n the home was conceived solely for the relief of man's
estate, that room is the kitchen, and it has supplied the energy which
has sent forth many a one to fight a winning battle with the world, the
flesh, and the devil; and while it is, alas, too true that it is the
rock upon which many a domestic ship has gone to pieces, it is the true
foundation of the home and, therefore, of the nation. Wherefore let us
first look well to our kitchens and then live up to them.

THE PLAN

The kitchen of our grandmothers was a large, rambling affair, with
numerous storerooms, closets, and pantries, the care of which involved
a stupendous outlay of time and strength. But the demands of our
modern and more strenuous life necessitate strict economy of both, and
the result is a kitchen sufficiently large for all practical purposes,
with every space utilized and everything convenient to the hand. The
amount of woodwork is reduced to a minimum, since wood is a harboring
place for insects and germs. Where it must be used it is of hard wood,
or of pine painted and varnished, the varnish destroying those
qualities in paint which are deleterious to health. The plumbing must
be open, with no dark corners in which dust may hide. Odors from
cooking pass out through a register in the chimney, and ventilation is
afforded by transom and window. Blessed indeed is the kitchen with
opposite windows, which insure a perfect circulation of air. So much
for the general working plan.

LOCATION AND FINISH

For some reason best known to themselves architects almost invariably
give to the kitchen the location with the least agreeable outlook, sun
and scenery being seemingly designed for the exclusive use of living
and dining rooms; whereas the housekeeper realizes the great value of
the sun as an aid to sanitation and as a soul strengthener, and wishes
that its beneficent influence might be shed over kitchen, cook, and
cookery. But the frequent impossibility of this only increases the
necessity for simulating sunshine within, and so we select cream white,
warm, light grays or browns, Indian red, or bronze green--which is
particularly good with oak woodwork--for walls and ceilings.
Waterproof paper may be used, but is not particularly durable. Far
better is the enameled paint, requiring three coats, or painted burlap.
Or our thoughts may turn with longing to a white-tiled kitchen, with
its air of spotless purity, but, too often, "beyond the