule could be made to
fola back, and framed with slats, as a Venetian blind.  From
this projecting ten feet of the transom, a terrace floor would run
round on three sides of the parlor, stopping against the corresponding projection on the west.
This terrace would be screened from the sun by a peculiarity
in the construction of the roof, which I propose should run
straight through fiom north to south-not broken out at the




142                   RURAL HOMES.
projecting portions east and west, but extending clear over them,
and continued the necessary width all along. Thus, over those
portions of the building setting back, the roof would extend ten
feet or more-thirteen in fact, as the projecting ends would
require at least three feet to protect them; and this projection
of roof would shade the terrace below. On the southern side,
where the gable of the roof would show, I would propose a floor,
on the level of the chamber floor, extended over the terrace
below, making a more effectual shade, and giving a pleasant
walk out from the bed-room. The roof might, at the gable ends,
(it would not require to project over more than three feet on the
northern end,) be supported by rustic posts, with interlacing
knotted limbs between, at their upper ends; the whole with the
bark on, nailed with copper nails, and preserved by varnish.
In the centae, the chimneys so gathered together would allow
a large flue in their midst for ventilation. The fire necessary at
some portion of each day for culinary operations, would give sufficient heat to one of the brick or tile sides of this flue, to cause
a radiation, and consequently an upward tendency to the column
of air within the central shaft. This shaft must be made to communicate with each of the rooms by apertures above the floor,
and under the ceiling of each room. In the upper one must be
inserted one of the Berrian's useful little valve boxes so often
alluded to; and by carrying the central shaft, above the other
flues, and capping it with one of Janes and Beebe's Ejecters, a
rapid current will always be found therein, and the heated air
and used-up gases be readily drawn off from each room.
The chllamber accommodation on the floor above would comprise one large bed-room  over the parlor, one over the diningroom, two over the kitchen, and a small one off the hall, the




SOUTHERN HOMES.                    143
stair-case not requiring the whole of the space.  If needed,
Additional attic rooms might easily be obtained in the roof, as
Lhe pitch necessarily made for a shingle covering would. in a
house of such a span, afford considerable space within its frame
for any such arrangement..
CnAMBER PLAN.
In the Chamber Plan, No. 1 is a large room 6ver the parlor,
one of its sides being left square, for the sake of forming a more
convenient shape for a bed. The windows of this room would
open upon the balcony floor, as would also those of chamber
No. 2, and the one in the hall, No. 7.
No. 2 has a convenient recess for a bed, agcainst the pier necessary for a chimney and ventilating shaft in the centre of the
building, and connected with this room is a roomy dressing room,
No. 3. No. 4 is a large and pleasant room for servants (unless
the space in the attic be converted into one or two sleepingrooms,) and is over the kitchen. No. 5 is a good sized bathing
and dressing-room; Nos. 6, 6, are large and airy closets, for
linen and other clothes; and No. 7 is the hall or vestibule, which,




144                  RURAL HOMES.
by reason of its pleasantly embayed window, would be a charming place to sit in for the lady of the house.
A home constructed upon this plan, with simple rustic posts
supporting the roof and veranda floors, with the battened sides
and with sharp roof, would look highly picturesque, and be of
moderate cost. Here it would require an expenditure of about
sixteen hundred dollars.




CHAPTER XI.
COTTAGES.
IN that pleasantest of all country-written books —— Rural
Hours, the observant authoress dots down a series of observations upon rural architecture, so terse and pertinent, that, but
for its length, I would like to quote the entire chapter. In a
sketch of the several architectural eras that the history of this
country could show, she defines so admirably the transition, step
by step, from  the log-cabin;-" its very opposite, the lank and
lean style, the shallow order, which aimed at rising far above the
lowly log-cottage; proud of a tall front and two stories; proud
of twice too many windows: but quite indifferent to all rules
and proportions; to all appearance of comfort and snugness."
Then, next in order, the " shallow-ornate, assuming the Grecian
portico, running up sometimes one wing, sometimes two; pipestem'columns one-fiftieth of their height in diameter, and larger,
perhaps, in the centre than at either extremity, stand trembling
beneath a pediment which, possibly, contains a good-sized bedroomn, with a window in the apex. Such buildings are frequently
surrounded with a very fanciful paling of one sort or other. One
7




146                    RURAL HOMES.
looks into the barn-yard of such a house with anxious misgivings,
lest'the geese should be found all neck, the cocks all tail, the
pigs with longer noses, the pbnies with longer ears than are
usually thought becoming."  Then comes the "plain straightforward style," and succeeding to this, "new wooden cottages,
which, in the anxiety of the architect to escape"the shallow, err
in the opposite extreme, and look oppressively heavy, as though
the roof must weigh upon the spirits of those it covers." Finally,
the last change that the piquant writer I am quoting sees, is the
introduction of a few " Rural Gothic and Elizabethan" cottages,
" which have grown rapidly into favor about the suburbs of large
towns."  These seem to have made great impression upon the
region whence the writer dates, and before leaving the agreeable
pages of this delightful volume, I would direct my reader's
attention to the chapter from which I have quoted. In the
large edition, illustrated, it will be found in page 380.
The expression of character in a simple country dwelling is an
effect that would seem difficult to attain. In rural districts, one
pervading genius always seems to have inspired the production
of the whole of the buildings recently erected. One may be a
little larger or differently painted than the other, but the general
type appears identical. Near a railroad, particularly if one on
which the stations have been made " tasty," the fashion most in
vogue is a species of Gothic, thin and ineffective in reality, but
pleasing to the builders from the inch-board finery and wooden
insertion-work they are able to stick about. These cottages are
mostly cheaply built, and will last their time; meanwhile, they
do good by directing attention to the desirableness of giving a
building some external character and appearance suited to the
scenery amid which it stands, and as country people are




COTTAGES.                     147
beginning to learn of themselves that such houses look bald and
bare without tree-shade surrounding them, and creepers festooning their fronts, a point in advance is evidently gained. Gradually may be seen stealing over, first one and then another of
such cottages, changes that, although the type and prevailing
characteristics aie similar enough, begin to mark a difference and
an individuality; so that, ere long, the features all possess in
common will be so softened down and differently treated that an
expression of individual character will be marked upon each.
In the smaller cottage houses this is most to be desiredlarger houses are built more generally under different circumstances and in accordance with particular tastes, and hence are
becoming far less uniform  in treatment, but village buildings,
mostly erected four or five in a batch, have too many requirements in common to be susceptible in the minds of their builders
of any very great variety.
Nothing an architect can employ himself upon requires, in
fact, closer attention and more careful study than a design for a
cheap and simple country cottage-there is such a temptation
to prettinesses, whimsicality, and the false picturesque, and yet
there is no lack of examples of what a cottage home should be,
and no excuse, with Mr. Downing's excellent works in such
extensive circulation, in not knowing.what it may be.
A cottage home should be compact, for land generally cannot
be spared for a building much spread upon the ground-it
should be simple in its architectural character, too much detail
not only involving a large outlay at first but needing constant
and expensive repairs; it should be roomy, that is, spacious by
relative arrangement of the rooms rather than by their actual
size; it should be naturally ventilated by certain circulation of




148                   RURAL HOMES.
its atmosphere within, then will it be sweet and healthy. Its
walls should be protected by its roof, its windows by artificial
shade in the way of some simple and inexpensive veranda, and
its windows should be contrived more in reference to admission
of light and fresh air, than to the old fashioned method once so
fashionable, of crowding every side of a house with glazed
openings. I have often been amused at the ingenuity evinced
in some old, unaltered building, in filling it with windows,
making it a huge lantern, or rather, in a hot summer sun, a huge
forcing-house. I wonder how the sturdy Puritans of old fared
in such hot-houses, and whether they found them conducive to
vigorous growth; perhaps, as a friend once wittily suggested, by
such means were raised the "early Christians we read about."
A room filled with windows is unpleasant on account of the
cross lights; uncomfortable on account of the reflected heat of so
much glass; and difficult to furnish for the want of some wall
spaces for table or sofa.
A cottage home suited to the neighborhood of some small
country town, and indicative of refinement and taste on the part
of its occupants, may be made a very pleasing feature in the
landscape. The illustration given here represents such a building,
and I will proceed to describe it in detail, premising that its cost
being but fourteen hundred dollars, it would be found within the
means of most persons desiring such a house.  (See next page.)
The character of the exterior is architectural, partaking something of the Rural Italian. Its low walls, overshadowing roof,
wide veranda, and projecting ombra in its southern front, give it
an appearance of symmetry and refinement that adapts it to the
occupancy of a family of elegance and taste. The material of
which it may be constructed may be stone, brick, or wood. If




COTTAGES.                      149
of stone, no change may be made in its form or the nature of its
details, unless perhaps making them heavier, and their marked
features still more bold. If of brick, I would merely add a projecting face, one brick wide and projecting two inches round all
ELEVATION.-SUBURBAN COTTAGE.
of the windows, and a band running horizontally below the
brackets or cantilevers of the roof about a foot deep, upon which
they may yest. If of wood, the covering should be clap-boarding
or smooth ceiling, not battens and perpendicular planking, as the
leading characteristics of the composition are horizontal lines, and
would be contradicted by any other direction in the lines of the
covering. The roof, of sufficiently steep a slope to carry off all
water or snow, should be shingled, and the gable over the centre
of the southern front be made water-tight with metal strips in
the valley formed by its intersection with the slope of the main
roof. The chimneys, formed of brick, rise in simple form from




150                    RURAL HOMES.
the ridge, and as they have no portion of the roof or building
higher than themselves, need not extend above the ridge nmore
than sufficient to ensure good proportion of height to width.
Before proceeding farther with the exterior of the building, I
will describe the plan.
a, M
GROUND PLAN.-SUBURBAN COTrAGE.
A peculiarity in this design is in the projecting half-octagon
porch or ombra, which, from its position, serves the double purpose of a delightful and cool retreat, and that of an entrance-hall
— it is marked on the plani No. 1. In the winter, its sides
might be filled with windows, and the opening in front with a
glass door, thus making an enclosed vestibule or porch, and
rendering the dining-room a very. warm  and comfortable apartment. From this porch are doors into the dining-room, No. 2;
the parlor or library, No. 3; and the kitchen, No. 5; and according as a visitor's business in calling was to such and such a




COTTAGES.                     151
portion of the house, a door might be opened, thus saving the
internal room necessary for a hall, and yet gaining all the advantages of such a portion of the building. The dining-room  is a
good-sized pleasant room, fifteen feet by seventeen, with French
windows opening upon the ombra or porch at one end, and a
recess for sideboard underneath the stairs at the other. Attached
to this room are the necessary adjuncts of china, glass, and store
closets, one by the sideboard, and the other in the side of the
room  opposite to the stove or fireplace.  Back of the diningroom is a small vestibule, five feet square, enclosed so as to shut
off the staircase, and being the passage way from the pantry,
scullery, and kitchen to the dining-room. This entry is marked
in the plan, No. 4, and is provided with an outer door. The
economy in space attained by the arrangement of this portion of
the plan must be evident at a glance, and the domestic comfort
and convenience ensured, seem to me to render it very desirable.
No. 3 is a large, well-proportioned apartment, twenty-five by
fifteen, exclusive of a large projecting window in the side of the
room. This would serve as a parlor, drawing-room, or country
library, as the taste of the occupants lead them to determine.
The projecting window opens upon a large veranda extending
along the side of the room, and fiom one side of this bay-window
a portion of the veranda might, if thought pleasant, be enclosed,
forming either a conservatory or a small summer study, attainable at very little additional cost. As this house might in many
places be thought adapted for the dwelling of the clergyman of
some small society, I would suggest that the room I have just
described would very agreeably afford ample space for purposes
of clerical use, and the small study thus attached (entered by a
door from the side of the bay-window) might be provided with




152                    RURAL HOMES.
a flue in one of its sides, so as to be warmed by a stove in
winter.  Few houses of far greater pretension and expense have
rooms so spacious and well-proportioned as those in this little
cottage, and hence its desirableness for erection. No. 5 is a
kitchen, back of which is a large scullery and wash-room, No. 6.
Underneath the building, a dry and well lighted cellar (lighted
from the one end and the rear side) might contain a store and
flour-room, a larder, etc., with a flight of stairs leading thereto.
Back of this building, I would propose an enclosed yard, containing wood-shed, and such offices as are better out of doom,
and as the pleasant, occupied rooms are all on the other side of
the house, the yard so enclosed might extend along its entire
rear length, and being conveniently opened into by means of the
enclosed vestibule at the foot of the stairs, would be easy of
access from the living rooms. This enclosed yard would keep
everything neat and orderly in appearance round the building,
and give it a refined character in keeping with its more, exposed
exterior.
The height of the rooms on this floor is ten feet in the clear,
the walls to be prepared for paper, and the inside finish of doors
and windows of the simplest, plainest description.
The sleeping accommodation in the floor above is adequate to
the comfortable use of a small family, and is arranged as follows:
No. 1 is a hall, well-lighted and roomy, containing the staircase from below, and from which open the doom into the several
chambers.
No. 2 is a large room over the dining-room and extending clear
to a line with the front of the house, the recessed portion below
being floored over. From this room a window opens upon a




COTTAGES.                       153
large balcony, No. 3, over the truncated projection of the porch
below. The room is provided with a large closet for clothes,
and a flue for a stove or fire-place.
CHAMBER PLAN.-SUBURBAN COTTAGE.
No. 4 is a large linen-closet, well-lighted, and formed by the
small entry from the upper hall leading to rooms Nos. 5 and 6.
No. 5 is a small chamber or dressing-room, in which might be
a bathing apparatus, and serving either as a separate single room,
a child's sleeping-room, or a dressing-room connected with the
larger chamber, No. 6, which is over the library or parlor below,
and is provided with a spacious clothes-closet and a flue for a
stove or fire-place.
No. 7 is over the kitchen, and has also a large closet and a
fire-place, and No. 8 is a servants' sleeping-room. This room is
shut off fiom the other chambers by an entry similar to that on
the other side of the hall, and is sufficiently large for the purpose
and is well-lighted and ventilated.
No. 9 is a large store-room, well-lighted and airy-completing
the accommodation provided on this floor, and the compactness




154                    RURAL HOMES.
and convenience of the plan must, I think, favorably recommend itself.
The rooms on this floor extend partly into the roof. The
walls are seven feet high to the under side of the plate, and the
ceiling follows the slope of the roof sufficiently far to allow the
rooms to be ten feet in the clear. The roof is so fiamed as to
admit this, and by such an arrangement greater internal height
and airiness are obtained, with more modest lowliness of the
exterior.  The sloping sides of the ceiling should be firred down
so as to leave a space of dead air (the most perfect non-conductor) between the lathing and the covering of the roof; by
this means the rooms will be always cool and the additional
height gained be very valuable.  The room  over the diningroom having a gable over its ceiling would be a higher and
more symmetrical apartment than the others, and hence might
be reserved as the guest-chamber, its large balcony making it
a very pleasant sitting place for ladies with their books or needlework.
The furniture and finish of such a house as this should be very
simple.  The dining-room  being as it were a hall, and consequently frequently seen, should be neatly and appropriately
arranged. In the summer, its floor covered with Indian matting;
removed in the winter for a carpet of one of those pretty, warmlooking patterns that one sometimes sees in churches.  Few
colors should be in its composition, a mosaic work of deep purple
and orange, or crimson and brown or black, interwoven in small
patterns and without any contrasted spots of brighter colors.
The tables and chairs of oak, maple, or birch, the table shut up
into small form and standing in the centre of the room, its
additional leaves stored away in a recess left purposely for them




COTTAGES.                     155
at the side of the side-board. This latter should as it were be a
portion of the room (in this case) not a distinct piece of furniture. With a heavy wooden slab at the top, drawers and a
lock-up cupboard below; and above the slat at top, in the recess
again another recess under the risers of the stairs for the urn, or
such other somewhat ornamental portion of the dinner or breakfast equipage as would properly fill it. The back of this recess,
on either side of this central inner one, might, if wished, be
formed of mirrors set into the wall, without any firame, but a
narrow moulding of the same wood as the sideboard and furniture, and the top of the recess should finish in a low, three
centred flat arch, with merely a bead moulding on its edge, its
side or soffit being papered like the rest of the room. The
walls papered in oak or maple, with no cornice other than just a
bead an inch and a half deep to break the corner formed by the
right angle between wall and ceiling; and the woodwork if not
left as the natural wood, oiled and varnished, should be grained
oak or black walnut, though the latter might perhaps be too
dark, as the rooms are low and the projection of the ombra
would somewhat quench the light.
An open Franklin stove set in an arched recess would serve
for heating this room, and as it would be removed in the summer, would be perhaps better than a fireplace, the width of the
room leaving nothing to spare for projection of chimney breast.
The parlor, whether library or drawing-room, would be treated
in a very similar manner. If of use, bookcases should be built in
the walls; simple shelves with an arched finish at top, and a
drawer or two with a couple of low folding-doors enclosing a
small lock-up cupboard at the bottom, and without doors; a
curtain meeting in the middle and running on rods across the




156                    RURAL HOMES.
top, made of silk chintz or some light material, would look more
cheerful and gay, and be less expensive.  For the rest, the
carpet, when the days for matting were over, should be lighter
in color and more variety, but to my taste of small pattern, and
of that indescribable mosaic that, whether floral or geometric,
never offends the eye by its imitation of flower or foliage, or by
its stiffness and harshness of outline.  The paper of oak pattern
or some other one-toned character, the furniture of light-colored
wood, the mirrors void of gilding. Around the bay or projecting
RUBTIC FLOWER-STAND.
window, a low chintz-covered seat, excepting where the windows




COTTAGES.                       157
open to the veranda floor, or the door (if there be one), leads
into the study or conservatory, and as the space would. be large,
its centre might prettily be occupied by a light and elegant worktable, or by a rustic flower-stand or jardiniere.  Thle foregoing
cut shows a pretty rustic flower-stand just suited to such a situation, and as it is inexpensive and can easily be procured, I have
given its representation. It is made of bark finished neatly and
varnished, and can be got at the Berrians.
The staircase is wide, roomy, easy of access, and is welllighted, and, excepting on the upper floor, would need no ballusters.
The external character of the house has been before spoken
of. The porch or ombra in front has an appearance of massive
simplicity which should be carefully preserved in executing a
building after this design. It is not by any means expensive,
and as the building itself has been drawn at large, specification
prepared, and a tender made by a respectable builder to contract
to erect the same for a little under fourteen huridred dollars, it
will be satisfactorily seen that the claim to economical expenditure of the means is a just one.
The color of such a building should be light-whatever the
general aspect and tone of coloring of the objects around-that
let it be.  If surrounded by trees, with a leafy background, its
coloring should be warm and approach the cream; if standing
more alone, with rocky foreground and bold crags near enough
to be seen in outline and color, quench the warmth somewhat
by deepening the cream to a light, cool brown; if other buildings
are near, and the background be circumscribed, give the building
relief and its features distinctness by using more than one color
thereon —covering the main block with a warm, light tint and




158                     RURAL HOMES.
deepening the prominent portions, as window frames, cornices,
brackets, doors, veranda posts, and ombra or porch. Here one
word respecting a contrary mode sometimes suggested:  It has
been said that in such a case the building should be the dark
tint, the details light, and at first thought this would seem correct, but, on after reflection will come the fact that the details
being such small portions of the general mass-spots or lines as
it were upon its bulk-their hue would be merged into that of
the rest if made lighter, as we see delicate pearl green is lost
amid dark foliage, but would stand boldly out in evident form
and distinctness if of darker hue, like the pines and dark evergreens of a more tenderly tinted plantation, or the dark eyebrows
and eyelashes of a Spanish face.
Sanding paint, or mixing sand therewith, besides assisting in
its preservation, takes away fiom the oily glare and glisten of
ordinary pigments, and by lessening the refracting power, gives
to the surface of the building a softer and more pleasant tone of
coloring. But I do not recommend this process in all cases,
believing in no universal rule that admits not of exception; frequently where the detail is minute, the roughened appearance
imparted by the use of sand gives a clumsy aspect to the part,
and in all cases where sharpness of outline is sought to be
obtained by any particular decoration of the construction, the
use of sand would be perfectly inadmissible. By using the last
coat of oil color thick and smooth, without boiled oil, or any
fatty, or resinous substance, a flat, unshiningsurface may be
obtained, more durable than a brighter, reflecting coat would be,
and more pleasing in effect.
The approach to such a house, where the size if its groundplot would permit, should be directly from in front, straight from




COTTAGES.                      159
point to point, but should be by means of an easy curve, sweeping round a clump of evergreen shrubbery in front, a small
grassy mound, or some such central feature, and returning either
to the same gate, or, perhaps, if the space widened sufficiently,
to a second gate a little farther on. The end containing the
kitchen, etc., in a line with one side of the enclosing back-yard,
should be planted out, and screened by trees. The other end,
towards the veranda and bay-window, should be laid out as a
pleasant lawn or flower-garden, and left as open as space will
permit; its extremity, where perhaps a neighbor's land joins on,
planted in such a manner as to hide the wall or fence, screen
from observation, and at the same time appear to connect with
the land beyond, (if there be any worth conveying such an idea)
so that ownership may seemingly be suggested therewith, and
the apparent extent of the grounds increased.  How this may
be done has been explained in a previous chapter.
Perchance the building may have to stand upon a corner lot;
in that case its appearance could not fail to please, as the bold
projection of the porch or ombra on the side, and the simple and
well-proportioned outline of either end would be seen to great
advantage. The fences around it, if enclosing a tolerably large
area, may either be wooden palings, within which a privet hedge
might be tried, (I say tried, because its growth is not always
certain, but its pretty effect worth trying for,) or an iron railing
of simple pattern and inexpensive character might possibly be
decided on. Frequently an iron fence proves the cheapest in
the end, though its first cost may be more than one of another
description. I hear a great deal of a woven iron fence which is
greatly extolled, but having had no personal opportunity of
trying it, I can merely mention its existence here. It is called




160                   RURAL HOMES.
"Wickersham's Wire Fencing," is patented, and is advertised
in most country and city papers, and claims to be less than half.
the cost of cast iron railing. Sometimes posts strongly made
and deeply sunk in the ground, the corners chamfered off, and
the tops protected by pointed rooflets over, answer the purpose
very well if set at intervals of ten to twelve feet apart, and iron
wire drawn through holes every fifteen inches up. This wire
made of galvanized iron, and the posts painted, will make a
cheap and durable fencing at very little expense, one, too,
possessing a good deal of character, and of very pleasing appearance.
The rooms in this suburban cottage should be ventilated by
means of Berrian's valves opening into- the chimneys of each;
the sleeping-rooms especially should be so provided, as the
windows being less than the height of the centre of the rooms,
the air would require to be drawn off from the space above their
opening. This may be done by inserting a valve in the flue
within the room a few inches below the line of the straight
ceiling. The windows must all be so made as to open at the
top, whether dropping as in ordinary weight, hung sashes, or
French windows with sashes hung with hinges. The importance
of this will be thoroughly estimated by those who in hot weather
have been condemned to sleep in rooms, the windows of which
only are capable of being opened in their lower half.
A house built in the manner above described, and in accordance with the illustrations given, would form a really comfortable,
economical, and elegant cottage home, and would be adapted to
most situations in which one would probably be placed.
A still smaller and cheaper building is often needed. Some
that have been intended for erection at sums varying fiom six




COTTAGES.                      161
to twelve hundred dollars, have, however, proved in actual execution to cost much more. I find that country builders are
generally very sceptical when a plan professing to represent a
house constructed on such a scale is presented to them. To
avoid this in every case, I will here give an actual representation
of a small cottage built from my designs in two places, the cost
of which in neither instance exceeded eleven hundred dollars,
2 
SMALL COTTAGE.-ELEVATION AND PLAN.
and as there was nothing peculiarly favorable in the circumstances of erection, but on the contrary, material and labor were




162                    RURAL HOMES.
both very high, there is every reason to believe that in many
situations the house could be built for even less.
It is built of wood, covered with perpendicular plank and
battens, and the interior lined with brick, thus making a warm
and comfortable building.
Its external appearance is pleasing and picturesque.  The
walls are low, the roof steep and projecting in such a manner as
to afford sufficient shade. The side of it is brought down so low
as to form a covering in front over a veranda floor, making a
protected entrance and a pleasant place for out-door sitting and
rest.
The accommodation is sufficient for a family of moderate size.
On the ground floor the space is thus distributed.
From under the projecting eave of roof on the front is the
entrance into a small vestibule, No. 1, containing the staircase,
and opening on one side into a best parlor, No. 2, thirteen feet six
inches by fourteen feet, exclusive of a projecting bay-window at
one end. This room contains a fire-place and a large closet, and
is a pretty and cheerful apartment.
Back of this is the living room or dining-room, entered by
means of an entry under the stairs, and conveniently placed for
access fiom the kitchen and pantry. This room is of the same
size as the'parlor, and like it is provided with fire-place and
large closet. The kitchen, No. 4, occupies the centre of the
house and is a good-sized, well-lighted room. Back of the fireplace is a wash and sink-room, No. 6, containing a boiler heated
by the kitchen range or cooking stove. No. 5 is a large pantry
communicating with the kitchen and wash-room. No. 7, a
back entry furnished with shelves and used also as a milkroom.




COTTAGES.                     163
In one instance, the cottage built after this design had the
distribution of the domestic offices somewhat changed.  The
kitchen fire-place was put against the pantry partition, No. 5,
and that apartment made the wash-room, the latter occupying
the place marked on the plan, No. 6. This change involved no
variation in the expense, and either arrangement might with
perfect propriety be adopted as seemed best.
Underneath the whole is a good, airy, well-lighted cellar,
seven feet high in the clear, and entered by a flight of stairs
under those shown on the plan.
The rooms on this floor are nine feet six inches high; in one
of the houses they are finished with tempered walls, in the other
are prettily papered in imitation wood, and the doors and other
wood-work stained and polished to match. The floor of the
veranda in the latter is made of hexagonal blocks of yellow pine
nicely fitted in, and producing a pretty effect. This, where millpower is at hand, would be but of trifling cost, and would assist
in imparting character to the building.
The sleeping-rooms are contained in the floor above, and as
the partitions are the same as those below, a separate plan has
not been thought necessary.
The staircase lands over the entry, No. 1, and a small bulkhead is taken out of the front chamber to form the entrance to
that in the rear- over the dining-room. Each of these rooms
has a large closet, and can be warmed by a small stove if
necessary. The space over the kitchen allows of one large
chamber and a smaller inner room over the wash-room. The
roof dipping down over the part below, containing Nos. 5 and 7,
the space above is only available for large, low closets, one of
which is reached from the sleeping-room over the dining-room,




164                    RURAL HOMES.
and there is also one to each of the rooms over the kitchen and
wash-room.
This arrangement affords in all one small and three large bedrooms, and a large closet on each side of the upper landing of
the staircase over the entry, No. 1. The roof is made double,
that is, a space is left betwen the rafters and the lathing on
which the ceiling is plastered. By this means no heat is transmitted from the roof, and the temperature of the sleeping-rooms
is easily maintained as cool as that of the rooms below.
The useful articles of furniture required for this little cottage,
if simply and strongly made, would, in their places, be sure to
look well. The parlor might have a pretty carpet of small and
cheerful pattern, and a small book-case, hanging book-shelves, or
cabinet, made of oak, maple, or brick, or even common pine
stained or painted; these, with chairs of simple form, a centre
folding-table, a few cut flowers in the summer, and dried grasses
in the winter, in a rustic stand or in vases over the mantel, a
settee covered with chintz, and curtains of material and pattern
to match, would be all that would be needed to decorate and
furnish the room.  The kitchen, with a cleanly kept white wood
dresser opposite the fireplace, (a wall unobstructed by doors is
left for its reception), with a wooden mantel supported over the
chimney opening by wooden or iron brackets, with a rack for
plates, and a shelf or two, would, with the never-failing Yankee
clock, be sufficiently and inexpensively complete.  To these (with
the chairs and tables that are matters of course), might be
added a folding settee ironing-table.  This is made so as to be
used as a settee with a high. back, or as an ironing table, and
taking but little room and costing but from four to six dollars,
is well adapted to a cottage kitchen. - The top, forming when




COT'rTAGES.                   165
not in use the back of the seat, turns upon wooden pegs inserted
in the arm-chair-like ends of the settle; when shut down for
_  -~ —-~ —
KITOHEN SETTEE TABLE,
use as an ironing board, two other pegs are dropped into holes
made for the purpose, securing it in its place, and making a
firm and steady table. The seat itself is made to lift up, and is
enclosed at the bottom, back, and ends, so as to form  a locker
or chest, useful for clothes and a variety of purposes. Made of
common pine and left unpaintecl, this simple piece of furniture
could be procured from  any handy carpenter, or call be found
for sale in New Yolrk.
The general form and appearance of the building is in execution pleasingly simple and modest. In one case the hipped roof




166                   RURAL HOMES.
has been changed for the ordinary gable, but the effect is not
nearly so satisfactory, the sloping back line of the hip keeping
the building down, and giving a more pyramidical and artistic
outline to the general map.
The dipping eaves of the front forming the veranda are supported in one building by rustic posts, formed by cypress trunks
with the bark retained, and in the other they are made of studs
put cross-wise, four together, and the edges chamfered with a
moulding breaking round top and foot to form cap and base, and
strengthened and enriched by cut brackets. Of the two I prefer
the rustic treatment as more in harmony with the character of
the design.
The verge framing under the hipped roofs is of heavy plank
cut out to the proper outline and chamfered. The drops are
moulded, and so is likewise the ridge pin or pinnacle. The dormer window on the front has its gable enriched by a simple cut
and chamfered barge-board, the sashes being made to swing
open from within. These sashes are frequently fastened in a
very imperfect and unhandy manner; the stiles being narrow,
and in so small a window no room being left for a standing mullion against which to bolt them, the fastening, whatever it may
be, has but slight hold, and requires to be very strongly and
thoroughly made.
I have given a representation of an ingenious and effective
fastening adapted to such a window, and also to blinds, for which
latter purpose it is principally sold, but with thumb bolts above
and below is admirably adapted to such a small dormer window
as is here represented.
This is made in iron, brass, plate, or bronze, and is simple and




COTTAGES.                      167
effective, and like all the other ironmongery I have occasion to
describe, is kept for sale by Baldwin & Many of New York.
BLIND OR DORMER WINDOW FASTENING.
The color that such a cottage should be tinted, would depend
upon its situation and the remarks made in the former portion
of this chapter, in reference to the larger example given of a
cottage house, would apply equally well to this.
This building would look well in stone where that material is
plentiful and cheap, but the bay window would require to be
made heavier to be in keeping, though not necessarily constructed of stone, as a character could easily be imparted which
would render the cheaper and more easily worked material in
harmony with the rough rubble walls. Or the window might
project as a simple parallelogram, the sides not being truncated
to form a half octagon, in which case, particularly if windows
were dispensed with in its sides, and an opening only left in
front, it could readily be built of the same material as the rest
of the house, and would look bold and sturdily honest.
A small garden patch in front, an inclosed yard in the rear,
screened by light trellis work, garnished and rendered still more
impervious by flowering creepers, a neatly kept gravel approach,
a simple fence and unassuming gate, would be all in the way of
adjunct necessary to complete the rural, comfortable character of
this cottage home. Cheaply and durably built, easily kept in




168                  RURAL HOMES.
repair without, and snug and comfortable within, unpretending,
and yet not without a modest beauty of its own, such should be
the small homestead of the honest mechanic or small farmer.
An even smaller and less extensive cottage could be described,
but the cheaper building is one that to do it justice requires study
on the spot and with the builder, or a pretty plan would be
found to cost a pretty price. And for this reason very few
houses are executed from books or printed descriptions exactly
as there detailed. Changes, that to the eye and reason of the
amateur appear quite unimportant, and entailing no extra cost,
are decided on and introduced; then he finds that somehow
when he begins these changes, the parts don't fit, don't dovetail
in so nicely as they do in the professionally studied plan. One
change involves another, and with a semblance of the model, a
house is finished ostensibly like it, and complained of because
costing perhaps half as much again as the example that it was
intended to follow. So especially is this the danger in a small
house, where every fraction of expenditure has been closely and
thoughtfully studied, and in the design for which so nicely has
every part been weighed, and so cunningly has every contrivance
been brought to bear upon it that could possibly be taken advantage of to reduce the cost of its embodiment, that any deviation
made will inevitably jeopardize the whole, and entail unforeseen
and incalculably expensive extras.
Comfortable, effective, and carefully designed cottages have
been built for even five hundred dollars; and yet it is true that
many architects could multiply instances where a design especially made for a certain situation and to meet particular wants,
and which had there been executed for the small sum named,
in other piaces where the attempt had been made to copy the




COTTAGES.                   169
same building, the cost frequently had been nearly double.
This can only be explained by reference to the temptation to
introduce changes, which, seemingly trifling and unattended with
increased expense in themselves, nevertheless result in a very perceptible swelling of the builder's account of cost.
A small cottage comprising three rooms on ground floor, with
a cellar underneath and a back lean-to, containing a sink and
wash room, the plan of the form of an L, and the roof extended
down over one side in a somewhat similar manner to the last
design, has been executed under my direction for four hundred
and sixty dollars. The rooms are of good size, and the building
is well and substantially built. This of course could be done
again and again; but as the sum mentioned would have to be
so carefully subdivided through every item of material and-labor,
I have not thought it best to give an example, for fear it might
mislead. If any one needs such a house, the plans can be furnished to them modified by the statement made of circumstances
that might influence the design.
Before concluding this chapter, I would say a word or two
upon the common practice of placing unsightly buildings around
cottage homes. Outhouses are necessary of course, and must
be provided, but they need not be so prominently introduced to
the notice of every passer-by. A neatly. inclosed yard in the
rear, containing every out-door office necessary to comfort, woodshed, well, piggery, and the like, with space enough left in the
centre for a green sward to dry clothes, would really cost less,
because the sides, or back, or roof of one building could be made
available to another; space of course would be saved, and a
more healthy and far more agreeable result be obtained.
Not only however are those things which ought to be kept in




70                    RURAL. HOMES.
the background thrust, unsheltered by tree or fence, frequently
into the very centre of the small cottage lot, but they are constantly seen so tricked up with some kind of fantastic carpentry
as to challenge observation in the most peremptory manner.
We will put them back, if you please; and in so doing, gain a
prettier patch for sweet-smelling flowers, and more ample room
for a little lawn or useful garden.
What a healthy, refining, useful thing might be a cottage
garden; and how sad it is to see the many ostentatious and vulgar
looking little boxes that have usurped the place of the home,
so many barren, weed-fringed wastes that have stolen away from
some village or suburb its brightest ornament-the neatly kept
garden. What stores of simple pleasures a little lot of fifty feet
square might accumulate; what cheerful occupation, useful,
purest teachings, might it afford. The busy man morning or
evening might find half an hour's toil a real recreation, aye, and
a profitable investment therein; the children be early taught that
most refining and heavenly of all tastes, a love for flowers, and
learn lessons of order and diligence prettily and pleasantly from
the operations and loved cares of the flower garden. I cannot
do better than conclude with a quotation from  the heart-speaking book that has before enriched the opening pages of this
chapter
" But another common instance of the good effect of gardening may be mentioned: it naturally inclines one to be openhanded. The bountiful returns which are bestowed, year after
year, upon our feeble labors, shame us into liberality. Among
all the misers who have lived on earth, probably few have been
gardeners. Some cross-grained churl may set out, perhaps, with
a determination to be niggardly with the fruits and flowers of




COTTAGES.                       171
his portion; but gradually his feelings soften, his views change,
and before he has housed the fruits of many summers, he sees
that these good things are but the free gifts of Providence to
himself, and he learns at last that it is a pleasure as well as a
duty to give.  This head of cabbage shall be sent to a poor
neighbor; that basket of refreshing fruit is reserved for the
sick; he has pretty nosegays for his female friends; he has
apples or peaches for little people; nay, perhaps in the course
of years, he at length achieves the highest act of generosity-he
bestows on some friendly rival a portion of his rarest seed, a
shoot from his most precious root! Such deeds are done by
gardeners."




CHAPTER XII.
MEANS OF ARTIFICIALLY WARMING —HOT-WATER APPARATUSTHE BATHING-ROOM.
ONE of the very first things to be thought of-before commencing even the foundations of a house, is,-what means shall
be used to warm it? In an early chapter, I devoted as much
space as could be spared to the subject of ventilation, and therein
incidentally alluded to the most reliable methods of obtaining
artificial heat.
The importance of a timely consideration of this first element
of comfort in a rural home will appear when it is stated that any
system to be thoroughly efficacious should be commenced in
and with the foundation walls.  The flues, air-ducts, calorific
chambers, should and must be embraced in the arrangements
of the plan, and if not, not only will a great expense be incurred
by making provision for them at a later day, but the working of
the apparatus will probably be not nearly so satisfactory.
Generally speaking, the house and all its parts are determined
on and the building commenced without any definite idea as to
how the temperature in winter is to be moderated, the owner




ARTIFICIAL WARMING.                  173
trusting to some one of the thousand furnaces, or hot-air stoves,
or other health-destroying machines advertised to supply the
means required. Yet, whatever the apparatus adopted may be,
if its parts were incorporated into the building from the first, and
reference made to its worlding in the laying of every floor, or the
placing of every flue, a house more easily warmed and more
economically contrived might undoubtedly be obtained.
The importance of recognising some system of ventilation in
connection with the means of obtaining artificial heat must be
apparent to all. And yet, in not one instance in a hundred is
this necessity ever met. In the smallest cottage, equally as in
the costliest public building, an adequate and consistent ventilation should be arranged, and whether the rooms be warmed by
air-tight stove, open fire-place, or the most exquisitely contrived
heating apparatus, it can be secured by the very same means by
which the artificial warmth is imparted.
This principle must, in fact, be made the basis of all the
systems of  ventilation.  Doors and windows are pleasant
auxiliaries at such seasons as they can be used, without causing
inconvenient draughts-chimney caps of this or that patented
shape assist sometimes under certain conditions of the windbut the only constantly acting and reliable method of purifying
the air of a room, drawing off its foul gases, and introducing a
flow of fresh and pure oxygen, is obtained by the heat that raises
its temperature.
This can be done in various ways. In the simple cottage
where a stove is used, an air chamber of sheet iron in the chimney back through which the stove-pipe may pass, and provided
with a register to be increased in opening at pleasure, will effect
this thoroughly, as will also the surrounding of the stove with an




174                   RURAL HOMES.
outer case or cylinder, the openings at the bottom of which will
draw off the foul air within the room. In each of these methods,
the chimney valve so often alluded to at the top of the room is
indispensable.
Other methods of warming will admit of the application of
different apparatus for ventilating, but the recognized principle
of them all is the same, viz., the imparting motion to the air by
rarefaction, which, properly applied will draw off the impurities,
and afford a vacuum into which the pure air fiom the hot-air
chest in winter, or from  outside the building in summer, may
rush.
This would seem very simple, and the necessity for the provision of such an apparatus apparent; and yet, one house is
built after another, its basement filled up with a huge furnace,
and its furniture blistered with the blasts of heated, vitiated air
that its pipes throw up, and no improved means are ever resorted
to of obtaining heat and health at the same time.
Dr. Bell of the McLean Asylum, a department of the Massachusetts General Hospital, has endeavored in a series of cogent
reasonings embodied in a condensed form, to draw the public
attention to the necessity of some serious action on the part of
all those having any influence on society, in view of enforcing
the introduction of reliable and simple means of improving
healthiness of internal atmosphere in all buildings occupied as
dwellings.
In the annual address before the Massachusetts Medical
Society in 1848, he says (in relation to the mysteries of ventilation, sewerage, and water supply):
"The'ghastly bills of mortality,' as they have been termed
by an English statistician (under some overlooked or mistaken




ARTIFICIAL WARMING.                  175
modifying circumstances perhaps) of one. of our new cities, the
prevailing impression of the unhealthiness already of our lately
populated manufacturing towns, call aloud to the medical profession to look the growing evils of hygienic neglect full in the
face, and if they require a plenary and decided remedy, however
costly, it will not be long in being found.
" It might not be out of place, were it of any probable utility,
to inquire into the causes of this want of advance generally in
an art so universally admitted, in language, to be important.
We scarcely ever read the description of a new assembly room,
or theatre; or hospital, or penitentiary, in which we do not find
laudatory and congratulatory notices of the excellent provision
for ventilation. This provision, of course, in ninety-nine cases
out of a hundred, is nothing more than some small holes left in
the ceiling, the inefficiency of which has been notorious for a
hundred years.  Still, such a general recognition is sufficient to
prove a general necessity.
"Our inefficiency cannot be fiom want of acquaintance with
what has been done in other countries more advanced in the art
of living, since the books detailing the necessities and the modes
of meeting them, in the most authoritative manner of investigation, are known to every scientific inquirer, and are to be found
in every considerable library.  We must rather ascribe our
backwardness to the same general causes which have'kept architecture, both as a useful and an ornamental art, at so low an
ebb throughout our country. One of these is, that for the
moderate capital we have to devote to such purposes, we have an
undue desire, a morbid ambition to produce more of splendor
and show, than is compatible with permanence, completeness of
interior arrangement, or regard to hygienic considerations. Any



176                   RURAL HOMES.
thing out of sight, like the deep and enduring concrete foundation, the'inverted arches of support, designed to meet the possible failures of succeeding centuries, or the concealed arrangements
needful for a thorough and universal ventilation, which must
commence almost at the corner stone and be kept in continuous
design until the last finish, would be struck out, in a vast
majority of instances, from  the architect's specification, (if he
dared to suggest them) as an expense which might be saved
without being felt. On the other hand, the dome, the spire, the
columns, the pilasters and balconies, some of which, as mere ornamental appendages, could be added at any time, now, or a
century hence, when funds might be more abundant, or never,
would be adhered to as essentials, as indispensable.
"Despite the science and mature experience of a thousand
European attempts fully and exactly detailed in the unmistakable
language of description and pictorial representation, our building
committees would, assuredly, after making their personal
enquiries among the hundred interested patentees or dealers in
new furnaces, chimney-tops, revolving turn-caps, and the like,
conclude that, amongst so many practical men, promising in
their advertisements and circulars so many cheap and effectual
methods of doing that which the Old World artists consider so
difficult and expensive, some ready measures would turn up,
when their part of the duty was finished.
"The most costly edifice in the Northern States, just finished
with eternal granite, on foundations based in the ocean, at a cost
of a million of dollars, is an illustration, an abundance more of
which could be easily adduced were not the task an invidious
one. Proposals for heating and ventilating were advertised for'
after the building was finished."




ARTIFICIAL WARMING.                  177
Presently he goes on to say:
"Our present demand for internal ventilation as a domestic
necessity, has also been strongly influenced by the change in the
modes of heating within a few years. The rearing fire-place,
built with an open-mouthed immensity of voracity, as if the
struggle were in getting rid of the primeval forest, has been
replaced by furnaces, stoves, air-tights, of all forms and shapes
which caprice or ingenuity has invented. The sweeping flood
of air which carried with it in its course the most liberal
indraughts of the pure breath of heaven, compensating for the
abduction so largely of the warmed air itself by the radiated
caloric of the blazing pile, has been dammed up, and that almost
entirely. The re-respired, roasted, ill-conditioned air of the
dwellings even of the rich, is the result of a parsimonious
economy which strangely and absurdly exists as to this, in a
thousand instances, where comfort and luxury make no other
sacrifices to saving.  Fuel saving is one of the cardinal virtues
in the housekeeper's creed, while provision saving, or pure water
economy, would be scouted as the height of meanness or uncalled
for self-denial."
Dr. Bell has himself matured a system of warming and ventilating the buildings committed to his charge, so perfect in its
working, and so triumphantly demonstrative in its results of the
advantage to be gained by attention to these sister sciences, that
his opinions and directions have enforced weight which they
could independently, however, have had fiom their philosophical
lucidity, and the zeal and honest heartiness with which they are
given in the little work: containing the address from which the
above have been quoted.*
* "The Practical Methods of Ventilating Buildings, being the Annual
8*




178                     RURAL HOMES.
In private houses where other heat than that obtained from
stove or fire-place is necessary, the means usually adopted is, to
have constructed in the cellar either a hot-air furnace, a steam,
or a hot-water apparatus.  Of the first there are several kinds in
use, and the objection to nearly all of them  is, that they vitiate
the air whose temperature they raise. This objection can only
be moderated by increasing the radiating surface against which
the air is brought in contact; and in selecting a hot-air furnace,
the principle that should govern a choice would be this. But
loss of heat is thought by furnace makers so serious an evil that
the attempt generally has been, not how large an area of moderately-heated metal they can present to the passage of the air
for its absorption of caloric, but how intensely they can heat an
iron pot without cracking, against which the air may scorch and
burn, and be shot into the room above, red-lot and stifling, on
the principle, in fact, of "making a little go a great way."
The coal-pan or pot of a furnace should be broad and shallow,
not deep and narrow, experience and scientific test having shown
that the heat is obtained more healthfully, more regularly, and
with increased economy from  the former.  The radiator should
be large, and the more the air is twisted and drawn within and
around its coils, the more easily will its temperature be raised.
The air to be warmed should be drawn from a pure and undefiled source from  without the building.  That, too, from  an
Address before the Massachusetts Medical Society, May 31, 1848.
With an appendix on heating by steam and hot water. By Luther V.
Bell, M.D., LL.D. Honorary Member of the New York State Medical
Society, etc., Physician and Superintendent of the McLean Asylum for
the Insane, a department of the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Boston; Dickinson Printing Establishment; Damrell and Moore, 1848."




ARTIFICIAL WARMING.                  1 79
elevation, if possible, or at all events, from such a point where it
is not contaminated by contiguity to cesspool or drain, for, if
there be any aromatically offensive or unhealthy particles held
in suspension in the air, then their existence and effects will be
rendered very palpable after it has been heated.
The waste or smoke-pipe should be made a means of ventilation by running within a shaft communicating with the rooms,
and, in addition to this, the foul air from all'or any of them may
be gathered into one duct and burnt in the furnace itself by
making the duct connect with its mouth, and no other means of
feeding the fire being provided, its combustion will draw off the
vitiated gases that are presented to it, in return restoring pure
and freshly-warmed air-like a great lung, the arteries will be
fed and emptied, and the body be kept healthy, and its veins
filled with life-giving fluid.  These remarks will equally apply to
all systems of warming.
Warming by means of circulating hot water throughout the
building, though pleasant and mild, is not very efficacious or
reliable, and is costly.  The difficulties are in keeping the fluid
at a temperature, that, without throwing off steam (thereby
risking an explosion), shall be sufficient to radiate enough heat
within the rooms; and in concentrating the mechanism in such
a manner as to avoid the necessity of any great length of pipe.
Where that is unavoidable, the water has become so cooled before
it reaches the extremities of the pipes that its radiating power
is too weak to be of any use. In the many instances where this
system Qf circulating water has been tried as a means of imparting heat, after a tedious endurance of disasters and failures,
the plan has generally been abandoned. Still, in a small house,
and where only an auxiliary increase of temperature is required,




180                    RURAL HOMES.
with a boiler and pipes of large size, this mode of obtaining heat
might be trusted to, particularly as the air is soft and pleasantly
warmed thereby.
The circulation of pipes charged with steam in and about the
rooms of a dwelling is a more reliable method. Where great
heat is needed, as in a forcing-house, a large and lofty hall, the
doors of which are frequently opened, and for manufactories and
public buildings, this agent can advantageously be used. It
requires care, however, in its management, and seems difficult
with the present apparatus in use to control a small supply.
This mode has but little favor with house-keepers. I will
therefore pass on to heating by means of air warmed by hot
water.
This is the most perfect of all the systems now in use, and
cannot fail to become universal when its application and advantages are thoroughly known. Its principle is this: A boiler
fed with a supply of fuel smaller per diem  than is needed by an
ordinary kitchen range, keeps at a proper temperature a certain
quantity of water which, circulated through many hundred feet
of pipe contained in a metal chest, returns to the boiler to
be again and again passed on, its waste compensated by a
supply from a self-acting cistern in connection with the boiler;
this cistern so placed as to be itself kept at a moderate temperature, so that its water when the evaporation of that within the
boiler requires replenishing may not too suddenly cool it down
and retard the action.  To still farther ensure the regularity of
its working, (as dependent on uniform temperature,) the
apparatus is furnished with two boilers, one within the other,
the circulating pipes being freshly fed from the one, and discharging into the other in such a manner as that by the time




A SMALL HOUSE-for a small Famil —Elevation     p. 18(








ARTIFICIAL WARMING.                   181
the supply is again returned to the boiler, the quantity previously
discharged has become so restored in temperature as to be ready
to take its place.
These pipes, all packed into a metal chest, with spaces
between, and each extremity firmly attached into a distributing
box at one end, and a union box at the other, for the supply and
return of the heated water, radiate and give out heat to the air
within the chest or air chamber.  This chamber is fed with cold
air from  outside the building, which circulating all around the
heated surfaces of the pipes, is conducted up a wide shaft into
the chambers to be warmed. The advantages of this method
are great. They are, first, equable temperature and purity of the
air; freedom from  trouble or expense in attending, for the fire
once lighted, the boiler feeds itself, and the cistern may be supplied from the roof, whilst the consumption of fuel is very small;
softness and elasticity in the warmed air, by which even highly
polished furniture is never cracked or injured as by ordinary hotair furnaces. And last, and this the most important, admission
of air, moderately, but always sufficiently warmed, which is
undeprived of even the minutest atom of its vitality, and is circulated through the room as fresh and as invigorating in its
oxygen as it can be found in the open air. The expense of this
admirable heating apparatus is not greater than that of any
satisfactory machine in vogue, and its action is certain.  In
selecting one, a large size should be chosen, as the advantage of
a large flow of moderately-warmed air over a condensed draught
of atmosphere highly raised in temperature is very great. The
registers or openings into the rooms should also be large, at
least twice or even four times the area usually seen. The mild
genial breeze flowing from  such an enlarged opening is truly




182                          RURAL HOMES.
Jirot
JANES'S TTOT-WATER APPARATUS.-SIDE VIElW.




ARTIFICIAL WARbMING.                183
delicious, and flar more healthy and luxurious than the fiery
current from  a hot-air furnace.  In a room sixteen by twenty,
and twelve feet high, the size of
the warming register should'_       not be less than eighteen by
-,   H         thirty-six inches; this is larger
I know than what a furnace
man would put up, but if you
1J  /   m will be advised by me, dear
readers, you will choose the
[1 i  X  liberal area I have given or
even one greater.
The apparatus is for sale in
New  York, and  is  called
"Janes's Patent Hot-Water.Apparatus, for Warming and
Ventilating Buildings."
Its latter object is secured
by a downward shaft fiom all
the rooms into which hot-air is
introduced, leaiding into a duct
-~{{j   ~ 1,    71which is drawn up into the
74. *   smoke-flue, and by means of'~~ 2~~~~'~        radiation  of heat from  the
metal waste or smoke-pipe is
conducted up the shaft and
discharged     at its  opening.
This is both simple and effective, and greatly adds to the
practical value of the apparatus.
lAN3ES'S TloT- W ATER; PPARATUS. —PLAN.




184,                  RURAL HOMES.
A representation is given, both in elevation and plan.
The various parts of the apparatus may be understood by
reference to the letters thereon and to the accompanying description.
A, boiler.  B, furnace door.  C, ash-pit.  D, flow pipe from
boiler. E, return pipe to inside boiler (not shown). F, Return
pipe to outside boiler from union box, I. G, connecting pipe
between outside and inside boilers. H, distributing box. I,
union box.  K, K, gang-ends.  L, supply cistern.  X, H, cold
air duct.  _, hot air duct.  0, smoke pipe.  P, damper rod.
Q, wall of house or partition.  R, R, wall of hot chamber.
S, S, air pipe.  T, gauge cock.
This will suffice to make this desirable method of warming a
house intelligible. It has been in use several years in the cities
and in country houses in various parts of the States, and has
never failed, as I have been assured, in giving satisfaction. As
a healthy, manageable, and economic apparatus, it has very
great merit, and is rapidly superseding all other modes of warming where its excellencies are at all known.
There are a few general directions that may advantageously
be offered as applicable to all warming apparatus.
The cold air to supply the rooms when heated should be
drawn from outside the building, (as before stated,) and in such
a pipe or duct as can readily be preserved air-tight, so that none
of the impure air in the cellar can become commingled with it,
the furnace should lead at-once into the escape or smoke-flue,
as where a long, horizontal pipe has to be resorted to, to connect
therewith, loss of power, loss of heat, and a vitiated air within
the cellar, and possibly upward escape into the house, are the




ARTIFICIAL WARMING.                185
consequences. The hot air-conducting pipes should be large,
and should increase in diameter as they increase in length;
they should if possible be so arranged as that when cut off
from any one room the valve may be shut quite closely to the
furnace, to ensure which a crank and wire might be attached,
leading into the room and closing a flap or valve in the pipe at
the point where it leads immediately to the chamber.
I have before alluded to the increased size of the registers
within the room —if the air could be broken up into several ducts
before discharging itself, the effect would be still more desirable.
The cornice of all ornamental rooms could contain a tube, the
two ends of which would open into the ventilating shaft so often
described, this tube furnished with openings here and there in
area a little more in all than that of the shaft, and the cornice
perforated in such a manner as very many ornamental designs
permit, would secure a perfect and even ventilation of the apartment. A valve in sight could not then be necessary, but should
be made within a box where the two ends of the tube could be
inserted, and then communicate with the discharging shaft. By
this means all risk of downward current would be removed. I
would here say that Janes, Beebe & Co., the inventors and
manufacturers of the warming apparatus that bears the name of
the first in the firm, and which I have described, have made
ventilation on the principles above detailed their especial study;
those building would find it greatly to their advantage to intrust
so important a means of comfort in a home to their skill and
control.
The proper arrangement of water conveniences in a house
should receive notice here, a. certainlv a home can be neither




186                   RURAL HOMES.
perfect nor comfortable without their adequate provision. In
such parts of the country where water is easily obtained at a
superior elevation or is forced up by a ram, the most perfect
arrangements can easily be suggested; but where neither of
these advantages can be enjoyed, and a pump and manual
labor or a rain cistern in the roof are all that can be relied upon,
considerable ingenuity is required to make the free use of the
pure element attainable with ease and economy.
A bathing-room to be really useful-useful, too, every morning and evening, (as it should be,) must be on the chamber floor,
hence its supply is difficult and troublesome where the water has
to be raised or carried. A large cistern in the roof is not always
desirable, and as a constantly filled reservoir is scarcely ever so.
Warm water heated to boiling point is only needed in very
small quantity for bathing purposes and is not difficult to raise,
but a supply of cold sufficient to reduce to the temperature
necessary for bathing requires some other means than the simple
hydrostatic principle that will force the heated water from the
boiler below.
Perhaps the simplest is to have a small cistern above the
bathing-room  supplied by a force pump from  below.  This is
easily done, the only objection being the manual labor required
to fill it. Various contrivances have been made to obviate this
difficulty; one house that I know of has a windmill which works
a small pump that supplies the chamber floor, and as in thirty
minutes a supply equal to the consumption of forty-eight hours
can by this means be obtained, the use of this capricious force
is really not so liable to objection as might at first sight appear.
Another method I have seen has been by the turning of a small
water-wheel sunk to the level of the spring which supplies the




ARTIFICIAL WARMING.                 187
well; this has power enough to work a small force-pump which
draws off the overflow into a cistern or reservoir dug by the side
of the well and conveys it up into a cistern as before. In another
instance, the stable has been made a means of. obtaining the
necessary motive power, a horse being used to turn a treadwheel attached to the floor of his stall, and which communicating
with a pump and cistern as the other contrivances, has answered
the purpose.
But perhaps the handiest and easiest way is to have in the
scullery or sink-room  one of Streever's Double-Action Pumps,
the action of which is so easy, and the stream so continuous and
so readily forced to even a very considerable elevation, that no
domestic could reasonably object to the ten minutes' labor every
day necessary to keep the cistern full. This pump is both a lift
and a force-pump, and is double-actioned, that is, produces its
stream at both an upward and a downward stroke, is thus more
steadily and easily worked, and has a leverage so powerful that
a child's arm could use one of the largest size made for domestic
purposes. One pump would thus suffice for all wants; it could
be made to connect with the well and with the rain water cistern, and also with the boiler; could conduct to and from the
upper cistern and the bathing-rooms, and by shutting off the
taps of pipes not required could be worked as an ordinary liftpump for domestic uses, or be converted by opening them again
and shutting off the spout into a forcing-pump, with ease and
dispatch. A flexible hose could, if thought desirable, be provided, which might be attached and lead up to the cistern when
required, thus obviating the necessity for permanently fixed
plumbers' work, saving expense, removing danger from  frost,
and, moreover, affording a valuable aid in case of fire.




188                   RURAL HOMES.
These hints may suffice to show that the luxury of daily use
of pure water is attainable at moderate cost even in the country
where Croton pipes do not liberally lead the fluid over the
dwelling.
It is necessary that the bathing-room be effectually ventilated
-still more necessarily the water-closets. These latter may be
most thoroughly kept free from  impure air by having an airduct leading from below the seat into the discharging ventilating
shaft. By this means the draught is downwards and through
the apparatus-hence no unpleasant air can rise from the soilpipe, and all impurity is drawn away. This plan has been
adopted with entire success in the McLean Asylum.
Bathing-rooms require ventilating apertures near the ceiling,
as the air being heated would rise, but they must also have
means of supply of pure air into the lower part of the room to
produce a circulation.
Such simple means as those detailed in this and in the
previous chapter on ventilation, will be found to render warm
and sweet the interior of a rural home. It is hoped that the
inattention that has allowed amateurs and professional men too
long to leave these important qualities to the hands of this and
that advertising quack is passing away, and that the houses of
the next half century will show that Americans are not unmindful of the almost peculiar purity and elasticity of the atmosphere
that circles their country homes, and that its admission will be
courted and welcomed, and its purity preserved intact, instead
of shutting it out and charring and poisoning it as now.
In conclusion, I would simply call my readers' attention
to a novel method of warming and lighting a room by the fire



ARTIFICIAL WARMING.                 189
grate, which has been carried out in England. The grate is set
into a reflecting speculum. of polished metal, and the light, from
the combustion of the coal refracted into the room.
REFLECTING GRATE.
One of great elegance of design is here shown, and may serve
to give my readers some idea of the appearance such a " reflecting
grate" would have. At present, I am not aware of its being
manufactured in this country; but if the demand were made,
there is spirit enough among iron-workers to supply the new
want.




CHAPTER XIII.
SUMMER FURNITURE-CANE-WORK —ENAMELED WARE.
A HOME in the country requires furniture in its way more
difficult to select than to choose between this and that costly
article, offered by Baudouine or others, for town use. It is doubtful whether, as yet, the true ideal has been nearly reached in
country furniture. The painted ware, that finds favor with many,
has some grave objections to its universal use, in the g'eat temptation with which its makers are assailed to lavish gilding and
decoration, and which has rendered, in too many instances, this
style of furniture gaudy and bizarre.  The true way to treat
such furniture seems to be, not: in imitation of rosewood, buhl,
or inlaid work, nor by gilding or bronzing; but by giving the set
a quiet, smooth tint, with the parts picked out in flat, carefully
contrasted or harmonized lines of other colors; here and there
medallions may be advantageously introduced, and the projecting knobs, scroll-work, feet, etc., may be enriched with more
elaborately-finished decoration, in which, however, an effect more
truly in unison with good taste may be secured by carefully
avoiding all shading, or, as it is technically called, " relief."
As articles made and finished in this manner can be economi



SUMMER FURNITURE.                  191
cally afforded, and' fom their light and gay appearance are in
very general use, a description of rural homes would not be complete without some detailed directions as to the selection and
arrangement of pieces of enameled ware; in the latter portion
of this chapter I shall return to its consideration, preferring to
dwell upon the simpler and more peculiar styles first.
In most cases, cottage furniture, of a simple kind, would look
best if left in the natural wood, unpainted and unadorned; its
surface carefully rubbed down, oiled, and dead varnished. I
have often seen such furniture, that has not only been very
pleasing in appearance when new, but after standing the wear
and tear of ten or twelve years, has looked far better at the end
of that time than any painted ware would have done. It is, in
fact, a recommendation to articles of furniture treated in this
manner, that they improve in color and smoothness of surface
with use; and with the aid of a little cold linseed oil rubbed in by
means of a flannel cloth every month or two, their gloss and tone
of coloring become richer every day.
Miss Bremer makes frequent pleasant mention of the cherry
and walnut furniture, in her "Neighbors" and her " Home," and
evidently would, were she to write on such a subject, point
her pen against French polish and upholstery for country use.
For the hall, a settle, either of heavy wood, with carved claw
and high back, or one of the light, easy bamboo seats, the
Berrians delight in presenting in such variety of form and size;
a chair or two, of comfortable form, and of lightness such as may
be carried out upon the veranda, when an extra seat is wanted;
Indian matting upon the floor, an iron hat and umbrella-stand,
a bracket or two for flower-vases, a folding bracket-table against
the wall for occasional use, a thermometer and a weather-glass,




192                    RURAL HOMES.
with perhaps a cabinet of dried grasses, or other little museum
curiosities, will be all that can be needed to render that portion
of the house home-like, characteristic, and comfortable.
The library, with its book-cases framed in recesses of the walls
purposely left in building, the books protected with doors of
latticed wire-work, and glass or curtain behind, as taste may
suggest, with a good, large, open fire-place, and a quaint old
chimney-piece above, on which may stand a clock to mark the.
flight of time that the books beguile; the walls papered probably
with a quiet oak-colored paper, the furniture (such that is heavy
enough to require other than cane for its material) of black
walnut, un-French-polished, and with a few pictures or engravings
hung up, or in portfolio-stands about the room, an easy chair,
and some vases of cut flowers, can readily be made as cosy a
place as any heart could desire, without seeking furniture other
than country handicraft can supply.
The parlor, drawing-room, or whatever it may be called, will
permit of only greater variety, not any greater splendor, in its
plenishing; little knick-knacks, if curious or beautiful, may be
strewed here and there, and a richly-wrought armoire, or cabinet,
perhaps a gem of an inlaid table, or a glorious old " moyen-age"
clock upon the mantel, may show that the wealth is not absent
that might fill the room with costly furniture, only the restraining
good taste is also in equal plenty.  Lounges,'conversation-chairs,
and ottomans may (if needed) be there, but the fairy fingers of
lady workers can better render them beautiful than the most
cunning of fashionable upholsterers.  Suspended baskets for
flowers are pretty embellishments to a drawing-room, particularly
to any recess, as for instance, that of a bay-window;, and the




SUMMER FURNITURE.                  193
little " Fisher Boy," so truthfully suggestive of quiet home life,
may deservedly find a niche somewhere in the apartment.
Some exquisitely designed specimens of Wedgewood-ware
have recently found their way over here; two of them so truly
beautiful, I am tempted to give in this connection illustrations;
they were made from the articles themselves, and I have lately
seen them at various stores in New York. These were purchased at Collamore's, 477 Broadway, and I presume there are
more like them.
FLOWER VASE.
The beauty and delicacy of this design are very great, the
taller one is equally elegant but of different character.
Recesses left in building the walls, may serve as simple
cabinets for a few choice books, some old, time-honored china, or
other articles of vertu, valued more from  association than from
intrinsic cost, and the mirror that custom seems to demand a




194                     RURAL HOMES.
place for, should be simply let into the wall without frame or
gilding, serving only as a reflecting face to image the objects of
FLOWER VASE.
interest in the room and out, making thus a home picture, not a
gaudy show.
If the floor be carpeted, a pattern of small figures, with cheerful colors, in which green bears but a small proportion, (for if
green be used, red must greatly preponderate to kill it,) and in
which the chromatic effect is that of a mosaic, rather than of
any specifically detailed design, should be chosen.  A'large
pattern destroys the apparent size of the room, and dwarfs all




SUMMER FURNITURE.                    195
other colored embellishments in the apartment. Carefully shaded
flowers, wreaths, and other vegetative decoration always appear
out of place upon the floor to be trodden on: crushing living
flowers under foot, even to inhale their odor, is a barbarity, but
to tread on worsted ones, odorless, and without foim, certainly
seems senseless.
The walls, if papered, may be prettily and gaily decorated by
using what is called encaustic paper. This paper is one color,
and without any pattern, its surface exactly resembling the finest
painted wall.
It may very easily be used in such a manner, as at small cost
to produce all the effect of an artistic fresco or oil painting. A
proper tint being selected for the back-ground, and the whole
wall covered therewith, portions of paper in another color may
be placed upon it, either only in simple lines, or in larger surfaces
in accordance with some pre-arranged design.  By this means
panels (using no artifice however to give shaded, and sunk or
raised surfaces thereto-a tricky abomination in great favor with
most " fiesco-painters") and compartments may be made upon
the wall, and by using fine, thread-like lines of very bright color
upon the edge where one color cuts upon the other, a very beautiful and truly artistic effect may be produced.  In a boudoir
or drawing-room or in the guest-chamber, medallions here and
there, at the corners and in the centre of the compartments,
containing a landscape or some floral decoration, will impart a
rich and dressy finish to the rooms.  Medallions of any prettily
painted subjects, treated after the manner of Watteau, may be
procured where the encaustic paper is obtained, and the colors
matched therewith.
But the prettiest and most simply elegant effect is produced




196                  RURAL HOMES.
by only using two colors. Mr. Pugin, the great English architect and colorist, has shown how pleasingly this can be done, as
have also Owen Jones (the chromal decorator of the Crystal
Palace), and many who have sought to raise the character of
internal colored decoration with increased economy and good
taste. The inexpensive nature of the materials, and the elegant
results that may be obtained, recommend this method of covering
the walls to all about completing their country homes; the
ladies might find interesting and pleasant occupation in designing
and supervising the process, and as when done the work is very
durable and the paper will bear scrubbing. I suppose housekeepers will not object to making the experiment.
The colors to be selected for the walls must depend upon the
use, the nature of the light, size, style, and furniture of the room.
In a dining-room, particularly if its walls are to be embellished
with pictures in gilded frames, the color may be a sage green, or
that which goes by the name of " fallen leaf." These colors just
so much tinted as that their hue shows only by contrast with a
sheet of purely white paper. The baseboard, doors, and other
woodwork of the room should be dark oak or black walnut, and
just under the cornice (if there be any) and two inches from the
woodwork should be a fine riband-like line cut out of paper of a
pure and bright primary red about one sixth of an inch in width.
If the wood-work be maple, light oak, or white, between the
green and it should be a margin of about four inches wide of
pearly green of the same tone as the walls, but many'degrees
lighter; on the centre of this, a fine line not more than the
eighth of an inch wide of pure red, and on the edges of the light
and darker green, a line rather wider, say one sixth of an inch,
of pure blue. The cornera may be enriched by giving to the




SUMMER FURNITURE.                  197
lines some curving knot or rectangular fret; a little ingenuity
and a sharp pair of scissors will produce them as fast as wanted.
In a library, where but very little of the wall space is left
uncovered by bookcases, cabinets, or pictures, a very rich and
quaint appearance may be given by diapering the walls in two
or more colors. If the bookcases, etc. be of dark wood, let the
ground-work be a rich, deep blue, on this, in finest lines, work a
net-work of brilliant red or orange in some lace-like pattern that
a lady-fancy will easily suggest: or a cold diaper may be made
by using blue as before and letting the net-work or pattern
thereon be of very much lighter tint of the same. Rosettes or
small cut patterns placed in conformity with some set design
upon the ground tint of the walls will produce the same effect,
only care must be used that they do not appear too " spotty."
Drawing-rooms, boudoirs, etc. that require a more elaborate
decoration need some specific design especially adapted to the
particular room. Enough has been said, I trust, to hint how
cheaply and with what perfect taste, a novel and elegant effect
may be produced by the use of " encaustic" or one-colored paper.
A material now in very general use in this country, the rattan
or cane of the East Indies, affords an immense variety of articles
of furniture, so strong, light, and inexpensive, that it seems
peculiarly adapted to general introduction in rural homes.
Its manufacture is now becoming so important as to furnish
employment to a very large number of persons. In the House
of Refuge alone, there are between three and four hundred boys
at work upon cane seats, and at several places in Bloomingdale
and in the suburbs of New York are a number of Germans who,
have in their employment at least two thousand girls occupied
in this manufacture.




a~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CANE FUiRNITUIRE.
Sofa, Arm Chair, Arm Chair with Rockers, and Foot Bench.




SUMMER FURNITURE.                     199
The Messrs. Berrian, in Broadway, are the most extensive
manufacturers of this article; they have, in fact, created the trade
and with it a name for themselves. The articles of furniture I
have selected to illustrate the use of this strong and light
material can all be procured at their warerooms, where an
immense variety is kept.
The wood of which the frames for the chairs, etc. are made is
white oak or hickory, and is, in the first instance, selected with
great care so that the grain may be straight. After being
steamed to soften it, it is bent into the required forms and
allowed to dry, so that it may not shrink or start out of shape
after it has been made up.
The cane itself (rattan, as it is properly called) is split, where
it is bound on the frame-work —some pieces of furniture show the
wood in its undivided state. As yet, the manufacturers in this
country have to trust to Dutch vessels to bring the rattan via
Antwerp, Bremen, and Rotterdam, but in the increasing demand
for it as an article of commerce, no doubt facilities will be found
for obtaining it more direct,
The principal excellencies of cane as a material for chairs,
sofas, baskets, etc., etc., are- its durability, elasticity, and great
facility of being turned and twisted into an almost endless
variety of shapes; hence in chairs there is every assistance given
by it in obtaining that greatest of all luxuries-an easy seat and
a springy back.
The articles grouped together in our illustration exhibit a sofa,
arm-chair, rocking-chair, and foot-bench; the sofa, from the
pointed termination of its curves approaching to the Gothic
principle of construction, and hence suitable to a building in that
style; and the other pieces, from their symmetrical and recti



200                     RURAL HOMES.
linear and spherical lines, adapted to an Italian or any other
description of finish but the strictly Gothic.
SOFA.
Another style of sofa or settee is shown, which, from its peculiar Chinese character, is very pleasing. It is made of the cane




SUMMER FURNITURE.                   201
in its solid form-in such a shape generally styled " bamboo"and is originally a pattern of Chinese manufacture. For a hall
or an old-fashioned and quaint-looking sitting-room it is very
suitable. In congruity with this is a pattern of great elegance
and character; this has a pleasing blending of the curved and
angular lines, and appears to me to show a very successful treatment of the material.
Somewhat similar in design to this is a crib or standard bedstead for children. The lightness, sweetness, and coolness of the
CRIB, OR STANDARD )BED-STRAPK.
article, particularly adapted as it is to ventilation, must greatly
recommend it. A very graceful use of the material is, seen in
the firm and delicate braid-work that is wrought upon some of
the chairs and other articles.




202
RURAL ttOMES.
C!.
Cu -   ~~~rium~             -




SUMMER FURNITURE.                  203
The chair shown (p. 201) is an example, the braidwork running
over the top and forming arms. It is very elegant and light.
The old-fashioned, heavy fire-screens, and- the lighter but
clumsy-looking basket-work used as a substitute, are now entirely
superseded by the articles made for the purpose in this material.
In the accompanying illustration a very pretty effect may be
given by the lining, which, either made of one color, or of colors
in stripes (their widths adjusted to the pattern work of the
screen), embellished with embroidery worked upon the ground of
the lining so as to come in the centre of each opening of the
frame, will afford an opportunity for the fingers and skill of' the
lady decorators of the house.
A  great variety of other articles are made, some of great
SaWM.-SKT.
strength, and for purposes requiring considerable wear and tear.
Of these, one of the most desirable is a swing-seat, for trees,




204                      RURAL HOMES.
verandas, or summer-houses, an illustration of which is given.
This, from its firmness, elasticity, and absence of sharp corners,
is peculiarly adapted to the purpose. There is a place for the
feet, and the back is at such a slope as to assist in preserving the
balance of the little pendulums that use it.
Of light, fanciful, and ornamental things within the house, the
PAPER-BAS KET.
infinite variety the material will permit precludes a description;
for the library, a paper basket, such as the illustration shows;
WOEKESTAND.




SUMMER FURNITURE.                 205
for the boudoir, or ladies' room, a work-stand (. 203) of which
an example that may prettily be lined with rose, blue, or orange
silk, is here given.
For the drawing-room, the ombra, or bay-window, a flowerstand, within which is a metal lining for holding water or wet
sand.
FLOWERE-STAND.
These are all substantial in construction, and by no means the
firagile, easily broken articles they may look, the material though
slender and light, being tough and very strong.
With an open paper-basket (p. 205) of simple pattern, and of
very convenient form, I will conclude the number of illustrations
of cane-work, I have selected.
I have ventured to occupy the space I have done with them
friom a thought that a cheap, durable, and satisfactory article for
summer use could not but prove valuable to the dwellers in a
rural home. The useful, the simple, and the elegant in form
are the most beautiful attributes of every accessory of inner
finishing; anything that like cane-work ministers to these,




206                   RURAL HOMES.
deserves more ftan a passing glance, and the introduction of its
description will not appear trivial to those who reflect upon what
PAPER-BASKET.
small and inexpensive articles the impress of character and good
taste in a furnished room, frequently depends. I would rather
FOLDING-SEAT




IRON WARE.                       20'7
indeed, show how a chair costing but a dollar or two may be
shaped into an elegant and graceful form, than elaborate a design
for a costly Louis Quatorze seance, or an inlaid tMte-a-tUte.
On a veranda, such cane lounges, settees, and chairs being
light and easily removed would be appropriate; but of all articles
made for such an use none are more desirable than the webbing
or carpet folding-seats (p. 205.)
- These are made with the seats either of canvas, webbing, or
Brussels carpet; they are light, easily carried about, and pleasant
to sit in.
The natural color of cane-work is a light yellow; it is stained
sometimes black, and sometimes left parti-colored, producing a
pretty effect.
Iron is made into a great variety of light and useful articles
suitable to in and out-door life. The Berlin workers of Europe
(the name of the place has given a title to the ware it once
solely excelled in), have employed an artistic taste upon the production of various objects of utility and ornament, which has
furnished specimens of manufacture almost fairy-like in fineness
and texture, and  exquisite in design.  Many of the most
strikingly beautiful patterns have been reproduced with entire
success here. Some specimens lately shown to me, made by
janes, Beebe & Co., I have had the opportunity to compare
with the trans-Atlantic originals, and as a matter of interest in
art, pride must be felt by all who have been able to examine the
works so far perfected, which justly challenge comparison with
the foreign specimens.
Of the larger articles made are some vases supported by




208                   RURAL HOMES.
stag's head and antlers, of great beauty and freedom of design,
suitable for a hall, or for a recess in a large library.
Flower-stands, hat-stands, bed-steads, etc., etc., are easily made
in this facile material, and frequently can be found in stores
devoted to their sale, of great beauty.
A great mistake is made sometimes in painting this metal;
graining it oak is an absurdity, for wood never could be used in
the manner that it aims at showing; imitation marble or other
stone is as bad; bronzing or gilding are allowable, because not
suggestive of a different material, only a different or higher
quality. But of all colors chosen, none are so suitable for large
articles, as vases, tazzas, etc., as the dead, unshining black that
the ware has when it comes over here.  This is given to it by
oil (united, I believe, with some pigment) put on thinly and
rubbed in so as to dry without any gloss, leaving only a smooth
evenness of surface, admirably adapted to the gravity of the
material, and giving a greater appearance of finish and richness
than the most elaborated painting. Fountains, out-door vases, and
seats, are fiequently seen painted dead white; the coldness and
baldness of this coloring on iron is to my eye very objectionable;
the black would be more suitable, and have the additional advantage of not soiling, whilst in a fountain, nothing could surely be
prettier than the contrast of diamond and jet-the sparkling
water and smooth black iron would afford.
White, on iron, always seems a mask; there is a translucency
about marble which the white is supposed to imitate, that paint
can never reach, and beneath the white-lead colored iron, the
solemn, black influence seems felt, and will cloud the mocking,
garish hue that is every way so dissimilar.
The heavy, chocolate brown color (that looks like rust, only it




PAINTED FURNITURE.                 209
has not its:variety of tint) that iron is sometimes -painted is
nearly as bad; the paint always dries rough and coarse-looking,
and there is a clumsy, unfinished appearance about iron work so
painted, always suggesting the idea that it is only primed over,
and that one of these days the painter will come with his
pumice-stone and paint brush, and finish the job. Black or
bronze are the coverings for iron-the grave, honest, strengthy
old substance will only be contented with sober, unchanging
negation of gaiety in hue.
Sometimes one sees iron sanded in imitation of stone;-many
area railings in New York are so finished,-he would be a
3unning mason who could cut such -splinters of Connecticut
brown-stone!
Painted Furniture, or enamelled ware, as its best manufacture
is now specifically called, might be more cheaply furnished than
it is. The gaudy, show-loving spirit of the age has caused
cabinet-makers to gild and bedizen plain pine in such a manner,
that the painting costs a great deal more than the article itself.
In fact, many articles of painted ware-a handsome wardrobe for
instance-are in certain collections as costly as one of rosewood
or mahogany. The lower priced articles that are sold are little
better than trash, and at present there is no medium between a
gaudily bedecked set, costingr mfre than thrice what it should,
and a cheap imitative furniture just as gaudy, and of course, not
being so carefully finished, looking more tawdry.
The fault rests with the buyers, not the makers; if on going
to select a set of enamelled ware, the lady purchaser were uniformly to say " this is all too elaiorately and showily finished;
I want a set just as well made as this one, but painted only one




210                   RURAL HOMES.
color, with a simple line of a lighter or darker tint as the case
may be, but no gilding or ornamental painting-for what will
you make me a set?"
This constantly done, furniture manufacturers would find it to
their interest to supply the improved demand, and the price of
the ware would quickly settle down into a regular and far lower
rate, by which this cleanly and characteristic work could be
placed within the reach of all furnishing their country houses.
Furniture such as I recommend can be seen and procured in
New York; many recently furnished hotels show it in their
sleeping-rooms. McGraw, in Broadway, has made some of the
character suggested, and though to supply the taste of his
customers the showier sorts are more abundant, purchasers will
find no difficulty in procuring exactly the style described, made
in the best possible manner, and at reasonable rates.
A bed-room with the larger pieces of furniture made as
fixtures may be easily ornamented in this manner, the doors and
fronts only requiring to be enamelled. The wardrobe in a recess;
the bureau treated in the same manner; the wash-stand, simply
a marble slab in an alcove, with folding-doors below, and the
sides and back of the recess panelled above in the same style,
would require merely the bed-stead and chairs to be moveable.'With the walls papered in encaustic, and the enamelled ware of
a tint in harmony therewith, the loom would admit of great
embellishment and possess a character and interest that could
not fail to please.
Porcelain, as a finish to ornamental articles of hardware used
in buildings, is now in very general use. As a cleanly, cheerful,




PORCELAIN.                     211
and durable material, it is highly recommended, and for all such
articles as project; door-knobs, bell-pulls, etc., is very suitable.
It requires no cleaning like metal, and does not soil the hand.
For country houses, where glare and glitter are out of place,
and cleanly, labor-saving finishings are most required, the various
articles made in this material are particularly suitable.
Here are specimens of a set of hardware finishings for a room,
in which this material is used.
BELL-PurL.
This cut represents a bell-pull or lever; the knob on the
handle and the boss in the centre are of porcelain, the mounting
and other metal work being of silver, plate, or bronze, and the
porcelain work may either be pure white or embellished with
colored decoration. If upon a papered wall of two colors as
before described, the painting of the porcelain may correspond,
the body'of it being the tint of the wall and a fine line of the
hue that is used thereon traced on the knob and boss.




212                  HRURAL HOMES.
The curtain-band here represented is of similar materials, and
its design is in the same character as the last. The head is of
OCrTAIN-BAND.
porcelain, painted to order, and the metal work silvered or
bronzed.
A useful addition to a bell is found in a speaking-tube communicating with the servants' apartment; the mouth-piece of
this, which may be just above or below the bell-lever, is susceptible of ornamental treatment in this material.  One advantage
it has over metal is in its pleasant feeling to the lips and its
greater purity.
SPEAKING-TUBE.




PORCELAIN.                      213
The design here given is of one to match the other finishings,
and may be of pure white with floral decoration, or of the same
tints as the walls.
For the manufacture of door-knobs, porcelain is, of all the
various materials that have been tried, the most suited.  Cleanstrong-easily attached to the handle, and susceptible of great
embellishment, it is much in favor, and, as by an improved
method of fastening the knob on to the shoulder all danger of
its becoming loose is entirely obviated, the only objection to
such knobs is removed.
The patterns that are made are innumerable. The one here
shown is of a design best suited to the set of other articles. It
is called by the trade the "Elizabethan pattern," I presume,
from  a resemblance in its decoration to the detail of that,
period.
ELIZABETHAN KNOB.
The centre of the knob is white, with the outer edge buff,




214                   RURAL HOMES.
and the figure of maroon. The buff is powdered with gold, and
the combination -of coloring is rich and well suited to a dark or
black walnut door.
The other door furniture, consisting of escutcheons and drops,
is also made in porcelain. The patterns that would best match
with the others are, too, here given. One of them is called the
"tulip pattern," and the other the "English pattern."
ESCUTCHEON.
A very ingenious use is made of the article in clothes, hat,
and coat-hooks.  For entries and halls, and for the walls of
bed-rooms they are very well adapted. Especially suitable
IATT AND COAl I-looK.




PORCELAIN.                   215
would they be to a bathing-room, where the steam and wet
would have no effect upon them.
A hat and coat-hook, with a shield through which to screw it
upon the wall, is here shown, and will give an idea of the
innumerable useful purposes in the way of pegs and hooks,
to which this material is capable of being applied.
These articles can be procured, together with a vast number
of others in the same material, of Baldwin & Many, New York.
THIS much by way of directing how the interior of a house
may be embellished and furnished at small cost, and in good
taste. With a delightful extract from the graphic pen of Mrs.
Kirkland, I will bring the present chapter to a close. The fair
writer, in an article in Sartain's Magazine about the World's
Fair, makes the following remarks, so practically useful in
themselves, and so graceful a testimony from  an American
traveller to the home-charm of English country houses, that I
present them to my readers.
"We have not yet learned, in this extravagant country of
ours, how much may be got out of modest means, or how
various are the modes by which the requisitions of circumstance
may be met. All our notions of must-haves and may-haves are
stereotyped; as we furnish our houses, so we regulate our way
of living and managing, one by another, dreading originality
like pestilence. It is to be hoped some old-world secrets of life
may be picked up by those who go abroad this summer, a
fair return for the many new notions which the English will
undoubtedly acquire from their visitors.
"By the way, every American who has the opportunity




'216                  RURAL HOMES.
should be sure to visit an English country residence. They are
the perfection of beauty, comfort, and refinement; often on
a small scale, which requires that every inch should be made the
most of, which is done so cunningly, that one forgets to wish
them  larger.  One thing they never lack, viz.: a library,
deemed a superfluity in so many of our best houses; and this
library is the magnetic gathering-place of a thousand tasteful
trifles,-relics, specimens, objects of art, curiosities, suggestive
nothings-which serve to make talk independent of politics,
dress, fashions, and scandal. Then the grounds are laid out
with so much judgment, and kept in such perfect order, that
they add, in effect, several drawing-rooms to the villa, since they
are delightful for conversation or strolling. These residences
form  a happy medium  between too much rusticity for city
habits, and a cold, showy splendor, which insults nature by
hiding her as much as possible under a town disguise. They
look domestic, and like the home of many accomplishments."




CHAPTER XIV.
ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE-THE ENTRANCE LODGE-OUTBUILDINGS.
THE country home consists of more than the dwelling. The
out-buildings, such as barn, granary, stable, coach, and wagon
house, etc., are all important features, and require equally careful consideration as the house itself. A good and convenient
house will be rendered still more home-like by the proper
arrangement and position of the out-buildings-the charm which
probably constitutes the acknowledged excellence of an English
country-house being found in the adaptation of the offices to the
house.
Of.these, in an English home, the gateway or entrance-lodge
is generally the most prettily treated and effective.  In this
country such buildings are, as yet, by no means common, though,
in consequence of the increased and park-like extent of many of
the best American homes, they will be found presently as their
convenience becomes apparent.
Most houses of more than very moderate character and extent
require a small cottage, wherein may reside a farm servant,
assistant gardener, or hand of some sort, whose occasional duty
10




218                   RURAL tIOMES.
it will be to open the entrance gates for a visitor, and to answer
such inquiries as may be made and responded to, without immediate reference to headquarters. Such a cottage, seen as it must
be from the travelled road, should indicate the character of the
place within, and be simply picturesque, or quietly ornate, as the
circumstances may seem to require.
The Entrance Lodge, regulated in its design by strict
adherence Lo the same rules that have been insisted upon for the
larger structure, may be more finished and elaborate in detail
than would be admissible in a building on a grander scale, that
is, its parts may be more fancifully ornate and the construction
more minutely wrought up for effective appearance. Many of
those found so plentifully in England are too petite and fantastic
for satisfactory adoption here, yet, in their way, they are exquisite
little gems of rural art, and seem  less out of place there, in
unison with the richly dressed lawns and shrubberies and general
smoothness of landscape, than they would if transplanted as
features in the broader, bolder scenery of this country.
It is not necessary that the lodge should be of the same
character as the dwelling; the material to be used, and very
probably the nature of the precise locality in which it is to be
placed, may suggest a different mode of treatment than had in
the former been determined on. This rule, however, must be
insisted upon: that in no case should the lodge possess a greater
severity of style than the larger edifice.  That is to say-supposing the style chosen for the mansion be that described as the
rustic Italian, the lodge must not, on any account, show a more
classical treatment of the same elements of design. The necessity,
however, that the smaller building should be freer and less in
accordance with symmetrical architectural rule seems obvious,




ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE.                 219
and yet the recollection of the effect produced by its violation
leads me to insist upon it here.  In the neighborhood of this
city is a lodge of the model of a severely finished miniature
Doric temple, and the house within a modern bracketted Italian.
building; the two are seen together, and the effect is repugnant
to good taste.
The home side of the lodge should be that away from the
road; the entrance will best be at the end nearest to the gates;
the other end would -be protected by an enclosed yard; with the
walls or fences sufficiently high to:allow culinary mysteries and
domestic lavations to go on unexposed to public view. This
hint is a necessary one; for I have often thought how unfittingly
a shrubbery looked,  spotted here and there with snowy mantles
undergoing process of drying.
The internal arrangements may conveniently be considered- s
consisting of three rooms on the principal floor; one an evening
and holiday sitting-loorn; a kitchen, with a scullery, etc., next
the yard; and a third room, either used as a sleeping apartment,
or, if the lodge be occupied -by the gardener, as a seed-room or
dried plant cabinet; whilst in the roof above, three other goodsized sleeping-rooms might be finished off if necessary. The
inner side of the building should be sheltered by a rustic veranda,
or by the dipping down of the rafteis of the house roof; in
either case supported by cedar or other timber posts, retaining
the bark, and instead of any moulded cornice above, using bark
and crooked limbs of trees for tracery and fascia, which may
easily be so wrought as to cheaply produce a very pretty
effect.
The roof, whatever may be its character, must project so as to
shelter and cover in:the walls, the wider the projectionin reason,




220                   RURAL HOMES.
the more home-like and rustic will be the feeling and expression
of the building.  The general effect must be carefully considered,
so as not to appear high-a lofty, stuck-up cottage rearing its pert
head beside the entrance gate being very objectionable. The
structure should be low, spread out upon the ground, and if
large, the shape should be irregular.
A smaller lodge than this, consisting of two rooms on each
floor, or of three on one floor and one in the roof above, will
often be all that is needed. Even the small cubical box, that
economy would suggest as the most easily contrived form for a
two or three roomed cottage, may, by means of a projecting roof,
a rustic porch, and a due regard to proportion, be made to look
admirably well. As buildings of this description  may be
infinitely varied, and their external appearance is dependent upon
so many circumstances, instead of dwelling thereon, before
describing the design that illustrates this chapter, I will endeavor to direct attention to the points of most importance within.
A great mistake is generally committed in forgetting that
these lodges are places of residence, provision not always being
made for the daily necessities of their inmates.  There is a show
parlor and a show kitchen, but the one is too fine, and the other
often too small for use. Country people, too, such as would be
placed in a lodge, are, in a measure, obstinate, and opposed to
all " new-fangled notions," as they term the, what you consider
really excellent and convenient arrangements made for them, in
the culinary and other departments.  So -long as they have
space, about their kitchen stove, a convenient closet or two, a








TT-TE    ENT RA NC E    L  OIDGE-Suitabie also fo-r.a CottrkeRsdnc-e..'2




ADJUNCTS TO A HI-OUSE.             221
roomy dresser, and a wood-shed covered over in the yard, they
would be perfectly contented, and feel much more at home than
if you provided them  with one of "Beebe's" best ranges, or
planned their kitchen after one of Soyer's own designs. But,
there are many little things you can give them in spite of themselves. You can provide an efficient and self-acting mode of
constant ventilation; can place the copious use of water within
their hourly reach, even to the extent of a simply contrived
bathing-tub and shower-bath in the chamber above; and all
these things may be done at little expense and be productive of
great comfort. I have often noticed, too, that the windows in
the pretty little toy-houses erected by the side of the entrance
gates, are continual sources of trouble. The only safe way to
construct is to make them ordinary windows, hung with weights,
and opened in the usual way; any ornamental or characteristic
tracery required being outside, and considered as decorated support of the head of the opening.
The sleeping-rooms are frequently too low  and  hot for
comfortable habitancy. The desire to keep the building down,
and the facility a high, pointed Gothic roof affords for cheaply
obtaining rooms within its fiame produce this effect. Its evils
may be avoided by always framing the roof double (as has before
been remarked), or' by firring out so as to leave a space of dead
air-not a space open at the ends, but a space hermetically
sealed ail-tight-between the ceiling and the framing of the roof.
By this means, the confined air-the best non-conductor of heat
known, will prevent the transmission of hot air from the roof,
and will thus aid in keeping the chambers cool. Windows in
the gables, their heads as near the ceiling as can be made, with
another window somewhere under the eaves at the side of the




Gi-ioNT) TPLAN -EN-TRANECE LODGE.
Cl
ClA




ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE.                 223
room will secure a natural ventilation in the chamber, and this,
with an opening in the chimney near the highest part of the
room, will suffice to render the apartment comfortable.
I will proceed to describe a cottage suitable as an entrance
lodge to a home of moderate pretension and extent. I have
supposed it built upon the boundary line of the public road, a
situation in frequent demand.
The arrangement is that suggested in the,first part of this
chapter, and may be easily understood by reference to the
ground plan.
No. 1 is the general living room, its door opening under a
veranda roof, extending to the entrance gate; this room has a
pleasant hanging window in its angular side, affording a view up
the road, and its other window opens upon the wide veranda
that shelters the building's inner side. A fire-place and a large
closet, complete the features of the room, which is fourteen feet
square, excepting the corner cut off by the truncated side nearest
the gate.  No. 2 is a longer room, fourteen by eighteen, one end
projecting and finished as a half octogan. This end contains a
door on to the veranda (which here runs round the octagon, and
forms a pleasant shade,) and a window in each slanting side. In
the room is an enclosed staircase leading to the chamber floor
above, a fire-place, and a wide low window looking into the road.
This room is designed for the special use of the gardener; a
pleasant and tastefully arranged apartment it should be, with
drawers and places for choice seeds, contrived under the partition
of the stairs —with a few hanging shelves filled with books, upon
his rural pursuits-here and there a case of dried ferns, grapes,
or other horticultural curiosities, and all neatly kept and ordered.
No. 3 is the kitchen, fourteen feet square, and connecting with




224                   RURAL HOMES.
a scullery. No. 4, twelve feet square. This latter is a lean-to
-building and enclosed in a yard which runs in a line with the
road, and comprises a sufficient area for drying clothes, and for
the wood-shed, out-house, and such other offices as are very
necessary in themselves, but best kept out of sight. In the
kitchen, one of the useful "ironing settles," described in a previous
chapter, would be very appropriate, and occupy but little space.
Above, are three good sized sleeping-rooms, the same dimensions
as the apartments below. The landing of the stairs would be
toward the road, and a hall, four feet wide, running off over the
end of room  No. 2, would afford a means of entrance to each of
the end chambers, and to that in the centre which might either
be finished with the half octagon, as in the room below, or be
square, the octagon beingsdiscontinued and roofed over to this
point.
The accommodation contained in this lodge might, perhaps,
be more than that generally needed, but as an example of a
building on a thorough scale of finish, and comfortable means of
living, it may be offered as a study of this pretty adjunct to a
rural home.
The entrance gateway is recessed from the road in the manner
shown in the plan. The piers, the walls, and buttresses, are of
stone, which as it comes so closely before the eye upon a public
road, must be more symmetrically laid than would be necessary
were the building more removed. The angle stones or quoins,
the masonry round the windows, the caps and bases of the piers,
the weathering and plinth of the buttresses, should all be of cut
stone, not too finely dressed, but yet smoothly and sharply
finished. The main body of the walls, themselves, may be of
rough rubble work; this, indeed, will give greater value to the




ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE.                225
parts that are cut, and will impart a rustic and quaint appearance
to the whole, thoroughly in keeping with the character of the
design. The projecting window in the angular end, is to be
framed of wood, heavily and simply, and then painted in the
same manner as the framing of the gables and roof. It is true
that the wood-work should all be of oak, or at least yellow pine,
and oiled and varnished, but as the material may prove in many
cases too costly, I will suppose pine painted, to be decided upon.
The roof gable over -the centre of the road point, is supported by
a framing, projecting firom the face of the walls. This should be
heavy and look real. The finial at the top and the drops at the
springing of the gable, may be moulded and carved in the manner
shown; the former may, however, be changed for a turned ball,
resting on a moulded cap, if the carving cannot be conveniently
procured.
The window frames should also be heavy, and on their outer
faces show a chamfered or splayed edge.
The chimney caps may be of cut stone, or, if the builder
likes to risk the winter's frost, of " Garnkirk clay."  This latter
material is made into chimney caps, vases, &c., and an innumerable variety of architectural forms, and is imported from Scotland, and kept for sale in this country; opinion is so varied, however, and testimony so conflicting, as to its adaptation, to the
severities of winter here, that I can scarcely venture unqualifiedly
to recommend its use. I know, however, of instances where it
has been used for four or five years in different parts of' Connecticut, and shows no ill effects fiom frost. Farther than this I
have had no opportunity of judging if there be any well founded
objection to the material.
The gates should certainly (if possible) be of oak left unpainted,




226                    RURAL HOMES.
and studded together with cut nail heads; they ought not to be
too heavy, a light gate is more durable and less liable to injury
than one very ponderous, and of course is less costly. The frame
may be three inches by eight, and the planking not over seveneighths of an inch thick. The hinges made of iron, flat and broad,
should show; and cutting them into gracefully curving forms, will
greatly assist in imparting character and beauty to the gates.
The inside finish of such a building should be characteristic,
and the directions previously given in the chapter about cottages
will equally apply.
The cost would vary considerably in different neighborhoods,
according to the quality and expense of working the stone.
Where the material has to be brought from some distance, and
is hard and difficult to work, the entire cost of the lodge, its gates
and enclosing fence walls, would not fall short of three thousand
dollars, and might be three thousand'five hundred. On the North
river, with stone on or near the site, of an average quality, and
not unusually hard to work, the cost would be from twenty-five
to twenty-eight hundred dollars. In Pennsylvania the sum required would not exceed twenty-five hundred dollars, and a
builder from Bridgeport, Connecticut, has recently examined the
plans and expressed his willingness to contract for twenty-three
hundred and fifty. In wood, if that material were selected, (in
which case the character of the piers, fence wall, and buttresses,
should be changed,) the estimates would of course be much less;
fifteen to eighteen hundred dollars would' finish it in the most
thorough manner, and many an economical builder would erect
it for considerably less.
On a prettily wooded estate, the road undulating, and greensward edging its sides, -the lodge as depicted would look well; it




ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE.                 227
should be backed up with forest trees, and the open gates afford
a peep upon a gay and neatly kept little flower-garden before
the rustic veranda of the inner front.
These remarks will suffice for the guidance of my readers
in setting about the construction of an entrance lodge. I will
now proceed to discuss the other adjuncts to a rural home.
There is scarcely a country residence that has not out-buildings
so large that they might, if properly comprehended at first in
the general design, be made to contribute very greatly to the
beauty and picturesque appearance of the home, and where
firom any reason it might seem desirable to keep the offices at a
great distance from the dwelling, there can scarcely be a situation
in which, from some points of view at least, they are not seen
together, and should therefore be made parts of the same whole.
A house on a small and economical scale, with outbuildings
merely of such capacity as are absolutely needed, and of simple
character and materials, may, by careful grouping together,
make a really imposing and home-like appearance.
A farm-house indeed requires the outbuildings conveniently
near, so that every operation may be carried on under the
immediate eye of the farmer. Hence, we see the E-shaped
plans that are so common in the old country, and not unfrequent in this; the house stretching widely out as the upright
portion of the letter, the porch the central projection, and the
stables, cow-houses, granaries, etc., forming the wings as the
arms, and from  each of these a substantial fence and gates
stretched across, build up the quadrangle, so favorite a ground
plan with the architects of the olden time.
There can scarcely be any situation in which an artistic
10*




228                   RURAL HOMES.
grouping of the house and its offices is not perfectly attainable.
They need  not of necessity  be  close together.  On the
contrary, the outbuildings may be removed as far as may seem
desirable, and yet connection with the main building be given
them by their treatment and character. This may be done by
reproducing some of the marked features that the house
possesses-by similarity of detail-or by general resemblance of
outline; but if the house has any very distinctive and stronglymarked feature-as, for instance, a lofty tower, or look-out, with
the rest of the building flat-roofed and comparatively low-the
outbuildings must be carefully kept subordinate.  The same
flatness and projection of roof, and, though less ornate, the same
character of detail, will sufficiently mark the connection; and
their position on the ground should be such that they are, from
no point of sight, so seen as to appear of greater elevation than
the main dwelling. They should be made lower, being, in fact,
the first step from the ground, the'house being the second, and
the tower the third, or highest;.  Frequently, a tower or turret,
containing a clock and surmounted with a vane, is a very
desirable addition to a range of stabling and farm-buildings.
The clock itself is a useful feature, and I would like to call
attention to the light and inexpensive time-keepers made by
Sperry & Byram, of Sag Harbor.  It is strange that in this
proverbially clock-making country, there are so few good outdoor clocks; but lately, Mr. Byram has succeeded in producing
some admirably adapted for a gentleman's out-buildings.
The particular form to be given to the out-buildings must
depend upon circumstances almost too varied to discuss. Many
persons just now are strongly in favor of a circular, hexagonal,
or octagonal. plan for the stables; and certainly a very econom



ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE.                 229
ical distribution of room  may be made, and the purposes of
feeding are admirably met; and, also, there is, to me, another
advantage in such a form-that of easy ventilation.  The
central portion, from which the divisions forming the stalls
radiate, may contain a large air-flue, carried above the roof, and
terminating with such a ventilating-cap, or other apparatus, as
may be approved; and immediately above the floor, and, again,
just under the ceiling, should be apertures, (the upper one
supplied with a valve, to prevent downward draft,) for the
passage upwards of foul and heated air.
If the farming or cattle-feeding operations of the establishment be upon so large a scale as- to require a boiling-house, the
flue from  that may be carried underground, and discharge
upwards through this air-drain, so as to increase the upward
current, and consequently afford a means of forced ventilation.
The loft for feed would be in the roof above, and the advantages such a mode of ventilation would give in drying and
sweetening wet-made hay, must be apparent.  The chaise,
harness, wagon and tool house, in a building of lower elevation,
wouldform a wing on one side, and the cow-stable, root-house,
etc., a corresponding wing on the other. A very convenient
and economical cow-stable may be made by forming the
divisions between the stalls of double folding swing-gates.  The
cows are brought in, one by one, at one end, the first admitted
being led up to the farthest stall, and the gate closed; so on,
each stall is filled, and no room  is lost. The stalls are ten
feet long, and five feet wide-the gates folding in the middle,
exactly against the stall end, when open. An alley-way, three
feet and a half wide, is left in front of the animals' heads, for
the purpose of feeding, and the whole space occupied is but




230                   RURAL HOMES.
fourteen feet in width. Some farmers prefer a less width than
~five feet for the stalls; in which case, all that will be necessary
to be done is to make the gates fold into three instead of
two folds, and to strengthen them by a bar dropped through
staples on each gate-which bar would stand upright when not
in use.
The most effectual method of ventilating such a building
would be as follows:-It would probably be covered with a
lean-to sloping roof;-ceil across about four feet straight,
leaving a triangular space inclosed. In the under side insert
gratings of open wood or iron work, three feet long by two feet
wide, one over each stall. At each end of the building cut
openings corresponding to the triangular space under roof,
and protect from  the weather by a sloping board or iron
pent roof over; or, if the two ends of the building abut upon
other buildings, so as to prevent such openings, or there be
a loft above, then fiame an air-shaft, leading upwards from each
end of the drain, enclosed as directed, and carry one about two
feet above the roof, terminating it with one of Janes's Injectors,
(which, in such a situation, would answer admirably well,) and
extend the other at least six feet higher, and cover it with any
cap that will prevent down-draught.
This, with a good-sized drain under the cow-stable, and a large
grating leading thereto from  each stall, will thoroughly ventilate the interior of the building; and were cattle-feeders aware
how all important to the well-being of their stock fresh and pure
air is, they would take means always to secure as abundant a
supply as they do of food. In fact, an animal well supplied with
plenty of cool, pure air, will thrive on a moderate quantity of




ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE.                 231
food, where another,n more bountifully fed, will pine for want of
the breath of heaven to refresh him.
A great deal of character may be given to a place by its gates
and fences. A very light and pretty gate, suitable rather to the
cottage than the farm-house, may be made of a frame of seasoned
timber one inch and a half thick, and covered with split-oak, or
cedar, or cypress stems, nailed up and down, and leaving the bark
on. The posts may be trunks of similar wood, with the bark
made to adhere by copper tacks here and there through it, and
protected by a varnish. The upper portion of the gate may be
curved downwards, or made of any other outline that taste may
suggest. A sturdy timber-framed gate, with the edges chamfered, and with heavy, rough posts spurred to the ground, is suitable to a farm, and, if properly made, will last as long as the
Louse. A thoroughly good soaking of linseed oil will be found
to protect its timbers better than paint, which it is impossible to
prevent blistering and scaling off with the heat of the sun.
A useful gate for farm purposes may be made by fiaming two
halves so that they may meet in the middle, and instead of hanging them to a post on hinges, putting up two light standards on
either side and passing a pin through them and the lower end
of each half. To open, all that will be necessary is to lift them
up and let each half fall back between the standards.  These
standards should be placed within the wall, rail, or stone fence,
and the gate made very light (the lighter the better), and when
opened, protected fiom injury by being against the wall. These
are an excellent substitute for lifting bars, and are cheaply and
easily made. They can be fastened by a bolt and staples on each
half of the gate.
In almost all country places, the size of the orchard or fruit




232                    RURAL HOMES.
garden demands a fruit room, either in a building by itself or in
some portion of the house or offices.  A very excellent room foi
such a purpose is described by Mr. Barry, in his useful work
The Fruit Garden. and in the following words;" Fruit Rooms.-A fruit room  is a structure set apart exclusively for the preservation of fiuit. Its great requisites are, perfect security from moisture or dampness, exclusion from light:
and an uniform temperature. If these points are obtained, nc
matter where, how, or of what material the fruit-room  be constructed. It may be built of stone, brick; clay, or wood, above
or below ground, as circumstances or taste may dictate.
"A good, dry, and cool cellar, is as good a place for keeping
fruit in as can be provided; but the great objection to cellars
used for other purposes is, that currents of air are frequently
admitted, and too much light, by -which the temperature is
changed, decay promoted, or the fruits dried and shrivelled.
There are, also, other objects that unavoidably saturate the air
more or less with moisture.
" Where a fruit room is built on the surface of the ground, it
should be on the ice-house principle of double walls and doors,
to prevent access of either heat or cold from without. A good
cellar or cave, built in a dry, sandy, or gravelly bank, or side hill,
will answer every purpose. The walls may be of stone, brick, or
timber; the roof should be thick, with a slope sufficient to throw
off water freely, and the earth about should be so graded that
water will flow away as fast as it falls. Provision may be made
for lighting and ventilating in the roof, and the door or doors
should be double.
"The interior should be filled up with shelves and binns,




ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE.                  238
with places for barrels or other articles, in which fruits are
packed."*
The complete drainage of a yard and of the offices therein is
a point of the utmost importance. One of the chief excellencies
of a system of drainage consists in such a plan being chosen as
will render the drains as little liable as possible to get out of order,
and will permit the reinstatement of the materials first used,
after they have been disturbed, by the necessity of removal, for
purposes of cleansing.
The plan that has the greatest reason to recommend it, is one
by which the common cess-pool is omitted, and a tank for the
reception of liquefied manure substituted. This tank, made either
entirely below the ground, or placed in such a situation as will
allow of any accidental fall in levels to be taken advantage of,
and thus leave an easy means of access to the bottom, should be
so built as to be easily emptied, flushed with water, and cleaned.
It should be built of brick or stone, and laid in cement, made
of course water-tight, and covered over at the top either with a
brick arch or with a stone slab.  The refuse from the drains of
the house, the contents of the sewers from  the barns, &c., may
all flow into this; and below it should be a larger tank, filled to
a depth of three feet or more with small straw, dead leaves, &c.,
and the contents of the soil-tank be allowed to discharge, either
constantly or at will, thereon.  A very valuable and cheaply procured compost or manure will thus be gained-useful to the
farmer as well as to the gardener.
The rain-water tank or cistern should be removed from this,
* See " The Fruit Garden," page 359, by P. Barry, of the Mount
Hope Nurseries, Rochester, gew York; published by C. Scribner,
New York.




234                    RURAL HOMES.
but its overflow-pipe may communicate,.furnished with a trap, to
prevent rising of foul air into the cistern,. The waste from the
well and sink, and all surplus water should also be run into the
soil-tank, as well as the water necessary to flush the drains and
sewers. All main drains that are of any area exceeding one foot
by eighteen inches, should be formed with concave bottoms, to
allow the water, however small in quantity, passing along with
the solid matter, to act with the greatest possible effect; they
should have a fall of not less than one inch in every thirty feet.
These should have, if possible, a constant flow of water through
them, or powerful flushes admitted every now and then.
Where drains lead from the cellar of a house, or where their
mouths are anywhere near to the building, it is very necessary that
they should be ventilated. The gratings that are over them at
intervals assist in doing this, and may be made a most effectual
mode of so acting, if attention is given to the principle upon
which all drains must be purified. Fresh air must enter them
from a low level, and the foul and heated air be drawn from them
at as high a level as possible. If the drains in a house, gathered
together, as they might easily be, into one distributing mouth,
had over them a covering into which an air-duct from the nearest
secondary chimney could lead, the foul and heated air would
pass away up this passage and be discharged by the flue into the
air above the roof.  By this means (not forgetting to provide a
grating into the drain at the lowest possible point, at some distance from the house) the drains would be perfectly ventilated,
and all impure and noxious gases prevented from escaping into
the dwelling.




ADJUNCTS TO, A HOUSE.                23;5
The floors of the various offices and out-buildings, when not of
wood, may be formed in a great variety of ways; the most economical are, lime-ash, concrete, stone-pan, and brick.
Lime-ash floors may be cheaply made in the following manner:-Mix sand, after it has been well washed and freed from
earthy particles, with lime-ashes, in the proportion of two-thirds
sand, to one-third lime-ashes. Let it remain mixed two or three
days, screened from the weather; at the end of that time temper
the mixture with water, and lay it on the surface to be floored, to
the depth of three inches. In three days at farthest it will have
become sufficiently-set to bear the foot; it should then be beaten all
over with a wooden mallet, or a plank with a raking handle and
a heavy stone or two laid on it, pushed backward and forward by
the hand. It will rapidly become hard, and when so, will be
very durable and will last a great number of years without
repair. If it hardens unequally or too fast in places to finish
smoothly, use a little water and a trowel.
Concrete floors are formed first of all by providing a hard
and well beaten foundation of broken stones, bricks, or hard pan,
and on this, putting a concrete composed of gravel, sand, lime and
tar, covering with a cement of one part Hadsell's cement to three
parts sand, to a depth of two inches, the surface carefully floated
and trowelled. This floor is economical and very durable, and
has a great advantage to recommend it in the fact that the limedust never rises, and it is always clean and sweet.
Stone-pan is formed in a similar manner to the lime-ash floor,
only using finely broken stone, in equal quantities with the sand.
It is a cheap and solid floor, but cannot be so smoothly finished
as either the lime-ash or the concrete.




236                   RURAL HOMES.
Brick floors are too commonly seen to need description, they
are best mode when placed on edge.
Asphalte is not used so much now as it was when first introduced. For some purposes it might, however, very advantageously be employed; for instance, for granaries,, store-rooms, and
for all floors not trodden on by cattle, or passed over by wheels.
Dr. Ure directs an artificial asphalte " equal in every respect to
the natural, to be made by mixing boiled coal-tar with powdered
bricks." This is somewhat different to the asphalte usually made
and probably the nature of the brick-dust would cause a more
perfect incorporation with the tar, and the mixture be hard and
durable.
Thatch in England is fiequently seen as a covering to
the roof of out-buildings; it is there pleasing in effect, though,the objection there is to its use fiom danger of fire, and the
harboring of insects, precludes more than its occasional adoption
here. Shingles are commonly used, are light, cheap, and easily
procured. They mnay be used even- as a means of decoration, by
giving to the end exposed some definite form that may work in
one shingle with the other, and by the outlines form a pattern
upon the roof. For the more ornamented portions of the outbuildings this may be done, and only cost the additional labor
of cutting.
The Dairy might be often made a very effective and pleasant
feature in a rural home. Built in some sheltered and secluded
spot, and with low walls, deeply projecting roof, small recessed
windows, low door, and tile or stone flooring, it affords opportunity
for a display of a good deal of taste, without necessarily involving




ADJUNCTS TO A HOUSE.                 237
expense.  It may sometimes advantageously be placed over the
ice-house, or a spring may be sufficiently near to give coolness to
its air, and it may be, water to form a little rustic fountain in its
porch, or even within the dairy.
There are many such buildings in England, generally formed
upon a Swiss model, and pretty and cool places they are with
their Dutch-tile covered walls, their marble slabs, encaustic floors,
and white wood ceilings. In this country these prettinesses would
be thought too expensive, nor are they, I think, in very good taste.
On the floors clean, smooth tiles, or marble slabs-the shelves of
native marble, supported by piers of the same, or by iron or
wooden brackets; the walls thick, if of brick-double, if of wood,
filled in with brick, and the windows wide rather than high, and
latticed in diamond form in lead, with the glass enamelled, so as
to soften the light; the ceiling of four and a half-inch boards
plowed, tongued, and beaded, and the walls rough-cast and of a
pure pearly white; the wood unpainted and of good hard
quality; these are all easily procured and inexpensive, and
properly disposed, will make the dairy a pretty and consistent
building, and as such, a pleasant feature to a rural home.




CHAPTER XV.
PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS BEFORE PROCEEDING TO
BUILD-FORM FOR A SIMPLE CONTRACT AND SPECIFICATION
FOR THOSE ACTING AS'4 THEIR OWN ARCHITECT."7
I REMEMBER to have heard of a man, who, before his builder
could give him any intelligible idea of the plans presented to
him, had to see the walls of the first floor built up in brick
(without mortar), so as to comprehend where came the doors
and windows, and how the rooms were arranged. In such a
case, a person about to commence for himself a house, is sorely
puzzled by the drawings or sketches presented to him, and finds,
the more he examines, the more bewildered he becomes. His
only way of proceeding is, himself to make with a pen or pencil
a rough outline of the plan, which he perfectly comprehending,
a competent adviser can very soon shape into the requisite form.
In fact, in every case, even before consulting an architect, the
amateur who is desirous of a home, should endeavor to embody
his own ideas and requirements in some way, no matter how
roughly, upon paper. By this means he will (particularly if he




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.           239
attempts to draw his plan by a scale of inches to the foot),
acquire a tolerable idea of how one part affects the other, and be
better prepared to comprehend and.profit by the practical advice
and remarks of his professional guide.
Before concluding this little treatise on rural homes, I would
wish to give some few and simple directions, how the amateur
may himself proceed to provide himself with a plan, not that I
would be understood to advise him to be his own architect, (you
know  the Italian proverb-chi s'insegna, ha un pazzo per
maestro), but that I think it would prove profitable to both were
the client somewhat acquainted with the mechanical part of the
architect's profession.
Architectural drawings are called geometrical and perspective,
that is, linear and pictorial.  The geometrical drawings are the
plans, sections, and elevations; the perspective are views of the
exterior or interior of the building in which the actual appearance
as seen from a certain point of sight, not blank opposite, would
be represented. These last require skill and artistic practice to
make, and are not necessary for the amateur.
These drawings are made to some diminished scale, by which
every part has its proper proportion given to it, and admits of its
dimensions being measured off as accurately as if from  the
executed work. A convenient scale is obtained by dividing an
inch into eight parts,'each division representing one foot; one of
these parts may be subdivided into four, representing three, six,
and nine inches, smaller divisions into single inches not being
necessary for such a drawing. A larger scale, as for instance a
quarter or half of an inch representing'a foot, may be used; but
as an easy and sufficiently distinct scale to work by, the eighth
scale will be found convenient. The only instruments required




240                    RURAL HOMES.
will be a T square, as it is called, that is a straight rule, with a
stock at one end set cross-ways, and which, held firmly against
the drawing-board, will always give lines true and at right
angles; a pair of dividers; a small compass with shifting leg
for pen and pencil, in order to strike curves; and a drawing-board,
the edges of which must be true to each other, forming a perfect
parallelogram.
Wafer down a piece of drawing-paper on the board and first
block out the plan. Do so in the following manner: Sketch
first roughly on a loose paper the number and the distribution
of the rooms, and figure-about-their dimensions in each; then
add them  together in such a manner as you may get the
distances firom external point to point on each side, and thus
ascertain the area of the whole block. Include thicknesses of
walls and partitions in doing this, to ascertain which, in a stone
house, put down the external walls as two feet, and the wooden
partitions as eight inches, In a wooden house, suppose the
outer walls as fourteen inches, and the partitions six. These
dimensions will allow for studding, firring out, and plastering,
and will leave the rooms the size you mean them to be in the
clear. A finished house often disappoints in the dimensions of
its rooms from the fact that the owner directs the size on the
ground to be so and so, not thinking of the diminution the walls,
etc. will make; it is to avoid this that I direct the walls to be
thought of at first.
Then, having some idea of the size of the main block of the
house, set it out from the scale upon the paper, using the square
at the side for those lines across the paper, and from the bottom
for those up and down.
Having disposed the rooms, and seen that the dimensions




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.         241
work in rightly, the next thing to be thought of is the staircase.
This should be arranged at once, as its proper position and size
are very important. Say that the principal floor is to be eleven
feet high; you have therefore twelve feet to get up (one foot
added for the joists and flooring), to the chamber level above.
This must be divided by the height each riser is to be, which
we will say is seven inches, and will give the number of steps
required, which we will take as twenty-one. The treads of each
step should be eleven inches; so that if the stairs went directly
up in one unbroken flight, they would require a space on the
plan of nineteen feet by whatever their width was made. But
such a flight of stairs would seldom be wished in one straight
ascent-a landing and a turn would be made, the landing most
probably at such a height as would come to a level with the
chamber floor, over the secondary or servants' part of the house,
and which would not be so high as eleven feet. Take this at
nine, and say there is a a turning on the staircase-the space it
would occupy would be about fifteen feet, and its width, eight.
Under the stairs, where doors or passage ways were needed,
calculation must be made that there is sufficient headway; which
can be done by counting the number of steps to the place, and
then, if at seven inches each, they made a height not less than
seven or eight feet, the headway would be sufficient.
The next thing to be done is to determine the position of
doors, windows, and fire-places. Allow four feet for each door,
which will prevent any crowding in actual execution, and the
same for each window; the fire-places, if merely for flues and
stoves, need not be very large, nor need they be set out, only as
securing a proper place for them that does not interfere with doors
1 1




24-42                 RURAL HOMES.
or other openings. If for chimney pieces and grates, four to five
feet muist be left by eighteen inches deep.
Then see how the chamber floor is best divided; try and
make the partitions come over those below, keeping an eye also
upon the position of windows, that they also may be in line with
those on the ground floor, or if otherwise placed, that they may
not mar the symmetry of the elevation.
Nothing more is needed in the plans than to show where the
verandas, the porch or ombra are to be; and those points settled,
and a generous width left for the veranda floors (never less than
eleven or twelve feet), some attempt may be made upon the
elevation.
This should first be roughly sketched, the heights of the rooms
calculated, so as to show the actual skeleton of the building, and
lines drawn-lightly across, to show the range of top and sill of
the windows in each floor. These should be never more than
two feet four inches from the ground on the principal, nor more
than two feet six on the chamber floor, and should extend to a
height not above ten inches of the ceiling, nor lower than
eighteen. Then set out the roof line; if a gable, find its centre
and set its pitch,'marking the projection of its eaves (never less
than twenty inches,) on the side. Then, with the line drawn
for the veranda cornice, the level of its floor and its height above
the ground determined, all the points of the elevation are
obtained and its general form can be seen in mass. The character
and the detail no rules are needed to obtain; whatever the style
chosen is to be, such the treatment. And here I would not
recommend the amateur to proceed further, unless he has sufficiently studied the subject to be able to develope the character
of his structure in detail.




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.           243
General arrangement of the plan, the height, and leading
outlines of his building he can, with great pleasure and profit to
himself, set forth, but the practical part-that his builder must
have, drawn understandingly to be able to carry out.  He had
better not attempt this, or he will be led into trouble. If
no architect is at hand to supply him with a set of working
drawings, he had better let his builder draw out from the plans
he has made, the elevation and some details, and possibly
he may be able, from them, to suggest to the mechanic what
alterations he would have made, and between them, may
concoct a very satisfactory dwelling, and if all I have said before
this has been carefully read, I would hint, they cannot go very
far astray in making the structure worthy of the name of
a rural home.
But to make the wishes of the owner intelligible to the
builder, and to designate the character of the finishing, and of
the various works necessary to the house, a written description
of them will be requisite. This is called a specification, and
is of great use where no regular drawings are made.
Where an architect is employed, it is not so necessary, as
if the drawings are properly prepared, there can be no opportunity for the builder to evade his. contract. With these, and
a few memoranda of finishings, there is less room for litigation
and cavil upon settlement after completion, and no specification
would be so fully drawn out, as not to admit of evasion, if the
builder were tricky, and desirous to run up a bill of extras.
The best way is always to employ a respectable man, who has a
character to lose; even preferring to pay a little more in
the first -contract price, than to select the well-looking, but
frequently deceptive, cheap tender, of some speculating carpenter.




244- RURAL HOMES.
The simplest form of specification is the best.  It should be
always more a series of general directions, with any especial or
peculiar features of the house explained in detail, than an
itemizing particular schedule of works, in which it is scarcely
possible not to omit the enumeration of something. I was
once made a referee in a case of a contested bill, in which the
contractors claimed a considerable amount over their tendered
price, and defended it on the grounds that the works and materials charged had  not appeared  in the specification.  The
building  was a church, and  the  committee  had tied the
contractors down in a very stringent agreement, by which " the
specification, the whole specification, and nothing but the
specification," was to be acted on. This had been drawn up by
somlle over zealous architect, who had enumerated the number
and weight of such articles as screws, nails, latches and hinges
to pew doors, etc., and metal covering on roof. In the bill
were charges for something like more than thirty times the
weight of the nails directed to be used, and the same to
the other things. These, of course, were necessary, and had
particular mention of them  (more than a description of their
quality) been omitted in the specification, the builders would
have had no ground upon which to rest their charge of extras.
As a caution on this head, I introduce this little reminiscence,
adding that the charge was deemed a just one, and allowed to
the contractors.
The following specification is intended to apply generally to
stone, or frame, or brick country houses of moderate size, and
will serve to show the nature of the materials and workmanship
employed. It must, however, be considered as the frame-work




3PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.          245
upon which a specification should be constructed, rather than as
a model of an instrument of this kind:SPECIFICATON OF WORKS required to be done in erecting a dwelling house, for                       to be
situated on a lot of ground owned by him in the Township of                  State of
The house on the ground to be                    feet
from East to West, and                      feet from
North to South, in the clear, the offsets to be measured
fiom the plan, (or are to be in manner as described.)The heights of stories to be as follows:The level of cellar floor to be          feet below
ground line, the cellar to finish          feet in the
clear, and the veranda floor to be         feet above
ground line, and one step of seven inches below the level
of principal floor of house.
The first story to be              feet in the clear.
The second to be              feet in the clear.
The walls to be carried up               feet above
the ceiling of chamber floor, to the under side of wallplate.
The rooms in the wing are to be             feet in
the clear, in the first story, and         feet in the
second, the walls to be                 feet, thence to
underside of plate.
(If there are any peculiar features as tower or observatory of additional height,-here mention them).




246                   RURAL HOMES.
Emcavator. The ground is to be excavated for the construction of
the foundations, drains, tanks, cess-pools, and all the other
works so needed, and to be filled in again and leveled
about foundations, and the superfluous earth and rubbish
carted away, as directed, leaving the ground and house
perfectly clear at the conclusion of the works.
ffason (If the walls be of stone.) The walls are to be built of
and  stone from the         Quarry, laid in the natulayer. ral bed and with headers, or bonders, passing through
every six-feetin length, and three in height. To be laid
in mortar, compounded of one-third, by measure, of well
burnt stone-lime, and two-thirds of clean, sharp, fresh
sand, well beaten and worked up together.
The sills, lintels, weathering of water-table, and all
portions so indicated by the drawings, to be cut to the
requisite splay or mouldings and to be carefully bedded
in the walls. The face of the walls to be hammerdressed after laying, and each course of stone not to
exceed ten inches in height.  (If the walls are to be in
dressed, regular masonry, in breaking bond, they must
be differently described, as follows:  The stone to be
laid in regular courses not exceeding       inches in
height, and no stone to be more than two feet four
inches in length, to be carefully squared and cut, and the
mortar worked into the courses and lined.)
To provide and lay hearth-stones in all the rooms and
chambers so directed (they phould be enumerated).
To put to the external door-ways stone steps where so
directed, solid and tooled, and of good quality
stone.




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.           247
To build up, core, and parget the chimney flues.
To put to each fire-place a             inch bricktrimmer, and a chimney-bar of wrought iron.
To thoroughly bed in mortar all the wall plates, woodbricks, lintels, bond-timber, and to bed in and point
round with lime and hair mortar, all the door and window frames.
To properly set with fire-bricks the grates and copper.
To construct an oven with brick domed over and lined
with fire-brick, furnished with an iron plate door.
(If needed in any of the offices.) To pave the
with hard, sound, well-burnt bricks laid on
on edge in mortar upon a dry, hard floor of broken
rubbish and stone.
To pave the              with stone flagging laid in
cement upon dry, hard floor.
To build all drains, cesspools, and water-tanks directed
laid in hydraulic cement (or otherwise), and the cesspool
steined round with brick-work and covered with a
stone cover.
To dig and stein in a well twenty-five feet (or otherwise) deep, and furnish with carriage, sheaves, pulley,
and- bucket of approved quality.
cwarpenter  All timber and deals to be fiee from sap, shakes, large
and
Jo/ir. loose and dead knots, and every other defect.
All the timbers to be of full scantlings, and any not
enumerated to be taken as of the quality and scantlings
requisite in houses of first class.
Ground floor joists to be      inches by
plates        inches by; upper floor joists to




248                    RUR.AL HOMES.
be          inches by; on plates      inches
by; trimmer and trimmer joists to be I inch
thicker.
Frame quarter partitions of       heads and
sills       inches by          inches; door-posts, sideposts, plates above doors, and braces        inches by
inches.
The roof to be as follows:
Wall-plates       inches by         inches; purlines
inches by       inches; collar-beamn
inches by       inches; rafters      inches by
inches; ceiling-joists      inches by          inches;
ridge-piece        inches by          inches.
Lean-to roofs (if any), including verandas to be wallplates        inches by        inches; rafters
inches by        inches.
(N.B. These should be given to the builder to be
filled up with the scantlings he proposes to adopt; and
then, if thought best, submitted to some other practical
and disinterested party for examination; it is impossible
to give any guide here, as their scantlings would so much
vary with the different bearings required for various
dimensions of rooms.)
caraente  Floors to be laid in best manner, with straight joint
and
Jok*er. (if to be deafened, that is, if to have mortar laid between,
so as to prevent transmission of sound, so direct here and
under head of " Mason").  To construct the stairs of
twelve inch deal treads projecting one inch, and finished
with rounded nosings; treads six and a quarter to seven
and a quarter inches high, framed into string bearers,




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.          249
with newel, newel-post and balusters, two on each step,
and moulded hand-rail. Balusters, post and hand-rail to
be according to drawing or to an approved pattern, determined upon before completion of contract.
D)oors.-Outside doors to be as follows: Front door
in entrance to be double-folding doors, each half two feet
three inches wide, four paneled, two and a half inch,
eight feet four inches high; (or otherwise-if to be glazed,
describe the panels to be left open for glass;) other external doors to be two inch six panel doors, seven feet six
inches high and three feet three inches wide. The back
door or doors of out-buildings to be one and three-quarter
inch, formed with vertical ledges, rebated and beaded
joints, nailed to jack braces.
To fit up all the internal doorways with six (or eight)
panel doors, one inch and seven-eighths thick, for the
principal doors, (enumerate the rooms,) and one and a
half inches thick for the secondary doorways. Doot
casings, skirting board, and other inside finish, to be as
represented by the drawing, or as agreed upon before
completion of the contract.
Windows.-To fit to the openings deal-cased window
fiames, with oak sunk sills, to have sashes double hung
with weights, axle pulley, lines and fastenings; or, (for
French and casement windows,) to fit to the window
openings rough rebated and beaded frames, with oak
sunk sills, and two and a quarter casements, filled in with
cross bars -or other sash-lights, hung with butt-hinges and
provided with proper fastenings (see presently, under the
head of " trimmings").
11 *




260                    RURAL HOMES.
Closet doors to be the same finish as room doors on
their outer sides, and finished flush within. Closets to
be provided with shelves, as directed, not less than one
shelf to every sixteen inches in height.
To put up in the kitchen (or elsewhere) a chesser
seven (to nine) feet long, three (to four) feet wide, with
two long drawers, each half the length of the top, and
two small drawers, one at each end; long drawers to be
eight inches deep, the two small ones five inches deep
and one foot wide, same length as the width of dresser.
Back of dresser to be shelved with one shelf every sixteen
inches of height, fourteen inches wide, and inch and a
half thick. Under side of dresser to be provided with
inch square framed doors, hung with butt hinges.
The sink (or sinks) to be inclosed with doors below.
Water-closet to be made with mahogany (or other wood)
seat and riser.  (Describe the rest of the work necessary
here, under the head of " Plumber.")
Outside blinds, and inside blinds and shutters. (These
must be described, where requisite, severally in manner
as follows.) Outside blinds to be made with slats, fiamed
into inch and a quarter frames three inches wide, hung
with hinges and trimmed with proper fastenings; inside
blinds to be seven-eighths thick, made with turning slats
in frames to fold, to be of pine (or better of hard wood),
to be carefully made. Shutters to be inch and a quarter
paneled, to match with other finish. To fold as required,
hung with hinges and trimmed.
Pladper. To lath, plaster, set and  whiten all ceilings and
partitions (mention any not to be so treated); to render




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.              251
and set the walls, (firring out and lathing if required)
the same to be left hard finish; or, to be colored twice
with a good stone color, (and afterwards finished in
color as directed) or,             prepared for paper.
Cellar walls and such outbuildings as so described, to
be lime-whited inside.
(If any plaster cornices inside are to be used, describe
them here.)
sAt1.  To provide and fix grates in the several fire-places
directed, or-to fix grates provided  by the proprietor
where directed. Same to boiler and coppers.
To provide and fix a bar to each' window (if the walls
be of stone or brick.)
To provide and fix cast iron air-gratings in the external walls, and grating to drains, cesspools, and cellar
windows as directed.
To provide and fix all other requisite iron-workincluding lightning-rods.
(N. B. If a furnace be used for heating, the metalwork that the contractor is to do connected therewith,
should here be specified.)
To cover the roofs (metal) with tin, and to.provide
and fix eaves-gutters and leaders as required. (If the
roof be shingled, insert under head of "carpenter," to
be covered with shingles, nailed on with copper nails,
using at least two to each shingle.)
at-  The locks, bolts, fastenings, pulleys, weights, &c., all,igq to be provided, where requisite, by the contractor, and
are to be of the best qualities of their respective kinds.
The bells, cranks, and wire to be also provided and set




252                    RURAL HOMES.
as directed.  (Here enumerate the rooms to be furnished with bells.)  The front door-post to be furnished
with an escutcheon plate, and bell-handle, (plated or
bronze, as directed) to be of best quality and of an
approved pattern. (The annexed illustration shows a
suitable design for the purpose.)
SILVER PLATED GOTHIo FRONT DOOR BELL-PULL.
The trimming of doors, shutters, blinds and windows
to be of best quality, the French windows to be
CRANK HANDLE AND PORCELAIN KNOB.




PRAcTIcAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.           253
furnished with crank, handle, and knob of porcelain, and
of approved design. (Here is an illustration of one of
the best.)
The hinges of French windows to be double fold
or right angle plates. (There is a new hinge, lately
introduced by Baldwin & Many for this purpose, a cut
of which is given, as it has much to recommend it.). t
FRENCH WINDOW HINGE.             RABIBETED LOOM
The locks of ditto, to be rabbeted locks, with handle
and key, (as shown in this illustration.)
Sliding blinds, windows, or shutters (where used) to be trimmed
with brass sheaves and way, of approved construction, and to be
furnished with Astragal Latch (where the stile is very narrow), or
with crank-handle latch). (Cuts of each are shown, to explain
the forms of those of best construction).
Other trimmings to be furnished where requisite.
(If ventilating valves, registers, and any other apparatus




254                   RURAL HOMES.
for the purpose of securing passage of air, be used, they
must be specified here; I would particularly advise that
PLAIN FACE LATCI.           ASTRAGAL FAOE LATCH.
one of the ventilating valves so often spoken of, be placed
near the ceiling in the smoke flue of every room.)'ai.2ntr   To properly prepare and paint the whole of the wood,
(and other work required), four times with good oil
color, finishing such tints as directed.
Or,-to stain and twice varnish the wood-work.
(If sand is to be used, specify to that effect).
Phlmber.  To provide and fix all leaden pipe required, to furnish
and fix apparatus agreed on for the water closet and
bathing-room.
lader.  To glaze all the windows with clear good glass of the
qualities determined, properly bedded and back-puttied.
Stained glass where used to be put in with lead bandings
and secured with iron rods and staples.




IPRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.            255
Pa pfl   To prepare properly, and hang the whole of the plasha7ger. tered sides of such rooms, halls, entries, and partitions as
may be directed, with paper selected by the proprietor
at a certain cost each room per yard that may be agreed.
(specify the rate here).,
YadcZ. Properly form and level the surface of the yard, and
and enclosig put up fences or external walls of the height, thickWall, nesses, and description required.
The whole of the works are to be executed and finished in a
good and workmanlike manner, according to this specification,
and to the full and true intent and meaning of the same. And
if any omission appears to have been made of work to be done,
or material, or finishing, or trimming, to be provided, which is
evidently an omission, and is usually supplied to houses of the
class, extent, and character of this, then the contractor (or
builder) is to perform the same as if fully detailed in this specification.
No extra works are to be charged for, but such as are agreed
upon at the time, and an order in writing given to the contractor (or builder).




256                   RURAL HOMES.
FORM OF A CONTRACT TO BE APPENDED TO A SPECIFICATION.
In consideration of the sum of           dollars to
be paid to me by              of              and in
manner following, that is to say:
Twenty-five per cent. upon laying of second floor joists;
Twenty-five per cent. upon roofing in;
Twenty-five per cent. upon rendering up the building;
and the remainder within six months therefrom; I hereby agree to perform all the works described in the foregoing specification and illustrated in the drawings attached thereto, subject to all the conditions therein
contained, and to be finished on or before the
day of               in penalty of a sum not exceeding
fifty dollars per week for every week after that period
they shall remain incomplete; and  I farther agree
to execute said works in the best and most workmanlike
manner, using materials of the' best quality of their
several kinds, and supplying everything not specially referred to or described in the specification and drawings,
but usually considered requisite in a house of this class.
And I agree to abide by the decision of the architect (if
there be any, if not some disinterested referee) in all contested points, and to accept his opinion as final.
In witness whereof          (here follow form' of signature and witness.)
The specification and form for contract here given, are simple
and comprehensive, and without multiplying Words, are such as




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.         25)
a contractor or builder would find it hard to evade, supposing he
were disposed to litigation. But if the proprietor be so unfortunate as to fall into the hands of a tricky builder, none but the
shrewdest lawyer can help in preventing a bill of extras, and
even he would not be able to control every item; I hope, however, that the very few such men there are, may not have the
erection of any of these rural homes entrusted to them, as though
seemingly so cheap at first, they are dearly bought bargains before done with.
Where no architect is employed, it would be well for the
gentleman who is building, from time to time, to inform himself
of the market price of materials and labor, and compare the
information he has gathered with the charges made him by his
builder. If any one has recently finished a good house in the
vicinity, occasional inspection of portions of it, and a few questions
asked of its owner will be of great advantage, as his experience
will be valuable, and I believe no one would, under the circumstances, refuse to give it. I would particularly caution against
the introduction of frequent changes in the plan of the house, as,
independently of causing increased cost, they are apt to involve
the design, and if the owner is not acting under an architect's
advice, the house, however promising in appearance at first, may
be spoiled from want of caution in introducing changes. Let
the plans be deliberated upon as thoroughly as needs be at first;
it were well if a winter's study was spent upon them; but once
matured and'the owner satisfied with them, they should be
carried out without deviation.
Before commencing the building, an accurate estimate of its
cost -should be procured from the builder, and any changes
economy may then suggest takehi advantage of. The estimates




258                   RURAL HOMMS.
should be made so as to show the quantities of the several
materials to be used and the prices annexed; these any builder
can accurately figure out, although he may be mistaken in his
time and labor estimate. A very safe allowance may be made
after the cost of materials delivered on the ground has been
obtained, by adding that sum and one-third more as the price
for time, labor, and builder's profit. This will give sufficiently
near for safe guidance the probable expense of the finished
building, and is a test I would advise the owner to apply, my
own experience having shown it to be a very safe one. Thus,
suppose the builder's estimate of cost of materials to be three
thousand dollars, the cost of the house would be seven thousand.
Another way of approximating the cost of a house is by averaging
with the expense of previously constructed buidings; thus, an
architect's experience has shown him that houses of a certain
class have cost so much per square of one hundred feet, or so
much per cubic foot. For instance, a building on plan forty feet
square, of usual height, finish, and quality, would be taken as
worth two hundred dollars a square, and as there are sixteen
squares in the house, the cost would by such a rule be thirtytwo hundred dollars. Another, and seemingly more accurate
way, is to base the calculations on the cube of the building,
multiplying the square of the dimensions of its plan by the
height, and allowing a certain sum per cubic foot. Thus, in a
house forty feet square and thirty-five feet high, from the cellar
or foundation level to the underside of the wall-platte, would contain one hundred and twelve thousand cubic feet. Previous
calculation of the expense of other buildings of supposed similarfinish and average cost has shown that three cents per cubic foot
would be a fair estimate, thus making its total three thousand,




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS,           259
three hundred, and thirty-six dollars. Such calculations as these,
however, can by no means implicitly be depended upon, but an
architect, or any one who has friequently been in the habit of
building, soon acquires experience in determining the value of
work, and generally, by adopting some such formula, arrives at
a very reliable estimate of its total cost. In a building costing
nearly sixty thousand dollars, my estimates of its cost, based
upon a somewhat similar system of calculations, proved to be
but three hundred dollars different from the accepted tender
and contract, nor did the finished work, so far as the architect
had. control, vary from the first expenditure determined on.
An experiment has recently been tried of building in a still
cheaper and more economical manner than heretofore; of course
any attempt towards a result so desirable, is interesting.  It
consists in the use of a different material to any I have as yet
spoken of for the walls, and a change in the framing of the
interior.  The walls are built of earth-not mud walls as were
once used, and though the system is no novelty on the other
side of the Atlantic, is but of recent origin here.  Having
recently had an opportunity of examining some economical
houses so constructed, before bringing this chapter to a close,
I will describe the process and nlanner of building. The foundation of the walling is formed of stone or brick-work rising six
inches or a foot above the surface of the ground, and about
twenty inches thick. On this should be a layer of broken stone
or slate laid in hydraulic cement, to prevent the rising of the
damp. The foundation being completed, frames of plank of any
convenient length are laid upon the edges of the stone or brickwbrk, and secured at the bottom by stout iron wire drawn
through from side to side and fastened by a nut, the upper part




260                   RURAL HOMES.
being kept open by blocks of the requisite width every two or
three feet in the length. Drop ends are also made to this plank
box, and complete the whole of the machinery required. The
holes through which the wire is drawn are made with slits
downwards, so that the frame may be lifted up leaving the wire
remaining in the walls. Into this frame the earth, prepared in
either one of the following methods, is filled in. The earth is
either a loamy gravel, made as dry as possible, mixed with
stones, and then, without any cement, compressed in the frame.
It is held together by the force of adhesion alone, and walling
of this description which is so durable as to have stood the test
of more than two centuries' wear and tear in Europe, is called
Pise. Another method is to mix loam or clay with straw and
moisten it with water, then leaving it in the frame some time to
dry and become consolidated before another course is added. A
third method is to fill the frame with clay lumps previously well
beaten, and mixed with old, short straw, and saturated with as
much water as the clay will absorb. In either of these latter
methods, all stones must be carefully picked out, and the walling
allowed considerable time to dry, hence buildings so constructed
are tediously long in hand.
The pise walls are proceeded with as follows: Aftel the
frame is filled (it may be three or four feet high, and as long as
convenient for the openings of doors and windows) the lowel
wires acting as bolts are cut off and the blocks at top loosened,
the sides of the frame are then raised so that the lower holes
come to a line with the top, fresh wires are then drawn through
and the blocks keyed up. One course may be raised upon
another, as thus described, immediately it is finished, but it will
be found more convenient to carry on the courses horizontally,




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS TO AMATEURS.            261
keeping all of an equal height. As the work proceeds the tops
of the walling are covered with board to screen from the weather,
and the roof should be put on as soon as the walls are carried
the requisite height.  The usual- manner of finishing the space
left for the doors and windows is by placing partition boards,
fastened to the framework, upright and horizontally as required,
and stopping the filling in against them, inserting here and there
pieces of timber two or three inches thick for attaching the
door-posts and window-frames to. On the second story, sleepers
or plates are laid on the inner side of the walls, as in the ordinary
manner, for the floor joists to rest uipon.
As an improvement, I would advise building the sides of all
openings for doors, windows, etc., in brick-worlk, filling the
walling up against it, and leaving the brick-work in alternate
courses so as to bond with the walling. This method would
make the walling solid and durable in the extreme, and if, in
addition, the corners of the buiding were protected with stone or
brick in the same manner, the structure would no doubt last as
long here as similar ones have in Europe. In Devonshire and
some other of the southern and western counties of England, are
still standing houses so built, which the title-deeds show to be
more than two centuries old, nor, as yet, do they show any signs
of decay.
The internal construction may be greatly lessened in expense
by a more saving use of materials. The floors, instead of being
laid upon joists at right angles to their bearing, will be equally
strong and require far less timber if supported by diagonal
bearers laid from corner to corner, intersected again by similar
bearers from the centre of each side where the size of the room
requires. The diagonal principle of construction so beautifully




262                   RURAL HOMES.
and advantageously adopted in the frame bridges of this country,
might with great benefit be incorporated by carpenters into their
partitions and frames, and with. the scientific reasons that exist
for the change in principle and the ecomonic arguments of
lessened cost, it is strange that as yet no steps have been taken
to investigate the advantages diagonal bearing would secure.
In the railroad bridges designed and patented by T. Willis
Pratt, this principle has been recognised, and the saving in
weight and material thereby effected is so considerable, it
becomes a matter of regret that engineers have not been
encouraged to attempt the elucidation of a new system of framing
in general carpentry.




CIHAPTER XVI.
RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART-ITS INFLUENCE ON THE
MIND, HEART, AND SOCIAL VIRTUES-WHAT AN AMERICAN
VILLAGE MIGHT BE-CONCLUSION.
CONSTRUCTIVE skill in building and ingenious adaptation of
mechanical contrivances to meet the wants of domestic life, are the
grand distinctive excellencies of this age; in no period of artistic
history have we evidences of construction being so well understood, or of the use of materials so various and so scientifically
adapted to their several purposes, as at the present time. It is
the knowledge of the principles of design-the art of architecture-that seems wanting; and now that I have given
examples of its application, there appears to me a fitting opportunity before bidding the reader farewell, of offering a few
remarks upon the principles upon which architectural beauty
depends, and in so doing, necessarily to recapitulate much of
what I have previously observed.
Lovers of ancient art claim for it a superiority in effect upon
the mind of the beholder, and a sublimity beyond the reach of
modern effort. This must be granted them by all who have




264                    RURAL HOMES.
studied the wonderful conceptions of the giant imaginings of old,
but at this point the superiority ends, for the genius of the
present day is as far beyond that of the "golden past" in
mechanical appliances and constructive skill, as progress in welldoing could have made it. But the said lovers claim a superiority often for constructive skill also,-pointing to the Pyramids
and the Pronaoi of Egypt as structures beyond the building
resources of the present day-how absurdly this claim  must
appear, when with these certainly stupendous works are contrasted the lofty, airy pinnacles of the late Christian spire, or the
still more modern aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, docks, and every
useful and vast erection of this present flourishing age of commerce! The Greeks and Romans had but little knowledge of
carpentry or joinery in the present sense of the words; of this
we have constant proof in the vestiges of their building left; for
Bxample, in the frequent use of brick arches where wooden constructions would have been much better. Even the middle age
architects, skilful as they were, had but little theoretical knowledge, and but small amount of skill in delicate constructive
operations, (as in joinery, for instance,) and certainly could not
have built many of the great works of modern times, even had
they possessed the materials.  But with all this they attained
effects we with all our advanced skill and mechanical means
cannot reach.  A simple ruin, merely —apart from its influences
derived from suggestive associations-has power to fill the mind
even of the most callous with emotion. The wrecks of ancient
splendor saved from the waves of time at Karnak and at Luksor,
in their crumbling, perishing grandeur, have a sublimity no
modern structure can present; and yet four thousand years have
rolled on and accumulated treasures of skill and learning-all




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART          265
too powerless to frame one such building as the forgotten, almost
exterminated Egyptians, reared in boundless profusion.
What the conclusion?-That architecture, as a fine art, was
better understood then than now i
Again, where have we traces in modern buildings of the
majestic simplicity and perfect refinement of the fanes of
Greece. Those glorious embodiments of everything grand and
beautiful in design, and harmonious and delicate in detail; where,
even after the perfect building had been elaborated into the most
exquisite completeness ingenuity and artistic handicraft could
effect, the optical deceptions of distance were corrected, and the
entasis of the column given it, to produce an effect of graceful
and perfect diminution to the eye which before it did to the
scale; the leading lines of mouldings were gone over again to
secure the same result, and so careful was the scrutiny that
would leave no minutiae of detail untouched, that such exquisite
manceuvres were practised as at the Temple of Minerva, in
which the lions' heads terminating the enrichment of the pediment are turned slightly outwards, so that cutting against the
clear sky instead of being in relief against the mass of shadowed
moulding behind, they might not appear to recede from the
plane they occupied elsewhere. These perfecting touches given
too, only when the building had been deemed complete (as the
researches of all travellers have shown), evince a refinement
which can only be traced to the finest taste guided by the most
matured judgment. Perhaps this may assist'in explaining why
modern copies of ancient art as seen in public buildings scattered all over the country, appear so frigid.  The parts and
proportions may be classically correct (they not often are), but
the evidence of the want of careful, final scrutiny is very apparent.
12




266                   RURAL HOMES.
It may, however, be said that all such refinements are only
useful where the design is in every other respect complete. It is
the last master-stroke upon a perfect work.
Where amongst modern imitations can be discovered a Gothic
edifice approaching in graceful outline, harmony of purpose, and
perfection of detail, the almost inspired structures of old!- Where
an interior like Lincoln, so gloriously replete with unearthly
beauty as to be called (more firom that cause than from the
enshrined sculpturings  within) the Angels Choir.  Where
amongst the multitude of this age's attempts can be found the
fainitest approach to the matchless proportions of Old England's
noblest prize-the Abbey Church of Westminster? Where in
any modern building are evidences of architectural genius and
forethought like such as can be seen evinced in every part of
this majestic abbey? I will give an instance that will prove how
carefully art was brought into play then to produce an effect~
which we, with all our improved appliances, would be slow to
bring about now. The stone shafts which run up from the floor
against the walls to support the ribs of the roof above, are composed of two small ones next the wall, and one larger one in
front, clustered together, and united top and bottom by continuously foliated cap and moulded base.  Why was this
arrangement of t;iple, engaged columns necessary? The object
to be attained by the shaft itself was to bring down the line
formed by the ribs of the roof to the floor and so to connect them
therewith (for connection of parts is an important element of
beauty), and give greater apparent support to the roof. This
could only harmoniously be accomplished by a column proportioned to the size of the rib; but had it been but one shaft only,
its large size would have struck the eye too violently as a single




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.            267
object. To avoid this, it was necessary to break it up; two
columns together of the same size would have looked flat, and
the rib moulded to agree with them would have had the effect
of a band; three all of the same size would have still. farther
increased the difficulty; but by using one shaft large and bold
enough to bring the line down and gather the irregular mouldings of the rib together, concentrating them, as it were, into
one regular and consolidated mass; and at its side two sma!ler
ones to connect this larger one with the wall, all is accomplished
with the most perfect art.  This fine, perfected conception of
the beautiful is not interfered with by the horizontal stringcourse which runs all round the building immediately under the
triforiulm, and whl-ich no doubt, in more vulgar hands, would
have either been broken around each member of the clustered
shaft, and thus have cut its entire height in two, or else
have been stopped  against it, and so have weakened the
whole effect by depriving apparently the more slender shafts
of all connection with the wall.  The consummately skilful
architect attained his object by stopping the string-course at
the smaller columns, but carrying it round the larger one,
and thus gave the connection with the wall, banded all together, and achieved the accomplishment of a difficult problem  in the most perfect way.  This unrivalled  structure,
indeed, teems with such instances, and it is by this extreme
delicacy of perception which constitutes architectural genius, that
the claims of superiority of ancient art can best be supported,
and the insensibility to which draws the impassable line between
the efforts of mere talent and the consolidated, never-wavering
attention which marked the unrivalled works of the great masters
of olden art.




268                   RURAL HOMES.
In fairness, however, one great cause of the inferiority in effect
of modern buildings may be attributed to the inartistic treatment
of the decorative parts. No mere workman can carve a capital
or. a string of flowers, any more than a mere workman can paint
a picture or sculpture a statue.  Once mighty artists thought it
not beneath them to attend to such details; and surely when
Grinling Gibbons chiselled; when a Royal Academician climbed
the scaffolding, and carved the keystones at Somerset House;
and when Lorenzo Ghiberti sculptured and Raphael drew, none
need now be ashamed, however high their talents may have
placed them on the artist-pedestal, to do likewise. But mere
beauty of workmanship again, and delicacy of detail, are not the
only excellences wanting to produce a perfect modern work;
Thom  carved with most exquisite feeling and wonderful skiil a
Christian temple in modern New York, and yet even he could not
by his matchless labors more than enrich. The meed of praise that
posterity will assign to Trinity Church will be dealt out by the
effect created by its outlines, and if they produce not the. impression of beauty and sublimity, the worker will only be pitied
forihaving had a lifeless, expressionless statue to adorn, instead
of a soul-filled creation.
I could multiply instances, derived not merely from the larger
and public buildings, but from the domestic architecture (of
which we have memorials as distinct); but I have said enough
to make good the conclusion before arrived at-that architecture, as a fine art, was better understood once, than now. Yet
we have constructive superiority on our side; we have better
tools to work with; more varied materials; scientific and
reliable calculations upon which to base their proportions for
purposes of strength and resistance, and the examples of by-gone




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.          269
beauty to work upon-surely, with all these advantages, it
cannot be that the dawn of a better intelligence will be long
withheld!  My sincere hope and firm  belief, as I have before
said, are in rural architecture proving the leading step to an
eminence of artistic success presently to be reached, as glorious
and as grand as that of any now inapproachable epoch of the past.
In olden times, those great results that now fill the world with
admiring wonder, were brought about by concentrated expression of the pervading sentiment; the genius of the people
stamped its impress upon the productions of the age. All know
what the religious sentiment of the middle ages has achieved.
The analytical sentiment of this age will, before very long, lead
it to reject all that has not a purpose and a use-a purpose
of utility, a use in aiding harmony of effect; beauty only will be
valued-it will only be considered as such when so produced,
and out of this sturdy determination to throw aside all not
marking a meaning and intention, will result a grand, united,
all-pervading influence, which at no very distant time will
develops itself into a form  and style.  How-the Giver of
Genius best can show! But it will come, depend upon it; nor
will silly, tricksied imitations, and obstinate adherence to unmeaning forms, 1ong delay it.
A work of rural art, whether a simple little cottage, or a
wealthy family's homestead, as an object of beauty is susceptible
of three degrees of appreciation-the simple, the suggestive, and
the intellectual. These three degrees are synonymous with the
admirable definitions of Mr. Ruskin in the " Modern Painters,"
and there classed as capable of suggesting ideas of natural
beauty, of relation, and of power. Simple beauty is the effect
of the object per se upon the mind of the spectator, without any




27 0                   RURAL HOMES.
reference to its destination, utility, or other extrinsic quality;
suggestive, when to this is added an evident appropriateness to
the object for which it was built, suggesting its purposes and its
use; the intellectual, when to thes'e two degrees is superadded
an evidence of skill and power in the legitimate use of materials
or application of principles of construction to attain the desired
end by the conquering of some accidental difficulty. I will give
an instance of the' application of these degrees of appreciation.
Take a common stone building, say, for example, the parsonage
design in this book; the outlines of the building are pleasing,
its proportions harmonious, and its contemplation would give an
emotion of simple satisfaction to the beholder; ask him why?
He would say it pleased him, or filled his eye, or use some such
phrase that showed merely its natural beauty, its beauty per se,
had been appreciated. If, however, he replied, that its beauty
pleased him because he deemed the building appropriate to its
purpose, that its character harmonized with that of the adjacent
church, that its open, roomy porch gave evidence of ready reception and cheerful hospitality within, and its secluded study and
separated entrance told to him the tale of its two-fold nature and
purpose of habitancy; then the sentiment had been increased to
an appreciation of suggestive beauty. If still farther to all this
was added the reply, that it pleased because he thought the
material had been appropriately used, and it looked real, honest,
and enduring; or he admired the skill with which the outlines of the parts had been marked by the blocked stone quoins
and masonry round the windows, and the simplicity that had
preserved the natural treatment of the general walling, which,
by its unobtrusive character, served as a background on which
the dressed work showed so advantageously; then the apprecia



RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FIIE ART.            271
tion has mounted to the highest degree, and the sentiment of
intellectual perception been awakened.
Limits far transcending those now left me would be required
to follow  out these general principles.  I can here do no
more than state their existence and define their meaning.
But I can fancy some reader to exclaim, tastes are so various;
who is to define in the first place in what simple, or as you call
it, natural beauty, consists?  That tastes are so various, I, of
course, do not deny —their very variety has originated a proverb,
and yet, though it may seem a paradox, this very variety is an
evidence of the truth.
In almost every object that can be contemplated, there must
exist some beauty that will produce pleasure, so, for the variety
of tastes to be influenced by it, some food can be found to satisfy
the cravings more or less urgent of human inner perception of
the beautiful.  Whether all its beauties, or whether the particular beauties that render it perfect, have been appreciated, is not
the question; it may be even, that those be admired which in
themselves are beautiful, but lose their charm by wrong application in this individual instance; even then this is but an
evidence of taste perverted; the innate perception is there, but
the knowledge to apply it has not come.
Taste is like conscience; all have it; but they may blunt it;
drown its voice, and finally so deaden themselves to its power as
to pervert its warnings and warp its influence; it becomes
strengthened by use, and the more it is listened to, the stronger
and more correct it will become, so as finally to be to the heart
what the sound judgment is to the mind.  I have shown that
degrees of beauty can be estimated; in them  is evidence of
degre6s of taste, and, not forgetting that by education and inm



272                     RURAt HOMES.
portant refinement the dictates of taste will be increased in
power, in fine, that much talked of, but. to me almost unintelligible phrase-"a standard of taste," will have a realization.
Undoubtedly there exists a rule or standard in nature for trying
individual tastes as there is for testing morals, and my comfort
is, that after a time the search, however seemingly fiuitless now,
must be eventually successful.
Let me quote a page from  Lord Kaimes' "Elements of
Criticism":-" That there is no disputing about taste, seems to
have grown into a proverb. One thing, however, is evident, that
if the proverb hold true with respect to taste in matters of art, it
must hold equally true with respect to other senses.  If the
pleasures to be derived from seeing works of art disdain a comparative trial and reject all criticism, then the pleasure to be
derived from the sense of hearing must be equally privileged.
At this rate, no-one is within the reach of censure who shall
prefer the beating of a kettle to the finest concert.
" And if thus all the pleasures of external sense be exempted
from criticism, there would seem to be no reason why every one
of our pleasures, from whatever source derived, should not be so;
and that with respect to the perceptions of sense by which some
objects appear agreeable and some disagreeable, there does not
exist such a thing as a good or bad, a right or wrong —that
every one's taste is to himself an ultimate standard, without
appeal; and consequently, there can be no ground of censure
against any one, if such there be, who prefers selfishness to benevolence, or wrong, for its own sake, to right.
"But to ascertain the rules of morality, we appeal not to the
common-sense of savages, but to that of men in their more
perfect state; and we make the same appeal in forming the rules




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.           273
that ought to govern the fine arts. In neither can we safely
rely on a local or transitory taste, but on that which is the most
general and the most lasting among polite nations. For, if we
have recourse to general opinion and general practice, we are
betrayed into endless perplexities. History shows that there is
nothing more variable than taste in the fine arts."
The expression of common taste must be govered by common
sense, and a work of art must be susceptible to rules of criticism.
Nature has general laws, so has art-such, apart from their importance, are delightful from their simplicity, and by reason of the
boundless applicability of their influence. Nature's laws we
partly know; those of art unfortunately we have but fiamed
into a skeleton code; but of rural architecture, the most binding
art can teach, are reality, intention, and -harmony. Reality, in
the honest, simple use of materials and construction to effect the.desired end; intention, in showing evident design and connection
between the building and its planned purpose; and harmony
with Nature's aspect and with the spirit of the place.
The influence that buildings so devised would have in educating public taste is incalculable. Scarcely a rural hamlet, where
one house evincing some care in its design and treatment has
been newly built, but its effect upon subsequent erections has
been most marked.  First one neighbor, then another, has
discovered his own homestead requires refreshing; perhaps,
merely to the extent of fresh painting, and a new roof; ideas
for both of these are taken from the new model, and it may be
somewhat ludicrously and inconsistently applied.  Then another
resident determines to rebuild, and his own experiences being
enlarged, and a higher standard of taste erected for measuring
his ideas of excellence, a very different structure is probably con12*




27'4                  RURAL HOMES.
templated than he would ever have thought of- at first. It is
curious to see how any peculiarly marked features, or unusual
details, are renewed in each fresh copy from the first new house
that is built in a manner different from those usually seen in any
small rural community. This remark equally will apply to the
buildings of the middle ages, it generally being the fact that
ecclesiastical architecture, when in its most glorious growth,
developed itself alike all over a certain range, the mother church
of the diocese almost universally serving as the type for the
lesser buildings. Hence the gathered beauties of delicate spires
in one county of England, and the quaint and battlemented
towers of another; so, everywhere it seems, that the first presentation of any thing simply beautiful to the rural public, is
instantly seized upon, and reconstructed in as varied ways as
individual appreciation, circumstances, and means suggested.
How careful then should those persons be who first attempt
the introduction of an article of taste in a remote and simple
district.
Apart from  the increased beauty in the appearance of the
country, there are other grounds for the advocacy of attention
to its architecture. It is found that elevation in the social scale
is commensurate with increased elevation in taste.  Political
economists have found in England, where the experiment has
principally been tried, that the erection of commodious, and even
elegant cottages for the country poor, has been followed by the
most beneficial results. The laboring man that once found the
ale-house the only comfortable roof under which he could rest
his tired limbs after a hard day's work, driven from his own
home by its squalor, its wretchedness, and miserable paucity of
eyen the rudest necessaries of life-in his warnm and conveatlrlit




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.          2 7.5
newly contrived cottage, finds a more airy and more cheerful
room, and in the cleanly appearance of his wife and children,
their happy labors and busy housewifery, a far pleasanter relaxation than the tap-room, reeking with the tobacco smoke of
generation upon  generation, could afford.  He consequently
spends his leisure hours at home, and naturally his thoughts
dwell there with satisfaction during his labor-day; he contrives
how this and that little improvement or additional comfort can
be made; digs out his garden, and prides himself on its early
promise of fiuits and flowers. His children help him, and the
man that in the rude hovel was assuredly striding his way to
crime and misery, in the cheerful cottage is, step by step,
mounting upwards in the scale of social worth.  Thorough
investigations by interested philanthropists have shown, in every
instance where this has been tried, that the fruit has been one
of promise; if so with the ignorant (comparatively), boorish daylaborers of agricultural England, how much greater will be the
yield in the more intellectually fertile condition of the rural
population here?
Common schools, improved  means, a cheaper literature,
unshackled freedom for acquirement of knowledge and advancement in position-all these are weighty advantages on the side
of this people; and working on a better intelligence and appreciation, the benefit to be derived will be incalculably greater.
Every heart is more or less alive to the impressions of beautywhen joined with utility it has an irresistible appeal, and it is
not unfair to suppose that in the country, with Nature's simple
or grand beauties scattered everywhere for contemplation, a
more ready'perception and appreciation may be counted upon
than in cities. This may not everywhere be the case, but as a




2 76                  RUR;AL HOMES.
general rule it probably is; and at all events, in the country,
there being less to distract, the quiet, unobtrusive lessons of constructive beauty cannot fail to work a quicker way.,
But, not only cottages and cottagers are to be thus benefited;
the country man-of-wealth, the professional man, the merchant,
and the parson-all may be made wiser and better.  " Sermons
in stones," I have always read with its liberal meaning, and
think an architect has a great and noble privilege in his power
to preach by his works lessons of refinement, harmony, and
beauty. The pertinacity with which every newly built house,
if in any respect out of the common way, is discussed, the
curiosity shown by the strollers around it during the progress of
the works, and very speedily the avidity with which any scrap
or morsel of peculiar detail is seized upon and copied, are proofs
of the awakened interest it excites. When the finished whole
stands fair and full before them, many a pilgrimage is made
from some distant spot to contemplate its finish and proportions,
and its beauties sink into no unfertile soil. And how with its
occupants?  The teaching influence soon shows its effects. The
furniture, the internal plenishing and details take a tone from
the dwelling. Articles in improved taste are demanded from
the country store, or perhaps sent for from the distant city.
There are some inquired for by others, and the building of one
moderately good house (good in  artistic sense) will often
occasion the introduction of a thousand commodities of a better
taste into a rural community. Perhaps the house has a quiet
simplicity about it that shames the lovers of gaudy carpeting
and showy upholstery into a better taste; perhaps its arrangement of rooms suggests an amended and more refined adjustment of domestic economy; a little plant cabinet has perhaps




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.          277
forced the love and attention necessary for the culture of a few
flowers; a retired, quiet, little book-room, if merely, perhaps, from
the pleasant view commanded by its windows, has tempted
occupancy in an unbusy hour, and the mind, calm and unhindered by household cares, has found leisure to strengthen itself
by inward contemplation or the study of books. Numberless
are the methods by which this wholesome influence will worklasting and limitless are its effects. The young girl that, finding
no intrinsic pleasure at home, nor regarding it otherwise than as
the sphere of her domestic duties, would seek away from its
shelter, and with other companions, other than " those of the
household," pleasures and excitements neither so wholesome nor
refining as a fond parent could wish, would, in a rural home,
find so much to attach her heart and give food to her mind,
that the inducement to wander fiom it would have but little
allurement. Young ladies, do not suppJose that I insist you are
naturally all gad-abouts —I only plead (and for this you..should
thank me) for making your homes pleasant and beautiful.
It has often seemed to me a matter of regret that country
school-houses are not more generally made prettier objects.
Rude, often incommodious, and generally situated in by no
means a pleasant site, they have only their admirable intention
to recommend them. With the number of books that have
from time to time appeared on school architecture, one would
have thought ere this that some more matured fruit would have
been seen, but yet eve:-present stands the bald, white, pedi,
mented out-building, without porch, veranda, or inclosure of any
kind; severe temples of learning to the little scholar, when they
might be cheerful, smiling homes of the heart! But time, the
great essential, is the only commodity wanted by the people of




2'78                  RURAL HOMES.
this country to do this and many good things; in the course of
a few years the lessons they are teaching themselves will be
fully learnt, and then the importance of rural architecture as an
art, and its influence on mind and manners will be fully seen and
acted on.
One remark of present and almost universal application I
would wish to make, is on the too little care that is shown
towards the preservation of forest trees. Many country places
that now look flat, uninteresting, and bare, would, if Nature's
leafy treasures had been preserved, have been beautiful and rich.
Its groves, its hedges, and shaded lanes, constitute the rural
charms of England; there the storm-worn memorials of the
past are cultured, propped up, and cared for with as sedulous
pains as the ruthless devastation with which the prodigal,
strengthy giants of younger growth are here hewn away, and
burned up, and rooted out. The inconsistency with which this
is done is sometimes almost amusing, it being no uncommon
thing to find some noble old elm cut low, and presently stuck
out in front of the dwelling in formal soldier-like line, a row of
saplings as stiff and shadeless as bean-poles. The " woodman,
spare that tree" of the song-bard of America should be graven
on every wall of a country house, or set up in public places
where " he that runs may read."
The love of trees is a mark of a good and healthy taste; he
who chooses his building plot by a preference for the trees that
surround and adorn it, may very safely be trusted with the
expression of his fancy in a house. The beauty of trees is in
their simplicity, and this in a house is the chief and highest
charm. Frequently a beautiful home may be formed by a
building of most modest size and pretensions, economically, nay,




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.            279
even severely built, nothing more done than necessity absolutely
requires, and that in the simplest way-if surrounded by trees;
the grandeur and variety of the shade, the softened outlines of
the building, and the partial concealment of its mass, with the
ideas of retirement, protection, and endurance that they give,
combine to throw a charm about the place, that denuded of
trees, a costly building would fail to impart. Think then of this
before destroying a tree, or neglecting to plant one.
The study of rural architecture is both pleasant and improving.
As an art, it is susceptible of investigation through a wide range;
painting, sculpture, ethnology, the history of taste-all these are
kindred studies, and have more or less reference to the principles,
practice, or history of architecture.  Without pursuing the
mechanical means of acquiring a practically useful knowledge, so
far as to render education in an architect's office necessary, the
drawing required for expression of the design is both easily
learned and readily done.  In my last chapter I directed the
amateur in his first steps towards making a set of drawings, and
can scarcely recommend him a p]easanter amusement for an
hour of leisure, 6r a more profitable study for a long evening or
wet morning, than endeavoring to elucidate with his pencil,
scale, and compasses, the designs his architectural reading has
enabled him to make.  As a branch of education in public and
private schools, as a mentally healthy and interesting pursuit at
home, the science of architecture, theoretic and constructive,
would prove very valuable; it has, in fact, been a matter of surprise to me that this, one of the most practical of the sciences,




280                   RURAL HOMES.
has not had its professors in the larger colleges, and its teachers
in all schools of any merit. As a fascinating way of learning
and practically applying the principles of geometry, as an
incentive to improvement under the drawing-master, and as a
pleasant exercise for the powers of calculation and ingenious
contrivance, a more desirable study could not be found. The
love of beauty, harmony, and proportion would thereby be fed,
and the inborn taste fostered and refined, nor has it one objectionable element-as some have said of the studies of painting
and music-that would tend to unhinge or sensualize the mind;
the union of the practical with the imaginative, the sound
judgment with the correct taste, preserve the balance, and the
young mind whose perceptive and conceptive faculties were thus
equally exercised, would acquire a strength and tone, leaving a
character invaluable through life.  Most of the great architects
of whom history has left any records, have been men of exemplary lives, and nicely balanced, pure, and reflective minds;
there is something in the study itself only appreciable to a
simple and earnest heart; it is not sufficiently sensual for the
voluptuary, nor chimerical for the speculative imaginist; enough
there is of a practical business in its details to curb exuberant
fancy, and enough for intellectual exercise and refreshment.
As a profession, that of the architect is a noble and useful one,
and the day is not far distant when young men will commence
its study, and diligently investigate the principles upon which
its excellence depends.  Heretofore, too generally; it has been
taken up as a mere money-making pursuit, adapted to the lazy
and the visionary, or-still better to the broken-down carpenter,
who, finding no credit to carry on his legitimate business, goes
into the "drafting line" as he calls it, and in his own language




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.          281
becomes an "archy-tect."  This latter class are greatly patronized by so called practical men; they think no architect can
be trusted with their house who has not wielded the jack-plane,
nor should they consistently read any author who does not set
his own types. Architects undoubtedly should be practical men,
that is, they should understand the whole theoretic practice of'
masonry, carpentry, and joinery, and be able to direct how work
is to be done, and to appreciate it when done; farther than this
is neither possible nor desirable. They should be familial with
the use and meaning of the technical terms of the different
trades, so as to be easily understood by workmen, and they
would find it to their advantage occasionally to suggest a
different way of doing any particular work in which their
experience and better theoretic knowledge enable them to point
out improvement. This, with rapidity in making a clear, comprehensive working-drawing of any detail at large (if possible,
before the eyes of the mechanic) will, with a presence of mind
and coolness that are never at fault when any question or difficulty arises, inspire the workers with confidence, and greatly
assist the designer in carrying out to the full, the spirit of his
composition.
The rarest excellence of the artist mind, is when an architect
can throw himself into the spirit of the builder, and see with his
eyes, and reason with his reasonings; then, applying his own
matured judgment and foreseeing experience to the design, he
will be able to work out a composition appropriate and satisfactory; he should be able to identify his employer's interest with
his ownl, to be tied by no undue pertinacity in favor of any
peculiar designs, unless their adoption can be recommended by
reasons so in accordance with common sense as to make it his




282                   RURAL HOMES.
duty, as much as may be, to insist upon them. Individuality is
as much exemplified in a house as in personal. character, and the
architect's highest praise will be, that he has successfully sublimated and embodied the peculiar views, habits of life, or circumstances of the owner. By so doing he will avoid mannerism,
that curse of art, and show in his designs a power and curiously
suggestive variety that will prevent them  ever being commonplace or tame. An architect of once considerable repute in
England found it so entirely impossible to. avoid the constant
recurrence of a particular style in all his buildings, as to earn the
sobriquet of "Ionic Inwood;" in fact, it is said, that in a
Gothic church unfortunately entrusted to him, the Ionic Volute
is very plainly perceptible in more than one. of its details! Such
mannerisms are common enough here;. go where you will any
where within fifty miles of New Haven, and you see houses,
Gothic, Moorish(!), Italian, or Egyptian, with the same flat, thin
roofs that look like box-lids shut down-so much so, as frequently to suggest to the observer a search for the hinges
behind, whilst the fanciful garret windows in front not inaptly
represent the key-hole. One of our best architects, and the one
who, of all others, has had the largest and most liberal freedom
for the expression of his designs, almost always makes his
churches on one stereotyped plan, cruciform and with a brokenbacked roof. A church in the form of a cross is beautiful in its
symbolism and grand in its effect, if vast; but on a small scale,
such a plan is unwarrantable, and if selected because of ancient
precedent, is' done so very ignorantly; only the abbey churches
and ecclesiastical structures of the very largest class being thus
arranged.
These are the mannerisms of individuals; the same charge




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.            283
can be brought against a class. Every one must have observed
how prone country people are to copy anything their neighbors
have done, and in so marked an object as a new house, there is,
of course, abundant opportunity for the exercise of this propensity.  A short time ago it was universally the fashion to have
columnar porches before hall doors-every one had them, and
they seemed established as a fixed fact; then wide arches on
consoles were resorted to, and almost equally in vogue; then
again, every thing must be bracketted and richly carved, and
frequently, in cities, as much was expended over the door-steps
as would have sufficed to have built and almost furnished a
decent house in the country. These fashions seem to have gone
by, and others, like the changing forms and colors in a kaleidoscope, take their place. In country places the feeling is still
more strong, and sometimes ludicrously evinced. Riding round
the environs of Norwalk, Connecticut, I was amused with the
frequent recurrence of a singularly formed attic window that
looked exactly like the bows of a pair of spectacles, two oblong
windows with their corners truncated being placed in couples
side by side. I remember to have seen in London at the civic
celebration of a royal visit to the powers that hold control in
the city proper, a quaint and would-be-witty device these
windows recalled. On one, of the houses (an optician's) was a
transparency, consisting. of a gigantic pair of spectacles, and
beneath, the words "a grand" in large letters, reading " a grand
spectacle; which pretty conceit the first builders of these houses
must have read of or seen-though, whether the reading of the
hieroglyphic thus transported here was meant to the house itself,
or any peculiarity of its inmates within, I regret not to be able
to solve.




284                    RURAL HOMES.
Is it not a pity that drawing is not more strongly insisted on
as an element of instruction in public and private schools? By
it, the perceptive faculty would be strengthened, and whether as
a nieans of pursuing an elegant accomplishment, or as an
awakener of the powers of more accurately appreciating and
comprehending the beautiful, would be an invaluable acquirement in after life. If not pursued beyond the limits of the classroom walls, still its refining influence would be carried into every
after exercise of the mind, nor even would the merely business
man, in the exercise it would have given to his young powers of
calculation and arrangement, begrudge the time spent with the
drawing-master.  I know that at West Point it is considered,
not only a most useful and advantageous pursuit, but admirable
mental discipline, and the artist-mind, balanced by the sterner
studies of mathematics, enlarged and made analytical by the
acquirement of languages and the researches of history, produces
a ripeness and refined elegance of scholarship which is as delightful as it is valuable.  To go back to first principles, the more
extended is the use of the drawing-master as a teacher of the
young, the more rapid will be the advancement of a true taste,
and consequently of a higher order of architecture.
Simplicity, as a source of architectural beauty, may thus be
defined.  Its dictionary meaning is the state of being unmixed,
of not being complex, or of consisting of a few parts. This
latter definition is the one usually applied to art, but it has not
a sufficiently broad bearing, or else it would be the case that the
smaller the number of parts, the greater the beauty. Thus a
portico of six columns would be finer than one of eight, or a
window with but two mouldings in its architrave more beautiful
than one with six. Simplicity must regard not only the number




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.           285
of the parts, but their form  and arrangement.  Used in this
sense, the word has a meaning synonymous with " breadth," as
generally understood by painters or artistic critics. It is a general oneness of expression, in which, however multiplied the
subordinate parts may necessarily have to be, the evident intention of one un-complex effect is plainly perceptible.  Thus, in
a plain, unbroken front of a country house, if the windows were
small, many in number, and scattered over the facade, the
breadth or simplicity of its effect would be spoilt; but change
those for fewer in'number and larger and wider in size, or
group the smaller ones together into twos or threes, leaving
broad, unbroken spaces between each cluster, and the breadth
and simplicity are restored.  In a more complex building, and
one in which some peculiar and marked feature is attempted,
the simplicity will be secured by such an arrangement of all
smaller parts that may show  evident subordination  to the
striking  part that gives the character.  Simplicity of effect
is obtained by using one large mass and several smaller, so much
smaller as never to distract the eye from the major body, as in a
house with lower wings; or it is obtained by union of masses if
two or more-of similar size are used, as in an E-shaped building,
in which the two similar ends are brought together into one
whole by the- central portion. The parts of each of these
examples may be multiplied as much as needs be, but the effect
being gathered by the general lines, and the minuter portions
only serving as chasing, as it were, upon their surfaces, the impression of simplicity is secured.  No matter how large or how
ornate a building may be, the effect is produced by the outlines
of the masses, seen from a proper point of sight; nothing can be
more grandly, beautifully simple than the pointed cathedrals of




286                    RURAL HOMES.
Gothic Europe, or the classic temples of Greece and Italy.  St.
Paul's, the metropolitan cathedral of England, is an instance in
point, and though examined in detail, the wonderful fertility of
invention and fanciful design of the exterior presents multitudilnous forms of beauty. The general outline is so simply, intelligibly plain that its form, despite its myriad parts, can be
sketched from memory by the merest school-boy who has seen
it.  Perhaps the shortest and truest paraphrase of architectural
simplicity would be-freedom from confusion-and such is the
definition I offer.
Reality, as an attribute of architectural beauty, I have before
sufficiently explained.  It consists in the legitimate use of
materials and principles of construction to attain a required end.
A building may appear beautiful in itself, its outlines may be
harmonious, and effect simple, but if a material not suitable or
method of construction not adapted has been employed, none
but an undeveloped taste would sanction it. This is the reason
that the wooden-classic, as a style, is doomed to an inevitable
perishing before very long. The forms that carpentry copies are
in themselves beautiful, and the study that they sometimes
evince as spent upon their correct reproduction from the ancient
model, commendable; but, inasmuch as the eye and sense know
they are not -of stone or marble, and that the fluted columns
have' been painfully cored, and glued up, and put together, and
the carved capitals screwed on leaf by leaf about a clumsy
timber block, the impression of sublimity is taken away, and on6
leading to ridicule probably substituted. So in the complicated
Gothic contrivances sometimes seen, every one knows that the
quaint and grotesque details have no meaning away from their
own places, that the imitation " portcullis" (such has been seen




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.           287
and may be seen) never descends, nor do anything more warlike
than nursery-maids and children with drums ever march across
the  "drawbridge."   The  "battlemented  turrets"  have  no
ordnance or bold archer behind, and the carved and crocketted
chimney-shafts are only good, honest smoke-vents for a patent
warming apparatus within.  The funniest things are sometimes
done by those who erect imitative Gothic buildings.  A large
and costly church recently erected in New York, shows upon its
outside doors what apparently are very beautifully wrought-iron
scroll-hinges, such as are frequently seen in old buildings, and
worthy of reproduction now, but my appreciation of their
excellence has lost its zest from the fact that, passing by the
building ere completion, I found workmen carefully nailing
on a wooden counterfeit cut out of stuff a quarter of an inch
thick, and this, painted black and varnished, lies itself into an
honest scroll-hinge, the real working fellow being craftily concealed in the door-frame, and getting no credit for the labor the
showy humbug outside seems to perform. Once a week's labor
would have been gladly bestowed on one such hinge if a means
of adorning and enriching a beautiful doorway; now a pattern
cut out of stiff paper, a few feet of thin board, a circular saw or
a " jumping-johnny," with a little paint and varnish, will serve to
turn. out a dozen in an hour-thanks to " progress"-not in this
case, however, in " well-doing."
Meaning or expression of character in a building is a beauty
not so easily obtained. Being, as it should be, an embodiment
of the individuality of the owner, it can be, subject to no rules
other than those just explained. The house of the.scholar, the
man of leisure and refined taste, the follower of agricultural
pursuits, or the sportsman, will have probably a character con



288                   RURAL HOMES.
sistent with the peculiarities of each owner, and as marked as
the residence of the showy parvenu who has brought his wealth
from the city, and his taste from some not-so-easily-to-be-found
place, to astonish the country folk. Whimsicality even in a
building is not unpleasing if it has been obtained legitimately.
A Chinese padoga roof has been seen to produce a very artistic
effect, and used for evident purpose of shade; its shape, though
fantastic and unusual, is not in itself unpleasing, nor could its use
justly be reprehended if constructed of suitable and honestly
used materials.
Frequently an architect may be called upon by his employer
to advise and assist in embodying some principle of design not
apparently entirely congruous with good taste: in such a case,
not merely from motives of policy, but in order to secure that
individuality a building should possess, he should not resolutely
combat the owner's wishes, but sedulously seek to identify them
with his own, and carry out the idea, transfusing at the same
time therein so much of his own refined spirit as may assist in
giving meaning to any whimsicality and simplicity of effect to
the whole composition, Like a skilful performer in a duet upon
the piano, who, in case his partner makes a mistake, does not
steadily go on with his own part, leaving the other to catch him
up and come in how he may, but by deviating somewhat in his
own notes, covers up the blunder, and not only prevents its
detection by the general company, but to the appreciation of
the initiated produces a beauty by the dexterity and intelligence
of the manceuvre;-so a competent architect over the suggestions of the owner will throw a masterly treatment, which will
aot only prevent inadvertent discord, but by the blending of the




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.           289
individual will, and the artist taste, will secure a beautiful and
orioinal effect.
At the risk of seeming repetition, I repeat the principles upon
which architectural beauty in a rural home depends,-simplicity,
reality and intention. Their importance cannot too strongly be
insisted on, and so. impressed therewith should builders be, that,
in devising any plan, they should mentally train themselves to
reply to a question that will soon be the query of the ageis it honest?
In a few years how  beautiful may this country be made by
its rural architecture! There are bye places, and nooks and
lanes, fertile valleys and rich knolls, that only want the hand of
taste and the clear eye to invest with the sentiment of beauty.
No country in the world is so favored by nature, and by reason
of the unfettered freedom for expression of individual taste, the
lack of the restraint of precedent, and the presence of a common
sense right-mindedness which teaches (or will teach) to judge of
a thing only by its intrinsic merits, no land shows so open a
plain for the advancement of art. Villages, now but assemblages
of white boxes thrust as near as may be upon the street, may be
made clustered homes of simplicity and beauty; the church, the
culminating point and centre of rustic attraction, not a building
with wooden quasi-classic portico and semi-exposed walls, but a
modest and yet sublime structure, modest in its freedom from
pretentious ornament, sublime in its simple dignity; the store
no longer a red staring two or three storied barn, but a cool,
cheerful, well-shaded erection with widely spread and sheltering
roof, and interior light, roomy and airy; the school-house such as
children would love to linger around, and in their very dreams to
see enpictured as a place of beauty. The cottage, the parsonage,
13




290                    RURAL HOMES.
the farmer's homestead and the rich man's mansion each contributing, though each so differently, to the one effect of the
whole; with noble old trees grouped here and there and avenuing the road, and around everything the air of thrift that it is
pleasant to testify all American villages have; such will make
lovely places of every hamlet. It is not possible that in erecting
buildings so various as a country village is composed of, one
general directing taste can be expected, beyond agreeing to retain the roads a certain width, appropriating a certain spot for a
public square or common garden, and determining to spare all
trees now standing, and, where fitting to plant new ones, an undivided action cannot be looked for.
But'the general effect -will be produced by the mass of individual effort; therefore, if each one fairly does his part, the result of the collected whole will show one harmonious design.
The church-building committee having selected the spot for their
structure, with reference not only to its convenience of access
from all parts of the village, but to its effect in the landscape as
seen grouped with the houses, determine to adopt a design and
style of structure that shall harmonize. Probably standing on
an eminence, but so placed that there shall be a background of
trees or higher ground behind, with a bold sweep of sward in
front, and roomy, rustic sheds for shelter of country wagons during service times, at the rear and sides, the building has a base
upon the-ground, and by these features has given to it a domesticity which is the very acme of perfection in a country church.
sympathizing as it does with our twofold nature, and drawing
by ties of kindred with our human wants instead of standing
apart in bare and cold separation, inspiring the spirit of awe
rather than the feeling of love.  It is perhaps a low wooden




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.          291
building, with high pitched roof, so made because strong, durable and simple, with its eaves projecting many feet at the side to
screen from heat in summer, and give warmth in winter; on the
front is a roomy porch of simplest construction, enclosed it may
be at one end in winter and well warmed, so as to afford a comfortable resting room between services for those who have come
fiom a distance. Somewhere from the building rises a tower for
the bell, perhaps surmounted by a spire, no huge' pile of box
upon box and column upon colhmn, but a simple square tower
carried up from the ground and having evident support therefrom, (not striding the gable as so often seen,) and breaking
with a few bold mouldings and perhaps a bracketted string
course, into an octagonal spire, whose airy lightness gives finish
to the tower and beauty to the whole structure.
Nestling amongst trees not far from the church should be
seen the oft-alluded-to school-house, low, rustic and shaded. A
distinct porch and yard for boys and girls, and above the roof
a little bell cot. No columns, nor pediment, nor classic pretension; the village children make not the dead languages of
Greece and Rome their study, why surround them with their
architecture? Let me plead for a flower garden attached to the
school-house —beautiful lessons of industry and love and reverence can be taught by flower culture —if those entrusted with
the education of the young would but see this, and instead of
tying them to droning lessons in the drowsy school-room, would
cultivate their perceptive faculties and their inner sympathies
with the beautiful, how much more eager to learn, and how
much more benefited would the poor little school children be
than they are now. Not far from this might be placed the parsonage-such an one as exhibited in this book;-unobtrusive, solid




292                   RURAL HIOMES.
and simple, connected with the church by a something which distinguishes it from other dwellings, and yet possessing features in
common with the people's homes. Then would come houses of
differing size and character; the modest cottage of the working
man with its gay little garden-plot and bright flower bed; the
somewhat larger dwellings of the storekeeper, merchant and professional man; the great house of the village with its noble
woods and lawns, and everything that can show appreciation of
nature's beauties and sedulous cultivation thereof by art.  The
village inn, no flaunting, plate-glass bedizened temple of Bacchus, but a cheerful, spacious traveller's home.  Wide should be
its verandas, roomy its stable yard and offices, and if the travel
of the place calls for a little external display, the good sense of
the villagers must only allow it to be made in harmony with the
spirit of the rest.
As yet there are very few examples of a satisfactory rural inn;
this is singular when the partiality is considered that there is for
an hotel life. Either such as we have are so extravagantly built
and furnished as to cause a rate of charge far beyond what the
general run of travellers ought to be able to afford to pay, or else
are dingy and incommodious.  Unfortunately an architect is
rarely consulted in their construction; some speculating builder
" luns up" for a certain sum a building to accommodate so many
hundred persons, and provided the exterior be showy and as many
floors as scaffolding can be made for are piled one above the other,
and the whole is surmounted with a dome or an octagonal observatory and flag-pole, every one is satisfied. Showy carpeting,
upholstery and furniture are looked for as matters of course, and
compensate for unventilated and sometimes unlighted bed-rooms,
-and " private apartments" at forty dollars per week. A coun



RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.          293
try hotel should after all be merely a large, roomy house, with
parlors, dining room, and spacious halls large enough for the
estimated numnber of guests. Wide and airy verandas should
be important features of the plan; they should be so arranged
as to secure one large, retired shade-room for ladies, and the
wider and larger they are, the better. The manners of the
guests derive a coloring from the style of the house; in an overfine, showy-parlored house, you will meet fair ladies with all
their jewelry displayed at breakfast, and in ball costume at the
one o'clock dinner, but in a house such as I would have it to be,
I will venture to- say those who have taste will, without fear of
seeming to do differently from others, dress as they would at
home, and those who have not, be shamed into simplicity by the
homelike charm of the building, and the influence of its
unaffected dignity. Such a house we will imagine in our model
village.
On its outskirts are the usual appurtenances of a travelled
road-the blacksmith shop, the town house, the toll house, and
the covered bridge;-how pretty and yet how simple might
they all be made! The bridge, I know, is a dangerous topic to
touch upon-prejudice is decidedly in favor of making it a
covered trough from bank to bank, and economy in preserving
timber by its shelter is a powerful argument —in force till some
kind engineer, inspired by a desire to improve and beautify, has
shown how, at half the expenditure of material and money,
a durable structure can be made, which, light and uncovered,
shall not obstruct the view nor look unsightly in the landscape.
One very great source of improvement in the appearance of the
approach to a village, would be in a more careful attention to
the fences and boundary walls that line the roads. Iron wire is




294                   RURAL HOMES.
now in course of introduction for this purpose; it is light,
durable and inexpensive, and as a means of protecting from
injury the hedges growing behind, can strongly be recommended. Wooden rails are too frail and too easily removed or
broken, and walling is expensive and also takes up much room.
Cast iron has a stiff and formal look, beside being liable to be
easily broken by a blow  or by a stone thrown by some
mischievous urchin; but wrought iron wire, either simply run in
a single strand through posts, or woven by machinery into some
suitable pattern, is both beautiful and strong.
No country in the world possesses such facilities for the liberal
and domestic use of water as this; the boast of the so much
vaunted superior English cleanliness would receive a slight
check if statistics were obtained to show the superior number
of bathing arrangements in the private houses of New York
compared with the private houses of London.  Villages have
fiequently their own little aqueduct to supply their water-wants,
and with the facility thus given for carrying the precious liquid
over every house and adorning a few pretty places with sparkling
fountains, there is an element of utility and beauty within the
reach of Americans that is not attainable with the same readiness elsewhere. In no respect could the principle of association
be so advantageously carried out as in supplying a community
with water. The formation of an aqueduct (under ordinary
facilities for water-supply) that would carry an abundant supply
over every house, leaving still sufficient for ornamental purposes,
would a6tually cost considerably less to the ownel of each house
than would the digging of an individual well and the provision
of pumps or other water gear. The benefit to be derived by
such a comfort is incalculable, and with a little taste and cheerful




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.          295
co-operation on the part of the residents, the public square, the
school yard, and the church green, could each be adorned with
some simple rustic fountain to give play to the sparkling and
cooling waters. Near the school-house should be a covered bath
of ample size supplied by the same aqueduct; this principally
for the.use of children; and supported by some small annual
payment from  all who participate in its benefits. No great
expense would be needed for it; one properly made of brick or
stone laid in hydraulic cement, with a deepening brick floor, and
covered over at one end with Ia wooden erection containing
dressing-rooms, of the dimensions of one hundred and twenty
feet long by twenty-five feet wide, and six feet deep in the
deepest part, would not exceed in cost two thousand three hundred dollars. It need irot be entirely roofed over if placed in a
sheltered spot where its waters could be concealed. A high
fence surrounding it, and a building at either end for dressingrooms would be sufficient, and the rest left open to the sky
would be both better ventilated and more beneficial to the
bathers. Were I writing on sanitary reform I would show" the
great advantages to be derived from the daily use of a large
bath; or were I addressing parents I would comfort them by
suggestions of the superior safety of such a bath to the open
and treacherous river; but appealing as an architect, I can only
show how easily such a luxury can be obtained, and the cost
and means of securing it.
Such a village as the one I have sketched might be made of
every rural hamlet throughout the land.  Every class of




296                    RURAL HOMES.
builder, the cottager, the projector of the costliest mansion, has
his part to do. Beautiful as are the reclaimed spots of this
luxuriant country, they are tame in comparison to what a
cared-for architecture  may make them. Noble forests, rich
expanses of undulating greensward and natural lawns, beautiful
lakes and plentiful streams, are in boundless profusion; not a
country town but has, within a five mile drive, some beauty so
lovely as to make its neighborhood a precious place; not a single
farm but has, somewhere on it, so glorious a prospect hill, so
noble a wood, or so pretty a copse, as would render its possession
a covetable object to every man of taste.  Nowhere is there
other than richest beauty. The sand plains of Maine are noble
in their bold, unbroken extent, and- in their sighing pines, and
those places which at present man has nbt conquered, the swamp
and lowland morass, only await skilful labor and untiring
industry to yield the most grateful return. Mr. Ruskin says
there is in nature no such thing as positive ugliness or deformity,
only degrees of beauty; and where anything less lovely than
another is permitted, it is only there to send a higher charm to
the appreciation of the rest, "spots of blackness in creation to
make its colors felt." Such being the case, what encouragement
to the investigation of the principles of beauty in architectural
form, and what incentive to their embodiment!
How beautiful is the description of Evangeline's Village, the
"homes of the happy."  "Still stands the forest primeval.The murmuring pines and the hemlock" still whisper to us as
they did of old; there is wanting only that tender love for
nature; that sympathy with the simple and the beautiful, and,
only differently employed than that of Mr. Longfellow's sweet
heroine,-the " affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient,'?




RURAL ARCHITECTURE AS A FINE ART.          297
to make our gathered homes in the country more than a
realization of the fondest " dream of Acadie."
Now must I draw my pleasant labors to a close, and bid
my readers-farewell. In parting, I would again revert to the
all-importance of embodying some fixed principle and meaning in
each country dwelling. I would not go so far as to say that the
individual character of its owner may be guessed by a glance at
the building, but the general tone of mind certainly may. Reality
— meaning —ornamental work serving a purpose, practical or
poetic-suitability to material, situation and manner of livingthese must be the beauties sought to be embodied in a rural home,
and step by step, as such houses shall be built, will the high,
broad base, for erecting a standard of true taste, be founded.
It is a pleasant and a reasonable hope that the teaching of the
publicin constructive art will be commenced and steadily carried on by means of rural architecture. All know the influence
of early home-teachings, youthful reminiscences and associations; if these were always of the simple, the beautiful and the
reasonable in the home itself; if the very building never arose
before the memory without confirming by its ever-speaking testimony the advantage of embodiment of these principles, and
the harmony and loveliness of the result; how better armed toresist the temptations of a false and tricky taste, and to carry on
the advocacy of the nobly true, the inventive mind of the artist
and the appreciation of the amateur would be! Some old writer
says, "the country is a perpetual sermon," so might be the
dwellings it contains. Money is not needed as the only means
13*




298                    RURAL HOMES.
to make them  so; no, simple, Almost homely treatment often
secures the happiest result; their charm  must rest in their
appropriateness; their reality be secured by the stability and
honest use of materials; so that the next generation shall say of
them as was sung of the church-builders of old,
"They dreampt not of a perishable home,
Who thus could build!"
FINIS.