Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 December 1892 — An Open Fire. [ARTICLE]

An Open Fire.

Harper's Bazar _ A fire on the hearth, either of soft coal, of pine knots, of drift wood, or of hickory logs ; a fire which leaps, and glows, and dances, and sparkles, or dreams and smolders, and ebbs out like the tide; a fire whichgreets yon with the friendly aspect of welcome almost as eagerly and hospitably as a friend’s hand and a friend’s eye—such a fire should be somewhere in the house in these winter , davs. It need not be a large one. A handful of fife is enough to dispel the look of gloom and impart the look of cheer, without which the most delightfully appointed room is conscious of a lack. Nor need it be kept up all day long. It is in the early morning and at evening that an open fire is almost indispensable, giving people a center around which to gather,and making a place where children can nestle closer to older people, warming their little chilly hands, and leaning their bright heads against the mother’s knee. Here the arm chair may be set for grandmother ; no household is quite complete without her gracious presence. Here the lad pauses on his way to his room to tell of the foot ball game or the horseback ride, and the girl lingers, hat and jacket in her hand, as she runs over happenings other afternoon walk. The fire on the hearth is a rallying place for everybody in the house. It is also a conservator of health, before which disease germs perish. No ventilator surpassing a bit of fire has yet been discovered. It will save its cost in coals and wood in the freedom of the family from colds and fever.