CHAPTER V

_CONSTRUCTING THE COUNTRY DWELLING_

Much has been written in books, and more has been spoken from platform and pulpit, relative to the patriotism of the American people. In addition to all this the public schools of city and country have been consciously instructing the children with a view to laying a permanent foundation in their lives for love of the native land and for defense of the national ideals. But it seems to me that the best word on the subject of patriotic instruction has never as yet been given wide publicity. So long as a boy has to grow up in a home where there are meanness and turmoil and strife and hatred and degradation, one may point a thousand times with pride to our great nation, display again and again before his eyes the proud banner of freedom, sing with him numberless times the patriotic songs eulogistic of the fatherland and its national heroes,--under such circumstances a boy can never be expected to develop into anything other than a superficial patriot. But give him a good home, simple and unadorned though it may be, where love reigns, where his childish needs are thoughtfully ministered unto, whereinto he may go at nightfall after a hard day's work and find rest and peace and comfort; a home whereinto he may take his childish cares and perplexities and place them before the affectionate consideration of his parents and perhaps his elder brothers and sisters; a place where he is carefully taught the rudiments of filial respect and a wholesome regard for work and industry,--bring up the boy in the midst of these plain, sympathetic situations, and you have a real patriot. Although he may be reminded only occasionally of the meaning of the national flag, and although he may read with no unusual interest about the blood that was spilled on the national field of battle, a life so reared would mean that the love of home has become rooted in the heart of the young patriot, and that he would rise up if need be and give his life in defense of that home. In such a case, only a small stretch of the imagination would make it possible for the youth to regard the nation as his home in the larger sense, while his willingness to defend that home in time of real need would be none the less present and strong.

PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS NOT AVAILABLE

There are hundreds of types and thousands of varieties of rural dwelling houses. It would perhaps be impracticable to attempt to furnish definite plans and specifications in connection with this chapter. The wide variation in the nature of the selected sites, in the means available for building the home, in the size of the family to be accommodated, and the like, would hinder us in the attempt. But there are certain principles that may perhaps apply in nearly every instance and that especially in thought of serving the first and best needs of the juvenile members of the household.

It is altogether possible to make a two-room cottage out on the open prairie a place suggestive of repose, of beauty, and of other high ideals. So, no matter how small and inexpensive the rural dwelling may be, let the builders work first of all for that simple beauty and attractiveness which may most certainly invest the heart of the indweller with a feeling of comfort and satisfaction. Let it be a place, though humble, that may soon become to the members of the family the most beloved spot on earth. For, after all, the best things of life cannot possibly be bought with money. There are often misery and dissension and bitterness in the finest palatial dwelling, while the essential elements of beauty and worth may have lodgment in the hearts of the humblest cottage dwellers. However, it is not the intention here to argue any one into the thought of building a humble cot for the mere sake of humility. The point we desire to make is merely this: that, although possessed of very meager means with which to build, one can actually construct a home in which the inhabitants thereof may dwell in peace and contentment, and a place over which the Spirit of the Most High may brood in great strength and beauty.

WHAT APPEALS TO THE CHILDREN

In the selection of a location and a site for the dwelling the welfare of the children must be thought of, second only to that of the house mother. Now, what material arrangements will appeal to the growing children and add much interest and romance to their lives as in future time they view them in retrospect? First of all, perhaps, a broken landscape might well be mentioned, a hill or two near by the place, with a sharp cliff or embankment to the crest of which the children may climb and there cast down missiles. Such things tend to add a charm to the young lives. And then, if possible, have a brook or larger stream of fresh running water. A large river is less desirable on account of the danger to child life. But a stream which may furnish, not merely water for the live-stock, but a swimming and bathing place for the children in summer and a skating pond for them in winter, to say nothing about the pleasures of fishing and boating--these will appeal most strongly to the boys and girls. And then, the woodland, or at least the shady grove with trees to climb, and possibly nuts and wild flowers to gather--a place where chipmunks and song birds and the like may have their natural habitat, and wherefrom there may proceed the weird and doleful sound of the night owl and the whip-poor-will; herein one may find many of the crude materials well suited to give proper nourishment to the souls of the young.

But the things just named will not nearly always be accessible. Throughout many of the commonwealths there are vast stretches of level plateaus with scarcely a hill or woodland in sight, and yet covered with a rich, tillable soil. These places may for good reasons be selected for the site of a dwelling. But they demand more work and heavier expense of money and time before the best material surroundings of an ideal home for boys and girls may be realized. Before the house is scarcely laid out in such a place, the shade and ornamental trees should be planted, selecting for part of the planting a quick-growing species that may be removed later after more permanent and more valuable trees have reached a suitable height. Of course, a stream of water cannot always be diverted so as to make it pass the place, but a fair substitute may be had by the construction of a pond. And this thing should be accomplished at the earliest possible moment. If there be a small dry ravine, dam it up with concrete and catch it full of surplus water during a rainy season. It is a positive injustice to boys and not a little unfair to girls to require them to grow up without any access to open water of some kind. And it is almost a matter of criminal neglect to require children to live permanently in a home about which there are no trees growing. So it is recommended, even if the house construction must in part be delayed or cut off, that the surroundings just named be sought in all earnestness.

THE HOUSE PLAN

In planning and arranging the house, the matters to be thought of in addition to those named above are convenience and comfort. While it is somewhat important that the house look well to those who may be passing upon the highway, it is vastly more important that it be good within and serve such needs of the home-maker and the children as will conserve the strength of the former and render the lives of all happy and contented. In addition to the matters just named, that of placing the dwelling to face in the right direction will be thought of. That is, arrange the house so as to take advantage of the morning sunlight, the evening shade, the winter blasts and the summer breezes. While for the sake of entertainment it may be well to place the rural dwelling near the public highway, rather than sacrifice the child-developing factors of shade trees and streams and the like, it is often better to build back from the road and make a private lane leading thereto.

In arranging for the heat and light in the house, think first of all of the health and sanitation of the family. Ordinarily, the windows of the farmhouse are too small; while worse still, many of them, even in the bed chambers, are permanently nailed down. So, if the health and the general well-being of the boys and girls, as well as the parents, are worth anything at all, attend religiously to these small and inexpensive conveniences, not neglecting to provide most carefully for keeping out flies and other insects. The wise farmer will find the secret of getting along with his own household and of rearing a strong, healthy family to lie in the strict attention he gives to just such small matters as these. The things that overstrain the physique, that try the temper and patience of the housewife, must especially be looked after and something of a better nature substituted for them.

HOW ONE FARMER DOES IT

Mr. W. F. Mottier, living in Ford County, Illinois, gives in _Farmer's Voice_ his plan of providing for the children, as follows:--

"I have always tried to farm intelligently. One of my favorite ideas in regard to farm life is that of making the home as attractive as possible for the children. So I put on the place all the modern improvements that I can afford, in order that the children may not feel that town life is the best. And our children do not have any desire to go to town. It would bring a sad thought to me to hear my children talk against the farm life or home life on the farm."

OUTBUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT

With few exceptions, the money available for building the home should be expended first in putting the house into the ideal condition just named. After that, if any means remain, the outbuildings may be constructed. Otherwise, crude, temporary arrangements may easily suffice. There is one thing, however, that must be provided with scrupulous care and that is the water for the household use. It must be, first of all, wholesome and comparatively free from impurities. Then, if at all possible, it should be cool and taste well. Actual records have shown that one will not drink enough water to satisfy the demands of his health in case the taste be in any degree unpleasant to him. So the ideal water for household use is comparatively soft, is cool, highly pleasing to the taste, and is free from disease-carrying germs. This comparatively simple matter of providing the water will prove most important in relation to the well-being of the household and the up-building of the family life. See to it at any cost that the well be situated out of the way of seepage from any barn or outbuilding, even though it may from such necessity be placed somewhat out of the reach of convenience.

HUMAN RIGHTS PRIOR TO ANIMAL RIGHTS

If the farmer cannot afford to erect a good barn he may take reasonable care of his horses with the use of a cheap, improvised one. Actual test will show that horses may be made comfortable in the summer time with the use of a straw-thatched shed for a barn, provided the drainage be reasonably good and the earth floor be kept in good order. The thatched covering may be made to keep out the rain. During the winter, with the use of a few slender poles, the entire shed may be inclosed with a hay or straw wall and the place thus be made very satisfactory for the time being. Similar sheds and protection may be provided for the other live-stock, all to await the time when the means are at hand for better conveniences. It is especially suggestive of a mean lack of consideration of human rights in the case of the farmer who has a big, expensive farm barn towering up beside a little dingy shanty of a dwelling house. And yet this thing is all too common, particularly in new prairie regions. Such is the place out of which beastliness and criminality and anarchy tend to be germinated from the lives of boys and girls, to say nothing about the hidden tragedies that surround the lives of the many women who are forced to put up with such an arrangement for half a lifetime.

Just one illustration of a situation of the sort described will suffice to point out the moral. On an occasion two strangers drew up to a farmhouse. One of them was a land agent, and the other a home seeker. Their mission was that of purchasing a farm. The owner of the farm showed them about the place with considerable enthusiasm, but his heart swelled with pride when he reached the magnificent barn, one side of which was devoted to the propagation of a high-grade strain of Duroc Jersey swine. Every convenience and comfort for the hogs was provided. He boasted about his success with them, showed an affectionate regard for the different individuals, calling them by name. The horses, too, might have aroused the envy of the entire neighborhood. They were sleek and well-fed, full in flesh and fair in form. There was provided every convenience for feeding and caring for the horses and the hogs, so that the hired men found the work about the barn exceedingly easy and pleasant.

Then the attention of the visitors was turned to the farmhouse. Yes, it was small and run down and poor, the intention being to build a larger one "some time." But that same intention was known to have been expressed repeatedly for a period of twenty years past. And where were the boys? Well, that was the trouble, and furnished the excuse for his willingness to sell the place. He simply could not induce the boys to stay there and take an interest in things. Two of them, barely more than boys, had left the home nest in its meanness and degradation and hired out in town. The mother of the boys was living there because she had to, but upon her face were lines of suffering and disappointment and degradation. Yet in the midst of it all, strange to say, the father seemed to blame the boys and their mother for having conspired against the interests of the farm home and plotted to get away. In the course of his conversation he made it somewhat evident that he would have sold out and left sooner had the other members of the family not been so urgent about the matter, and that he was now holding on partly to indulge his spite and feeling of stubbornness in reference to them.

The cheap novels one may pick up depict many a fictitious tragedy. But in the place just described lies the typical scene of thousands of real tragedies during the course of which numberless lives of boys and girls have been wrecked forever,--lives latent with possibilities of goodness and beauty, of mental and moral strength. And then, the bitterness and anguish of soul of the mothers of these lost members of a high humanity--what of that? The silent walls of an untimely grave in many cases closed them in, while much of the memory of their secret suffering lies buried with them.

THE CHILDREN'S ROOM

Even though the means available will not allow for more than the humblest sort of cottage, there should be definite thought of providing therein some room or niche or corner to be considered as the private property of the children. In a three-room dwelling on the Kansas prairie in which lives a happy family of five, and about which thrifty young shade trees and orchards are growing, there may be seen a children's room that would surprise and inspire any ordinary observer. In a little attic room facing the east and reached by a mere step-ladder arrangement, may be found the "den," which is the private place of the three children. A small window opens out to the east and a small improvised dormer window about twelve by twenty inches admits light and air from the south. There is no plastering or other expensive covering upon the sloping roof walls, but the artistic mother has provided dainty white muslin for concealing the rough places, and with the help of the children she has decorated the little room in a manner that would attract the very elect. None of this has required a money cost, but it has all been done beautifully at the expense of thought and good sense and artistic taste, prompted by rare consideration for the needs of the boys and girls.

The two little girls and their brother, ranging in age from five to ten years, spend many a happy hour in their attic chamber. The heat from the room below comes through a small aperture and warms the little place in winter time, while the breeze passes through the little windows in summer, tempering the room satisfactorily excepting upon extremely hot days. Upon the walls are arranged beautiful post cards, larger pictures gathered from magazines and other sources, and small though beautiful home decorations of every conceivable sort. The little seven-year-old boy has a small assortment of curios collected from the hills and streams, while the girls have a small display of their childish needlework, their dolls, and some of their best school drawings. How suggestive and how helpful it would be if this little den could be displayed before the eyes of all the humble cottagers throughout the rural districts!

Yes, the hogs may live out-of-doors and the horses get along very well indeed with a temporary barn thatched with straw, but the places of the boys and girls must be looked after and that in the interest of making them happy, of filling their lives with every good, clean sentiment, and of preparing them for that large sphere of usefulness which may mark their future. If the house be larger than the one we have described, then provide accordingly for the children. Give them a good room of their own. Put their ornaments and playthings in it. If there be space, provide a library containing a few suitable volumes. And after this thoughtful provision has been made, see to it carefully that their schedule for work, schooling, and the other duties allows for ample time and opportunity for their enjoyment of the apartment set aside for them. In years to come, that sweet poetic sentiment running back to the home of one's childhood will be given greater strength and beauty because of the fact that this thing just urged has been done. And more than that, the man (or woman) who has the blessed privilege of recalling these bygone scenes of childhood receives from such contemplation a new sense of inner strength and new enduement of power to go on with life's struggle and master the larger problems that come to him.

THE EVENING HOUR

No matter what the cares of the day may have been, how many things may have gone wrong, how much hay left out in the field unprotected from the rain, how many acres of corn unplowed and losing in the battle with the weeds, how many items of household duties unperformed--there is every justification for laying aside these work-a-day affairs at the approach of bedtime and for the spending of a precious hour with the problems of the children. Farm parents as well as other parents can thus preserve their youth and add immeasurably to the joys of their own lives. This thing of being with the children at evening may seem slightly awkward and prosaic at first, but it will slowly grow into a habit and will become transformed into an experience of great charm and beauty. Best of all the high refinement, potential in the lives of the children, will thus be gradually brought to an expression, and the foundation stones of substantial manhood and womanhood will be laid in their lives. Yes, it is true, even farm parents may learn to lay aside their cares and perplexities and enjoy the splendid privilege of getting intimately acquainted with the hopes and desires and aspirations of their boys and girls!

REFERENCES

The Outlook to Nature. Revised edition. L. H. Bailey. Page 79, "The Country Home." Macmillan.

Low Cost Country Homes. A. Embury, Jr. _Collier's_, June 10, 1911.

A Primer of Sanitation. John O. Ritchie. Chapter XXXIII, "Public Sanitation." World Book Company, Yonkers, N.Y. Recommended for general use.

From Kitchen to Garret. Virginia Van de Water. Chapter X, "The Boy's Room." Sturgis-Walton Company.

Home Waterworks. Carleton J. Lynde. Sturgis-Walton.

"Comforts and Conveniences in Farmers' Homes." W. R. Beattie. Yearbook, Department of Agriculture, 1909. Washington, D.C., pp. 345-356. See also in same volume, "Hygienic Water Supply for Farms," pp. 399-408.

Water Supply for Farm Residences, The Plan of the Farm-House, Saving Steps. Cornell Reading-Courses.

Rural Hygiene. H. N. Ogden. The Macmillan Company.

Rural Hygiene. I. N. Brewer. J. P. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia.

Earn your Child's Friendship. J. Balfield. _Lippinott's Magazine_, January, 1911.

Fireside Child Study. Patterson DuBois. Dodd, Mead & Co.

Home Decorations. Dorothy T. Priestman. Chapter XIV, "Rooms for Young People." Penn Publishing Company, Philadelphia.