Wilmington Daily Commercial

OCCASIONAL
Make a Playroom for the Children,

We want to beg of the mothers to make some
provision for their children's amusement, not in
the way of costly toys, but by giving them a
place to play. It saves time and trouble, it saves
your own and your children's temper. In many
families a playroom could be given to the chil-
dren with very little inconvenience. We know
of a family where a little six-by-ten sewing room,
opening from the dining-room, is vacated every
winter when the cold drives the boys from their
basement workshop. The carpet is taken up,
two barrels with a board across them makes a
work-bench, a dry goods box is a storing place
for lumber, and an old bureau is tool-chest, and
depository for finished and unfinished jobs. A
board slid across the bottom of the doorway
keeps the shavings from being dragged upon the
dining-room carpet, and here, on their own pre-
mises, the boys work and play in perfect content.
They whittle, they cut paper, they paste, they
paint. There are but two rules for the shop: No
tools must be left out of their drawer at night
and every Saturday the shop must be put in per-
fect order, and all rubbish deposited in the kind-
ling box under the cellar. We have no doubt
the mother misses her sewing-room, but the
gain compensates for the loss a hundred fold.
If you cannot do this, the many mothers cannot,
still let work and play. A deep box in the corner
will hold a young mechanic and his work, and
paper clippings are easily brushed up from a
square of oil-cloth, which may be quickly spread
down or gathered up. A big apron of old calico
is quickly run together, and will keep the nicest
little suit tidy, while the delighted artist paints
to his heart's content. Let there be a corner
somewhere to store the queer, nondescript ar-
ticles so dear to a child's heart, and teach the
children to gather them up themselves. If you
can spare neither cupboard, closet nor drawer,
a box, neatly covered with carpet or drugget,
will not injure the neatest sitting-room. But
do not sacrifice all the comfort and happiness of
your children by a too scrupulous neatness.
Why should a home be neat, save for the com-
fort and happiness of its inmates?—Little Cor-
poral.