to
pieces." The rapid shrinking of the joists and studs near the hot-air
pipes is also apt to cause cracks in the plastering that would never
appear if the whole frame could shrink evenly, for shrink it will more
or less. The application of these remarks would be, putting in the
furnace as soon as possible, and keeping it steadily at work drying
sap from the wood and water from the plastering till it enters upon
its legitimate mission of warming the house.

When you have read all this about heating and ventilating two or three
times over, these conclusions will begin to crystallize in your
mind:--

Open fires give the surest ventilation and the best cheer.

If stoves are used for economy, fresh air must be systematically
admitted.

Furnaces are immensely useful to warm the bones of the house and as a
sort of reserve force; but the heat they give is somewhat like a
succession of January thaws.

If you begin to investigate you will discover a fearful amount of
ignorance and indifference where you should find positive information,
and the most discouraging obscurity or conflicting statements among
those who profess to be wise in such matters.

LETTER XLI.

From John.

ETERNAL VIGILANCE.

MY DEAR ARCHITECT: You did well to send the key to your puzzles, else
I might have frozen to death before finding out how to keep warm. But
you've earned your discharge, which I forward herewith. Now I'm going
to send you some grains of wisdom, gathered during my experience in
building, which you may distribute at your discretion among your
clients. When a man--I don't care if it's Solomon himself--undertakes
to build a house, tell him from me, to wind up all other earthly
affairs before beginning; wind them up so tight they'll run for a
year or two without any of his help. Then turn over a new leaf,--learn
to get through breakfast before seven A.M., in order to be on the
ground every moment, from the time the first spadeful of dirt is
thrown out till the last touch of paint is put on. You may make
full-sized drawings for him of every stick and stone, write
specifications by the yard, and draw up a contract that half a dozen
lawyers can't expound, there'll still be a thousand little things that
won't be done as he wants them.

The openings in the basement wall somehow get out of place, an inch or
two too high or too low, or at one side, then the windows over them
will look askew. The air-spaces in the wall will be f