elight than that which centres in
those things that concern the home and home life. The love of the old
homestead and the goods and chattels it contains is ingrained in the
breast of every Britisher; and although families become scattered and
some of their members find homes of their own beyond the seas, they find
the greatest delight in the objects with which they were familiar in
years gone by, and venerate the relics of former generations--the
household gods which have been handed on from father to son.

It is not the intrinsic value of the household curio that is its chief
charm; it is rather the knowledge that its long association with those
who have claimed its ownership from the time when it was "new" has made
it truly a family relic. These thoughts, being so deeply rooted in the
minds of most men and women, foster the love of household curios and
intensify the interest shown in their possession.

To all it is not given to own family relics; neither would they serve to
satiate the ambition of the true collector, although they might form the
nucleus of his collection. He seeks other treasures in the town and in
the country and wherever such things are offered for sale.

Curios in the Making.

The domestic habits of the people of this and other civilized countries
have been the outcome of a slow process of upbuilding. There has been no
sudden change; in all grades and under every different social condition,
at every period, the improvement of the furnishings of the home has been
one of gradual and, for the most part, steady progress.

There was a time when, beyond the bare furniture, tapestry hangings,
tools of the craftsmen, and weapons of the warrior, there were few
household goods of a portable nature. In mediaeval England the oak chest
was sufficient to contain the valuables of a large household; and very
often beyond a cabinet or sideboard or corner cupboard there were few
receptacles where anything of value could be safeguarded. The dower
chest, in which the bride brought to her husband household linen and her
stock of clothing, and in the wooden compartment in one corner of the
chest her jewels and coin of the realm--if she possessed any--was then a
prominent piece of furniture. The oak chest, rendered formidable with
its massive lock and bolts, opened with a ponderous key, was the chosen
receptacle in after-years as a treasure chest, and regarded as the
safest place in which to keep valuable documents