■.%. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) • # # L^'/ 1.0 I.I 1.25 Iria I'M iiiin o 12.0 1^ i^ 1.4 1.6 VI V2 °^ *¥>^ o ^. /a / W Photographic Sciencfts Corporation iV \'^^' # \ ;\ i^ ^-/^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 %" «j ^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. L'Instltut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il tui a ete possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire oui sont peut-etre uniques du point de vue bibliographHurH thereof, an t'piloirie of the Nviioio world, may well di'serve, by these attributes, ae- ronliiii,' to the dei^ree of the master, Iv be decently and de- lightfully adorned." Huskin, the author of lh(! ^evon Lamps of Architecture ihiis tonehe.'^i on the point: ''1 would have, then, our ordi- nary dwellini^ buill to b^* lovely, as rich and full of pleas- antness as may be, within and without, with what delicti of likeness to each other in style and manner I will say prijscutly uiuler another head, but at at all events, with such differences as mi^ht suit and express each man's character and occupation, and partly bis liistory. '^ I cannot but think it an evil sign of a people when their houses are built to last for one generation only. There is a sanctity in a good man\s house, whicli cannot be re- newed in every tenement that rises on its ruins, '*'[ say that if men lived likt; men nideed, their houses would be temples, temples which we should hardly dare to injure, and which it would make us holy to be permitted to live, and there must be a strange diftbolution of natural af- fection, a strange unthank fulness lot ?.. that homes have given or parents have taught, a stvanv. consciousness that we have been unfaithful to our father's :ionor, or that our lives are such as would make ourdwehings sacred to our children, when each man wc;'.;!! lain buid to bnnself, and build for the little revolution )t bis own life only- And I look on those pitiful coiu-rerions ot ibne and clay which spring up in mildeweii lorwuidness out of the kneaded )!) fields about our capital, U' tionless shells of splinter ' these gloomy rows of lor. • titlerence anil without it nerely with the careles,- nerely with sorrow !er ;• )ainful foreboding that t..< nust be deeply cnnkerO'i ^^ in their native grou'id, !'■. dwellings are the sign^. -/■ popular discontent, i^ai I . man's aim is to be in soin natural one, and every .ri.. and when men build in h . built, and liveii the hope •• lived, when the comfoi J. *'■ have ceased to be ''"It. vn! less and strn'/_^/ .?, po^ -l:,ti the Gipsey by ineir Icfs s.jtliin, ioitering, founda- w . .'Ill imitated stone, upou .uteMess, aiike without 'ilnj as jimilar, not .•llVrc'.il eye, rie>t ; ,; .,.••. 'lilt with a ... :if . • '• :,re;>tness I' tlW •I', uck : t ! ;ored it of ;very I his corn ; / have i-.V have homo a rest- Arab or r of hea- 6 ^,•11 ; ami Ifss happv cliok-i- ofllicir npot ol ciiilli ; b} liu'ir sacnlice ot liberty \\itiiout o;iuii ot re«l, aiul olMtiibility witli- out biMiry ot el mime. <'It is no mere (iiu'stioii of ociihir (U'liulit, it is no <|ii('s- :iv)n ot'niU'lU'ftiiiil pride, or of cuHiviited ;in(! criticiil lanry, lunv, iiiul witli vvbat aspecl ot ihu-al)iiity and cotnplctencss, tho domet*tic buildini4-.s of u nation shall bo raised. It is oii.^ of those moral (tiitii's, not more, with iin|)niiity to be neg- lected, beeuust! the perception of tlieni depends on u linely toned and baluneed eoiisctientionsness, to bnild onr dwtd- liniis with rare, and patienee, and fondne-^s, and dili'.rent eompletion, and with a view to their duration at least to;- such a period as in the ordinary course of national levoln- tioiiH, miuht be supposed likely to extend tu the entire al- teratiou and direction of local interests." 1 have thus indulged in a somewhat len!»hty extract from an eloquent writer, because of the fine, the beautiful, the ruble SfUitinents \t contains, and which are well worthy of bein<' ponden^d by those who are about to build. Ere en- terin'- into practical detnils, I will crav« your indulgence for one other, on the same subject. \)v. Dwight, in his ''Travels in New Enuland," thus dis- courses on'' the monil eliect of i(ood houses : "There is a, kind of Bymmetry in tho thought, feelinizs, and elibrts of the human mind. Its t;iste, nitulliuence, altections, and conduct are so intimately rehite^l, that no preconcert ion can prevent them from bein<^ mutual causes and etfects. The lirst thing powerfully operatetl on, and its turn proportion- ately opei-ative is the taste. The perception of beauty and deformity, of relinement and grossness, of decency and vul- o-arity, of propriety and indecorum, is the first tluni; wliich mfluences a man to attempt an esca])e from a ])rutish, utov- elling character, a character in whi'-h morality is chilletl and absolutely frozen. In most persons this perception is awakened by what may be called the e.vteriois ol society, particularly "by the mode of buildiiiii'. Jncouth, mean, rag- tred, dirty houses, constitntin<>- the body of any Town, will be regularly accompanied by coarse, nrovellnig manners. The dress, the furmture, the equipage, the mode of living, and the manners, will all correspond with the appearance of the buildings, and will universally be in every such case of a vulgar and debased nature. On the inhabitants of sucli a. lowiAt will be difiicult, if not impossible, to work a con- viction that intelligence is either necessary or useful. (Jen- erally they will regard both science and learning only with contempt. Of morals, except in the coarsest lorm, and that which has the least nifluence on the heart, they will scarce- ly have any apprehensions. The rights enforced by Muni- cipal law they will be compelled to respect, and the cor- ei-sponding duties they may be necessitated to perform, but *-' til ; l>> l.'icir iibilitv with- it is no {[lU'iii- riticiil lain'y, omplcteueflis, 'd. It isoiu! ' to be nv'j^- \h on 11 titu'ly (I our (l\V(!l- aiul cliiiirt'nt I iit least tor ioiuil revolu- tlie entire al- extrnct from bcAutiful, the ell worthy of kl. Ere en- ndulgence for III," tiius ilis- "There is ii and cllbrtH ot' in'tions, and oncertion can tlects. The •n proportion- it' beauty and eneyand viil- t thinii wiueh brutish, ^-rov- ity in chilled perception is rs ol society, h, mean, rai>-- ly Town, will aiir maiuiers. lode of livinp^, 16 appearance ^ery such case bitantsoi' such to work a con- r useful. Gen- rinf^ only with iorm, and that jy will scarce- reed by Muni- and the cor- ;o perform, uut llh' ri'^'htrt and oblij^ation.s which lie bcyouil tiic reach ot jiKiuistracy, ni which the ctuef duties of morality are found, and from wluch tlu; cliiet CnjoyimMits ol society si)rin;j:, will scarcely ixain even their passin;^ notice. '['hey may pay their ilebts, but will nej^dect evorytliini*; of value in the edu- cation of their children. "The very tact that men see ;;ood,-.houses built around ihem, will, more than almost anythini; else, awaken in theiri a sense of superiority in those by whiidi such houses are iidiabited. The same sense is derived in tin; same mannirr, trom handsonuu- dress, furniture, and . quipatfe. The S(Mis(! of beauty is necessarily accompanied l)y a per- ception of the superiority which it possesses over delorriuty, and is instinctiv«;ly felt to confer this superiority on all who can call it their own, over those who cannot. This I ap- prehend is the manner in which coarse society is first start- ed towards improvement ; for no objects but those which are sensible can make any impression on coarse minds. On these jfrounds 1 predicteil to my friends in this town a s[)eedy change for the better in its appearance, and in the character and manners of its inhabitants. 1 have seen this prediction extensively fulfilled." Thus yo'j uill see a trioral responsibility is ipcurred by him who is about to build. His act will either for coed or evil ha\e an iniluenc« vvhich he would do well to look to. TliP. questiou of •'How to Build" becomes of vital import- ance, and, as just quoted from Lluskin. "uo mere question ot occitlar deligh't or intellectual pride" any longer, but a matter for which a man is really as answerable to society and to posterity, as be is lor his ereryday r.oniluct. The means of biilding, then, become a talent to be im- prcved, aod wo 1 to hiir. whtt binds it up in a napuin. lean scarcely imagine a man whom the judgments of Heaven are more likely to visit, eien in this world, than he, who possessed of sufficient wealth miserly hoard," it, or usu- ridu^ly lends it, whilst his family is rising around him in cornpuLsory coarsenesjj in the utter abnegation •fall the delicacies and amenities of life, caused by a cramped, over- crowded, and inconvenient habitation. T have seen such cases, where daughters, perhaps some of them fast verging tcwards womanhood ; sons, perhaps, in the impressive and observant stag« of boyh«od,slfpt in rooms, or closets rather, separated from that occupied by vitiated, debased, and ob- scene day labourers, by a partition so thin that every sound was audible. What can such neglec\ not justify 1 Is it anv wonder that the sin of tlie Father becomes a vishatioR •JU 4\.^ nu'AA 'f tust ttie imprcSsive youtu uccosscs ptc> *-' R^^S^g^MC^I" 8 cecious in wickedness, aoJ brink's perhaps atjast the g^ny hairs in-corrow to the grave] I tell you there is more in (his question than it is jjenerally credited with ! A oecent dwelling place bears about the same relation to morality, that cleanliness does to godliness. One more digression and 1 will lay me down tc the regu- lar task. 1 know of no other art, not even Medicine ex- cepted, which is subjecled to «o much quackery, and suffers so severely from inordinate couccit, as Building. No mat- ter whether your nmateur can tell a ,Tack-phne from a Stone-hammer, or a I3rick-bai IVom a Batten door, he can "build." Aye ! ! and ihut be;ter too than almost any man liH knows Htt is quite confi lent that an Angebor a Bar- ry was lost in him. Though h«^ would shrink from the 'thought of uudertiking the coiiitruciion of a cart wheel, and would not equal his talents to ihe stuffing of a horse ■tollar, he will rii el with indi^uaiion the least insinuation of his inability to budd a hou^e. Wken we meet some poor wr.'tch inaking himself the victim of his crude medicitial iht-aries ; daily dosing himself 'with martyrizing *' Elixirs," ••Cordials,'' "liestoralors," "Ready Ileliels," &c., we pity him, and privately express a decided opinion that he 'larks a penny ot hi«. proper change." If we catch him tr)i ig the same process on oth- ers simple as himself, we are apt to frown him down. But, i(" either your friet^d '-Jones," who has measured tape all 'his lite; or your chum 'Smith," a ile ot. e to "deeds" and "dowers," who consumes the midii ght oil aver Cokeupon- 'Littleton. should suddenly take a fit'ak, -.uni e,\e<^A himself ''Engineer in Cliief " to a block of stones, or kindly conde- scend, perhaps, to undertake a bridge for e grateful Muni- cipality, you never ('reaj)i of que>tiiining hrs perfect sanity ; you feel no indignation, and expr-^ss no sur|)rise, unless at his being a 'cl, ver fellow," and lienceforlh tqu give him credit foreknowing a thing or two." But to our sul)ject To tl)n prudent man, who proposei to build, the Scrijttme caution comrs \vitli impressive sig- nificance: **For whi',;|i of you intending to build, sittethnot down first, and counteth th« cast, whether he have sufficient 'to finish it? Lest liaply wlun h.^, hath laid the foundation htoni md is not able to finish it, all behold it, and begin to •meek him, saying, (his man began to .juild, and was not abl« to finish !" Although I know well that neglect ol this 'caution is not likely to he a fjult ff yours, still I VT0u!d ad- jiast the (»ray ere is more in ! A oecent to ineralitj, I) tc the regu- Medicine ex- •y, and sufl'eis ig. No mat- jUne from a door, he can lost any man ;eb or a Bar- ink from the a cart wheel, Ig of a horse iusinuation of I himself the josing himself Restoraiors," fately express :)\ hi-, proper loeess on ot,h- down. But, iired tape ull "deeds" and r Cbkeujjon- 6le<*s himself kindly cende- rateful Muni- erfect sanity ; ise, unless at fou give him vvI)o proposes inpressive si;;- i!d. sittetb not have sufficient the foundation , and hegin to and was not nef^lect of this II I VTould ad- The yoa further. Lcare tlie facilities which modem finan- cieriog affords to the speculating men who build citiea, and do you only build cut of the abundance of your own means. It may inconvenience you a little to do so, but iJ is the best plan, and saieis much anxiety. Reraem^jer. as poor Richard says, "He that goes a borrowing, gofs a sorrowing." A mortgage is one of the most expensive decorations which can be added to a mansion. "Fool^," ^ays the old proverb, ''build houses, and wise men live in them." Neg- lect of these maxims has caused many a fine "laid scheme" of domestic happiness to "gang aft agee.^' Better for you to let another winter's froit ameliorate your broad acres; let aflother balmy spring usher in the hopeful "seed time ;" let another summer pass ©ver with its ripening sum ; let another golden harvest garner your grains, rather than sub- ject yourself to those anxieties and cares without number, which are the invariable J>ttendants of borrowed capital. But if your old log shanty is rotting fast, or your clap- board tenement showing «igns of decay, and your ineaas have not yet quite approached the high water maik, there is no absolute necessity for delay, Go to work with what you have ; net to complete some- liiing less than what you need, but to commence a portien of what you desire. This is the way most of the mansions of England are built. Hi'ndreds of years in some instanceH elapsed between their commencement and completion. .So with their Cathedrals too. Remember ''Rome was not built in a day." St. Paul's took the best part of a lifetime to build. St Peter's still longer. So there's no valid reason why on-e year should see the beginning and ending of your operationa. Tf you cannot do more, put up a gcod kitchen, and a bedroom or two, the first yar ; and next year add to it ; next year add to that again, and keep adding, till at last you accomplish tke whole, and are able to lay The cap stone with rejoicing. It is as difficult to decide upon any single arbitrary form after which to erect your edifice hi it is for a clothier t© pro- duce a coat pattern which will fit every body. So long as men differ in tastes, occupations, and condi- tions, so long will their dwellings he greatly diversified in form. And it is right that it should be so. There is noth- ijig wiiich gives a thriving settlement such a barren doleful 1 ' 10 aspect as uniformity in t'is particular ; when the Inuses are eain the counterpart of another, all seenoing as if they were the product of some architectural epidemic. Avoid if you caH too closely following popular fashions ; strive to j^ive your domicile a character of its own, peculiar to none other, an individuality m fast, some feature or another to stamp it vfith the impress -sf your own mind. Take good care that it expresses its purposes ; that no cne shall doubt for a moment but what it is a house ; that it shall not be confounded with the Barn, nor mistaken for a Meeting house. Aroid that too popul«r error of buildin* upon the road, or very near to it, in order to sare land and be convenient. Rise above such paltry considerations, and respect yourself and your privacy ; let not contiguity to a public thorough- fare expose the sanctity of your domestic arraRgemeuts to the prying eyes of every passing stranger, Better to plant your castle in the centre of your own domain than make il an appendani2;e to a highway. A Fanner should look upon his lot as an independent empire of his own ; a place nei- ther to be disturbed or goyerned by exterior iniluences. I\laktt your house and its surroundings a nararaount con- sideration, and be careful to devote the very fhiast acre of the whole hundred to it. Chdose the most felicitous aspect, and set it down so that it enjoys it fully. No matter virhether it is due north and >;Outh,or how near parallel it is to the public road. There is no particular necoifjity for staring towards it ; it is noth- ing more than your way lo market and church, so there's no need to make a basilisk of it. Avoid also taking any slavish imitation ol Town houses for your model. Though many of them look excellenily well in a strept, they would make jut gawky farm houics. They are too apt to look, as a witty author exjiresses it, '•as if they had strayed out ot Town for an airing," and harmonize as little (vith rural scenery^ as would a foppish dandy in Kroadcioth and satin, at a ploughtaJ. And as you are not building on a pinched-up 'I'own Lat, take plen- ty of room : surely out of one or two hundred acres, you can spare enough for this purpose. Do iiol therefore bur- row in the ground further ^han you need, to secure a cool larder ; never think of such a thing as a cellar kitclien, or anything of the so.t. but stretch out sideways above ground for all the room you want. For tlie same reason you should avoid mounlin^j upwa.ds very far j stairs are at best but the liDuses are ng as if they mic. Avoul ins ; strive to :uliar to none or another to I'ake good :ne shall doubt t shall not be Meeting house. upon the road, be convenient, sspect yourself iblic ihorough- •raRgenieuts to Better to plant than make it ould look upon a place nei- iniluences. araraount con- .' fiiittst acre of it down so that lue north and road. There it ; it is notli- ch, so there's Town houst's 3ok excellently '• farm houses. ' expresses it, n airing," and ould a foppi;sh la\. And as Lat, take plen- 'fd acres, you therefore bur- secure a cool dlar kitchen, or s above ground ason you should re at best bat 11 great nuisances : lesser evils for surmounting greater onsa!' and it is very questionable xvhather in a raodenite-sizei country house their room is not better than their company. If your fari>ily is not very large, content yourself with a one story cottage, and in any cas*^ do not go beyond the "story and a half" or "two stories ;" avoid anything beyond that as you would a miniature imitation of the Tower of Babel. Our summer suns are scorching, and oar v.'inter winds are biting, therefore you will want the protection of a ve- randah; it should, to be worth anything, be a broad one, not less than ten feet in width. Let it surround at least two sides of your house, a third, or even a fourth, if you will. h not only keeps the walls dry, but greatly tends to mode- rate the effect of extreme temperatures. There is no ne- cpssity for affecting any fine gimcrackery about it ; a few plain chamfered posts, placed symmetrically, perhaps in pairs, or else with their inter-spaces latticed, wit^i alternate openings, are worth all the half-inch filagree and scroll work decoration in the world. The prettiest thinji I ever saw of the sort, was ingeniously put together of cedar branches; It reflected more credit on the proprietor's good taste^ than the combined masterpiece of torty carpenters. Do not :-ake its roof, as is so frequently done, of bent lath board stripes, giving it a resemblance to the bottom of a mud scow ; but use the decent, decorous shingle, and laid IB a bed of mortar ; unless indeed you can afioid some of the metals, or slate. It is even. que tionable whether the old split and shaved Canadian shingle, when carefully mor- tar bedded, and then treated with a preservative coatiB operations will pervade the whole estab- lishment. In suuraer, too, coolness demands the banishment of the cooking stove beyond the limits of the main building. 'L'here are a variety of other reasons too, for departing from thtj siwple paralleloi^ram form, — quietness^ privacy, coave- nicnce, generally demand it. — The windows, too, are one of the most expressive features pertainin2 to a dwelling, and bear to it the same relation that the eyes do to the human countenance. When large and few in number they betoken spacions, fine apartments ; when high, lofty ceilings ; when short, fcquat rooms ; and when numerous, small, and varied, they denote a house nauch cut up and sobdipided. — The roof and its cornibe is another expressive feature, which may be compared, in its turn to the brow; — when it has but little projectioii,a building has an inane, silly look ; when incumbered with heavy, bulky mouldings, in unrelieved mis- ses, it gives a frowning, lowering, forbidding, stupid, expect. J^oth estrewe, should be avoided. Do not be afraid of 16 goo.l projection, however. In tlie cornice it is the "bulk which oives the heavy look. Let your roof run w«ll over your tvalls. it not only gives a building an a!«p«*ct of sheltered cozyness, but is gn all; eonducire to real romfort. — A porch IS also an exeellent and exprosive feature, it betokens warmth, comfort, privacy, and bespeaks the abode of the oirilivfd r'an, perhaps in as plain terms as any other part of il. Another important consideration, and one that in the country e*ppciully, ha» received too Utile attention from house builders, is ventilation :— the provi^ion lor the supply of pure, and the escape of vitiated air. It is true that the evil influences of an impure atn-o^phere are less hkely to af- fect the in''v:abitants of the count. y, who live so much in the opea air, than the denizens of Towns, who are necessarily confined so much indoors ; but, nevertheless, ihere is *till •lunger enough to become ^erious cause of concern. ICignt liour\ out of tlie twenty-four, at least, are u^ually .spent in doors, even in the country, and during our long wiri'tr sea- son, nnuch more than th\t, in rooms too, wherein no provi- (lion for a cliAnge of air exists but what i* due to the d«- Itciencips of the carpenter, or the casual opening and chat- ting ot doors. Scientific men iiiform us, that Atmospheric air is com- posed of three gasses in a state of combination, Oxjgen, Nitrogen, and Carbonic »cid gas, in the relative proportions of CO of the first to 80 of fhe second, and a very small quan- tity of the hitter. The first of these gases alone is th« supporter of life, the second seems to exist for the purpose of dilutnn, bei--^ in itself incapable of sustaining animal ex- i»teiice. Now, the act of breathing changes these propor- tions so m.ich that Oxygen, the vital principle, is reduced from 20 to six per cent, >o ra- pidly changing the constituent properties of !he ;\tmosphere, that but very few repetitions would render it, instead of a health o\y\aa element, one of the most powerful poisons in existfiice. Every respiration we make consumes about 20 cubic inches of air, which, allowing 20 respirations per mi- nute, will vitiate -iOO cubic inches, or nearly ^ of a cubic foot per miuute. Add to this, if you will, '.he qua.itities of ii\c consumed in supporting the combustion of an ordinary lire, calculated at some 3,000 or ^.OOO cubic inches per minute. aUo^the quantity of oxygen consumed in supporting l^e tliime of the lights, also, the amount decomposed by coming in coutact with healed stove j)late$, uad you will It is the 'bulk f run w«ll over pct of sheltered fort. — A |)orch it betokens abode of the )y other part of ?. that in the attention from I lor tlie supply s true that the ess hkely to af- so much in the ire necessarily , there is *till jncern. iilignt iially .spent in ng wiri'tr sea- ;rein no provi- le to tiie d«- ning and ihat- •ic air is com- ition, Oxjgen, tive proportions ery small quan- alone is the iT the purpose ning animal ex- i these propor- le, IS reduced f poisonous ele- sed, thus ^0 ra- he ;\tmosphere, [, instead of a •ful poisons in »umes about 2Q rations per uii- ' ^ of a cubic e qiiautities of f an ordinary ic inches per J in supporting; ecumposed by ufld you wilJ 17 8000 gain an idea of tka rapid deterioration of air io clo^e aparlwents under tht most usual circumstances ©f life.— Doubtless most of you bav« experienced its effect, in a more tangible manner than that of piiilosopLical deduction. Yeu hare perhaps entered a Railway car at raidniaht, ei sotne of our ^reat lines, when every »eat has been crowded and have felt the riose sickening sensation, and the conse- quent quickened breathing which resulted on your first en- try. 1 he crowded court, the meeting room, the office, the school reom, m fact every place in which human beings are wont to congregate, offer illujtrations of this fact. It would be well if the efi-ficts of vitiated air wete con- lined to mere personal inconvenience alone. The market, diflerence between the inhabitants of the town and those of the country, is the result of its action,— its effects on the atter can readily be traced in their relaxed musde and sal- low paleness of skin. In the evidence taken before the House of Commons, en the health of Towns, in the year 1840 the medical witness stated that scrofulous diseases were the common result ef bad ventilation, and that, in the case of silk weevers, who pass their lives in a more elose and confined air than any other class of persons, their chil- tbTbo'"^ P-rHcularly subject to scrofula and the softening of Dr. Arnott stated that an individual, the off'sprinff of ner- sons successively living in bad air, will have a constitution decidedly different from that of a man who i, born of a race hat has inhabited the country for a long time; and that the race would, to a certain extent, continue degeaeratin? But although the eff-ects of inefficient ventifatiSn are mort hA in Cit.es and Towns, let not the denizens of the coun- try tancy themselves unconcerned in the question. In yoer bcboolroems, your Churches, yonr public buildings, you are as likely, to suff^er a. they, for such edifices wi[h you are more Jiraited in dimensions, and consequently con- tarn smaller volumes of pure air to meet extraordinary demands. In large rooms with lofty ceilings, but iittle in- convenience IS experienced, for the immense quantity of air inclosed acts as a reservoir upon which an assembly may for some time draw with impunity; but in more confined ipaees, and with low ceilings, the small quantity of air is speedily vitiated. If any ef yo j wish to ascertain its dele- terious effects in even private apartments, let him re-enter his close bedroom in the raor aiog, some half an hour or so s ..w,...^ «uu takiug n want m lae jresQ morning air, and i i ! ! [ IS b« wili be astonished at Uie close mephi'.ic odour which he will experience. T think I am not far w.'ong in attributing most ef Liat paleness, that want of color which so distinguishes the Ca- nadian bora from the old countrf man, te habitual dwelling in close stove heated apartments during our long and severe winters. I think it is even more attrib.itabie to this cause llran the drjness of climate, so much blamed for it. No ordinary liv. oom should be without a fireplace, even if a fire is never raau. here. Bedrooms, esp«ciall) , shouM hare one at least, if not two, communications with the ex- ternal air,— this is the very muitmum of ventdatiow con- sistent with d du« regard to health. But you will do wi^h to provide even more than this. Vou cannot keep eendlna; foul air out of your dwellings, without introducms:, m $0Me maoner or another, more air to fill its place. Nature ub- h?r» a vacuum. It is quite certain that if air cannot get lo very little i*ill go out. So in this as in other matters, you must begin at the be- ginning, rrovide first for its ingress and ihvn you will hare but little difficulty about its egresi, But though a hole ju lh« floor, or in the side of your house, or a pane wanting m th« window, are very simple and direct modes of introducing- 2)ure air, tliey are not allogelher conduc've to health or comfort in other respects. Somethins less direct in influence must be derned ameans of changing^the temperature of the wintry winds, must be discovered ere we allow them to enter our habitations ;— a system of quarantine, in fact, must be established. Bui how is it to be done 1 How can wo manage m a bouse of 12 or 13 apartments, to introduce tresh warm air into oach, and take it out agam when u*ed, without an ex- traordinarily complicated and troublesome system of ma- chinery. , . , 1 It cao, however, be doQe,— it is daily beins done, aart that, too, very simply. Lei us suppose ourselves going^^ fo work to do it. We first commence by making "lungs, or a large duct, or long box, under the Hall floor, with one eutl o'peDms at the West or North West side of the house, and the other opening into the Hall floar, in a position as near the centre, and not particularly In the way, as possj- ble. This dnct, for an ordinary farm houie, must have a n internal area of some -i fee' or so, measured across, it must be a'P'ti-jht aloo«? its whole length, and be closed with a ve- i"etiao blmd at the outer extrernily which will allow air to euter, but keep rain, snow, and verain out. Over the mouth lour which he no«(t ef tliflt shes the Ca- itiial clwellinf; )niJ: aiitl serere to {hli cause I'll for it. lireplacejCven 9ciall), shouM , wit^» tiie ex- ntilatioii con- 1 will do wi?H ; keep tenillnj; cing, in soaie Nature ub- • cannot jet i« e<'in at the be- n you will ha ye )Ui',h a hole in ane wanting in s of inlrovlucin^- to health or vleTJ^f d a means viiids, must be labitations ; — (i sbed. manage in a resh warm air without an ex- ystera of ma- ns done, and selves going to cing "lungs," or oor, with one le of the house, a position as way, as possj- , must have a ii , across, it must losed with a ve- ill allow air t« Over the mouth 19 of liii« cip<»ninfl; in the floor, vre thfn .«rt an admirable Jittlip machine, ooeitrived by Mr Uuttan, of Cobonrjj, a sort of couijiouAd Atore or heater, which will warm all the air that enters, to any moderate temperature desired, and usher it int) vour hoLse in jnstpuch quantities as you pleas-*, Th« iDVJciiine m sunple, and easily managed, and hot liable to get out of order, and the co»t is about the same as that of any other common stove of the snia»^ weight, llnvmr nnw your Mali full of nice pure warm air, just come through the heater, and along the duct from the outside, tha rest is ea.vy. Von have 6ut to make openings in the partitions, over the doors into th,i rooms, and the air will passiutt them witijtut further compulsion, provided jou gire it a chance of i,etling out ugain somewhere els«. If there i:> a firft place in the room the operation will be complete. J f there IS not, yoa must provide communication with some flue or another, whence it will escape in sufficient quantities, — for remember, that if you cannot e7jijy?7/ a roeic of air, you cannot more than /i// it : — you cannot send a particle of fresh air in, if there is not a way to let the old air out, and you can only send it in, as fast as you let it out, no faster. For public, and even for the more elaborate class of pri- vate buildings, iVlr Ruttan proTidts more eflicient, though more expeiisiva and complicated means. The air is sonit- tiinijs introduced into the livin'i rooms throufih concealed opt'ijing* in the ornamental cornices, and then s*'nt through perforated metal ^klrting, undt^r the floor, to communicate its retiiainiiig heat to it before linally pnssing into the escape flues. Amongst the numerous plans for acconiplit^hing the pur- poses of heating and ventilation, I know of none comparable m smpiicity, efllciency. and cheapness, t9 his. There is no man who inhabits a heuse who is too poor to use it, for he has also a contrivance which converts even a cooking stove into a ventilating agent. And even the Heater will in one season neaily save its own cost by economising fuel. No one should think of building in the present day without at- tending to ventilation. The ordinary fireplace, though in- finitely preferable to the roramon stove, and excellent in its way, still is a very imperfect aifair. It heats one side of your body wonderfully well, and both if you ketjp turning. Your back will be in a Frigid xone v^hilst your feet are in the Torrid. Torrents of coltf air, required to keep up the draft, rush in w.th chilling force in all directions, every crack and cranny emits its blast with dire rheumatic ef- iects. A great improvement may be effected in regard to I ■; 20 llifft drafts, by eonftriving an opening near tha firaplace il- •t>lf, from which sufficient air to support conbustiuo can b< drawn, witbcutits traversing tht apartment As to the Architactura! iStjIe which you shall adopt ii builJing jrour house, it ia a pure mutter of taste ; but still, riike all such matters, subject to some exceptional regula- (ioas. I need scarcely tell you that a wooden edifice shou Id not bo in the cistellated style, nor nhould fortified archi- teciure of any sort decorate a nan^o heme in a peace- ful country. And so with some other types. Tne Greek Temple, although an excellent deric* for Pagaa worship in southern climes, is but ao eiecrable example hr imitation in a Christian's dwelling. Yet still bow often do we meet, ia thickly old settled countries, the T^'ew England States for instance, with glaring ineonsistencies of this kind, perpetra- ted under the idea of "faacy" and '-taste." Wo sometines find a retired soap-boiler enjoying his dignity and ease in an exact copy of the Ionic Temple on the missus, executed ia the best pitch pine, instead of pen- -telic marble,— and further decorated with Ihe goodwifc's pots and pans, drymg amid the intcrcolumniations of the portico. Fashionable merchants in large Cities sell their ware* under friezes snatched from the Temple of Mineiya : — the Elgin warbles have plaster of Paris couaterparts in some Beer shops of pretensions. But of late the rage for "d ^ " 'las sorae^/h^t abated, aad the relics of Feudal B. l.i^^ are coming into rogue. Clapboard Castles on 20 feet banks, command imaginary passes of peaceful turnpike. Towers and Donjon keep are raised of ftth and {piaster, striped to reseinhle stoneworks- battlements are of sound irch boards : — maehiolations of papier machie, and so on with all the rest of fictitious noa- seose "according." Even the Cathedrals have been done on a scale of one iach to a foot. But although imitation has thus to often run into ridicu- lous riot, it is no reason wiy men shall not indulj^a in re- rainiscensea of their aativc land whilst building their dwel- lingB. The crow-stepped gables, and the towering "lums" send- ing forth reminiscences of "Auld Reekie," are fitly associ- sit'id with the rugged brawny forms of "Caledonia's stern and wild" undaunted sons. The quaint, many-gabled, and verge-boarded English cottage, with its cozy, honey-suckied poreh, is an appro- |)riate "setting" for the jurly "Southron." with his mug of % It firtplace it- lustioo can b« shall adopt \m ite ; but still, tional regula- 1 eriifice should ortiBed arcbi- in a peace- Tne Greek p;aR worship in lOr imitation » do we meet, land States for ;ind, ptrpetra- enjoying his c Temple on istead of pen- he goodwife's ations of the sell their wares Mineiya : — the )arts in some e?vh"it abated, into Togue. nand imaginer/ onjon keep are 5 stonework:— achiolations of fictitious non- ave been done un into ridicu- induli^Q in re- 12 their dwel- 12 "lums" send- re fitly associ- ledonia'i «tern arded English , is an appro- riih his mug of 21 ''home-brewi'd"un(l a r loud-compelling; pipe. There is nri t-xqiiijite "keHpjna" in all the^e things when \\u^y do not 'aerslep the modcity of nalure" wliich is truly dtihclitful. ' Iinitate th«m if you will, work out your old memories if you tan. lujt bf. cMrelul you do not caricature, 'i'ake heed ilial wliJU indul;»ing in the music of yo'-r Ion* left home, )ou "^ill<» with the spirit and the understanding also." I have thus skotchingl^ diseoursed, in a sort of "olV and on'' faMiion, of matters pertaining lo buildin;:, seizing al what came unp^nnost, and I'ollowinj; after wht\t sfemed needful, uiitramelled the while by any lormalitirs, and i\u^ It is about time lo tlose. There is but one other 'i;ilit in which I would present ihe Hibjeci to your niinds,— that of memory and endurai.ce. As wc estimate our Forefathers by their work?-, so will po-teritv in its turn judge of our.'. It nevds not the en- close I newspapor or the en;;rosspd parchment usuler our fouiidulion stones to trausmit on cliaractpiistici to futnit- agKS- 'I'hey may indeed tell who lived, wiio reigned, end who >e;ved, they may inform future antiquarians whether u. was Thomas Jones or John Thomas ; but ojr vital charac- teristics are engraven with surer hands. Not a stroke d»es a workman strike, not a stone does he pile en another, uniraught or unia len with the impress ol his ago. And has it not ever been co ? Have not tin- tangled tropical farests of America yielded to the hands of a inquire, and a Caiherwood. from under rank, masses o^ linn. /tassod away, leaving no record but liie witnessing povTcr of their stupendnous works. From buried Pompeii we are daily disentombing material •evidenees ef formar civilization, regarding which" vrritten history was but vague aod unsatisfactory. From t'.ie far away climes of burning India, accounts of gigantic Hock- liew„Templ<^s reach us, declaiir-g the pre-exislence of a J are, possessing alinobt superhuman power and energy. From abundance of sources, evidence may be gathered'^, that from man's handiwork is his character best learnt, aad by it 11 the record, most enduringly perpetuated. ^ The very existence of either Homer or Ossian may be <'louddd with doiibi, the ages in which they lived may be surroundi'il with darkness for they were peiiods of war, not work. Not so with other. rMiicIcs and liis reign w.U nvver k« forgotten or que^slofH(l, the monuments are still cxiiting. It is even so, as tiie -'Oxford Giaduate" ?ays :— i Oi "lUie day is coining when we shall confess that wt have learned more of Greece, out of the crumbled fragments of her sculpture than even trom her sweel-sinjers or her soldier historians." In this hght then, does not the question become of im- portance "How to Build?" i i L ^ -r^ fi that w« have led fragments of it-sinjers or her become of nil- IJi.' ':y««i J