THE HOME.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 38, 3 December 1920, Page 12

THE HOME.

HERE IS A GOOD PLAN. It is a good invest-* ent for any business person to take the time to test his reactions to colour combinations and then deliberately "set the stage" of nis home life to charm away all thought of his life in the office. If his office furniture is mahogany, let there be none of it in the room where he rests. Let there be no "receiving station" in the home atmosphere for the sights and sounas that continually weary his consciousness during the day. If any person could get emotionally rested out of office hours there would be little danger of a nervous oreakdown. It is the efforts of the nervous system to respond coristantly to the same sense stimuli that eventually weary the nerves beyond the power of any reaeticn. Every suggestion in home surroundmgs should set the thoughts running on brain tracts not used during the day. After such a rest, with what eagerness the mind wiil return to its work the next day THE KIND OF FLOOR FINISH. The use to which a floor is to be put should dictate the character of the finish, If the floor is to be pretty generally covered with rugs, especially where traffie is concentrated, as at doors, a varnish nnish is deciusuly the best because it is easily cleaned and thoroughly protects the wood. There are special floor varnishes made which dry with a dull -gloss, waxlike surface. These flat-drying varnishes are preferable to those drying with a hig'h gloss because the light is reflected from the surface in a sheen and gives greater eye comfort. If the floor is to be used at all for dancing it should not be finish ed with varnish Ihe hard varnish scratches and pulverizes under shuffling feet to a greater or less extent according to the quality of the varnish. A floor for dancing should be waxed, and nothing but wax should be used in finishing it. Some painters advocate a coat of shellac and then wax. but as soon as the wax has rubbed off the the shellac will "dust." A very satisfactory method of waxing new floors is to dissolve a pound of finely cut or ch.pped beeswEjc, or its present-day commercial substitnte, in a gallon of turpentine and apply two coats of the mixture, the second coat following the first by not less than twenty-four hcurs. After the floor has been thus treated an occasional application of any of the good standard brands of paste floor wax, which are on the market polished with a weighted brush, wiil suffice to keep the floor in good condition. Waxed floors grow da-rker with age. BACTERIA DON'T LIKE PAINTED WALLS. The decoration of the interior of dwellings has beconie of even greater importance in one sense than the painting of the exteriors. The custom in many modern dwellings is to use paint on the wails. in order to obtain the various colour effects desired, and in this fasliion maintain the most sanitary conditions possible. " From the standpoint of sanitation and hygiene,. properly painted walls are superior to papered walls upon which bacteria may in some instances be harboured. where, for example, it has been the practice to repaper without taking off the old paper which, having been glued with organic pastes, acts as a culture medium. Usually both tenant and landlord are obvi. ous to conditions which cannot readily be seen or detected, and these conditions have therefore not been given very much thought. From many tests that have been made. the writer is convinced that one of the most efficient means'of destroying bacteria in quarters previously occupied by persons suffering from contagious disease is to be had by painting the rooms with an oilpigment paint. The vapors from such paint develop formaldhyde, an antiseptic which is tatai to bacilli. In hospitals where it is necessary to maintain sanitary conditions, the walls are invariably painted with paints that can be frequently washed. It is just as important that similar precautions should be taken in the home. GOOD TASTE. In dress, as in life, good taste is the possession of a sense of the natural fitness of things, the feeling of right proportion ahd of the harmony between details. Good taste is synonymous with sincerity. The woman of most modest endowments who follows the natural line of her figure is

better dressed than the flamboyant lady who distorts herself to attract attention. TEN MAXIMS OE GOOD TASTE. 1. — Study the natural line of your figure. i 2. — Let every detail of the costume be in harmony with the general effect, 3. — Let simplicity be the basis of decoration "and embellishment, and not the reverse. • 4. — Let the complexion be a factor in the determination of colour, and let the profile of the face as well as the line of tire hair be adjuncts to the determination of the right contour of the dress. 5. — Let every dress be appropriate as much to Ihe occasion as it is to the wearer. 6. — Let dress adhere to natural faetors rather than to the whims of fashion. Be not ashamed to dress wisely in accordance with age. As the .spirit of youth mellows the lines of the face, beautiful dress enhances the line of the figure. ' 7.— --Let every accessory to the dress be in complete accord with it. The dress may be considered as the design of your personality and the accessories as added decoration. 8. — Let the hat you wear be logicallv correlated to the dress that you wear. 9. — -Let your material and fabrics be chosen in harmony with your ciiaracter. A dress can be tue expression of a state of mind if you try to make it so. 10. — The dilemmas of fashion vanish in the knowledge of correct line in dress. From mastery of the line of your individual figure follow correct skirt lengths, artistic waist line, properly accented hip line, etc.