From the Schoolmaster.

FOUR ROOMS ENOUGH.


MR. ARCHITECT: Dear Sir,--Once, in conversation with you, I made some
inquiries as to the feasibility of building houses, especially of
brick, with reference to future enlargement. My present ambition is
bounded by a house of four rooms. One in which all the household work
shall be done, including the eating. It shall contain the
cooking-stove, the dining-table, laundry conveniences, etc., and may
be called kitchen, dining-room, laboratory, or simply work-room. An
apartment to be used solely on account of its facilities for doing
house-work. It should be of good size, and a pleasant outlook is
desirable, but not necessary. A second room for ordinary and
extraordinary use; to sit in, to talk in, to read and write and visit
in; the books are kept in it, and the sewing-machine, the piano and
the flower-stand, the birdcage and the pictures; a large, pleasant
room, where the sunlight loves to shine in upon us and we love to look
out upon the sunshine. It is parlor, library, drawing-room, living
room; in fact, it is the house itself, to which everything else is
accessory. A family sleeping-room, sunny, simple, and airy, and a
guest-room of similar character, complete the establishment. More than
these four principal rooms would be a burden, less would hardly
suffice for comfortable living. The problem is to arrange a plan that
shall be convenient and complete before it begins to grow, and to
which future additions may be made without serious loss. I also want
counsel concerning ventilation, both on general principles and with
reference to the unfortunate box in which I am daily compelled to