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AFTSMAN COTTAGES DE-
rNED FOR THE PRACTICAL
USEKEEPER WHO WANTS
_PLICITY AND COMFORT
4 Thoreau's friendly and discursive
"Walden" - which    one  appreciative
critic has called "the log-book of his
woodland cruise"-the hermit philoso-
has a good deal to say about the home
its building. Although his words pre-
the viewpoint of one who may be called
xtremist in simplicity, we shall find
well worth pondering; for both the
:tness of his thought and the naive, al-
affectionate, manner of its expression
peculiarly refreshing. And in these
of complicated living it is well to turn
of fundamental principles, and rediscover
the sincere and satisfying quality of plain,
homespun things.
  Here, then, is Thoreau's description-
not of his own beloved hut, but of that
"larger and more populous house" of which,
he said, "I sometimes dream"-a dwelling
built "of enduring materials and without
gingerbread work."
  It shall consist, he wrote, "of only one
room, a vast, rude, substantial, primitive
hall, without ceiling or plastering, with
bare rafters and purlins supporting a sort
of lower heaven over one's head . ...
Such a shelter as you would be glad to
reach on a tempestuous night, containing
all the essentials of a house, and nothing
for housekeeping; where you can see all the
treasures of the house at one view, and
everything hangs upon its peg that a man
should use; at once kitchen, pantry, parlor,
chamber, storehouse and garret; where you
can see so necessary a thing as a barrel or
a ladder, so convenient a thing as a cup-
board, and hear the pot boil, and pay your
respects to the fire that cooks your dinner,
and the oven that bakes your bread. ... ."
  Such an unpretentious, homely dwelling,
wherein all formality is banished, and
household labor is reduced to its lowest
terms, might prove a little too primitive for
the modern home-lover. And yet this vis-
ion of Thoreau's holds a blunt sincerity,
tempered with a fine idealism of the com-
monplace, that may guide us to wiser solu-
tions of our own home problems and saner
adjustment of our lives.
  Take, for instance, his feeling about the
comfortable, picturesque charm  of the
kitchen, with its useful, kindly fire, and all
those necessary fittings and utensils that
contribute to the well-being of owner, fam-
ily and guests. Thoreau's idea is that in-
stead of being shut away from the rest of
the house, as though one were ashamed of
it, the kitchen should be a frank and friend-
ly part of the home, and the preparation of
meals a pleasant and hospitable rite that all
may witness-not a mysterious or igno-
minious task performed by "menials," and
either condescendingly appreciated or po-
litely ignored by host and guests.
  When we recall the old-fashioned farm-
houses of Europe or those of our own New
England, with their simple plastered walls
and beamed ceilings, their huge fireplaces
and ample rooms-we find that it was inva-
riably the kitchen that played the most im-
portant r6le. The "parlor" was a cold,
formal place, set apart for funerals, wed-
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