The den has become a permanent feature in the modern home, its adaptability to the special needs of each household warranting its continued popularity.

In recalling the primitive styles of furnishing in this country, the lack of any one room cosily fitted is noticeable. The need for such a place, however, has wrought out by a gradual evolution the den of to-day. Sometimes one sees this room treated in too luxurious fashion to be consistent with its surroundings, and sometimes one finds it destitute of comfort or attraction.

The development of the den may be along more elastic lines than are permitted in any other part of the home. An odd piece of furniture, a quaint contrivance for comfort, some unique ornament, may be admitted without the especial endeavour for harmony that is desirable in the other parts of the house. In one home a door harp was fastened on the inside of the door to announce, by its musical vibration, the in-comer.

A CONVENIENT WRITING TABLE.

A DOOR HARP.

The den may belong exclusively to the man of the house, or it may be used generally by the entire family. Sometimes the den is made an evening sitting room for the parents or older members of the family, where they may read, write or work without interruption. When a den is to be fitted up only for a man its details should be typically masculine. Here the construction of the mission furniture, the rich, deep tones of its brown or green finish, and its expression of simplicity and comfort will impart a style by which the den is differentiated from the rest of the rooms. If the den may not have all its furniture of this variety a writing table or settle may be introduced.

A mixture of Oriental decorations with the mission furniture is not advisable on account of their total dissimilarity. A better idea is to secure some decorations from our own North American Indians, rugs, pottery and baskets, each offering a field rich in national and artistic interest A Navajo blanket of bright colours when hung against the wall will look brilliant by artificial light; or it may be made of utilitarian value if thrown on a lounge for a cover, or laid on the floor as a rug. Some of the old Indian blankets, their gay colours subdued by time to a dull softness, are preserved as curiosities and valued at hundreds of dollars.

The Moki Indians of Arizona are celebrated as basket makers, and the antique specimens of their craft, like the old blankets of the Nava-jos, are sought after by collectors. The pottery made by the Pueblos is quaint in colouring and primitive in design, a fitting ornament for the shelves of the den.

A small, light table that may be easily moved to catch the changing daylight is a useful piece of furniture for one who sews or works in the den. Shelves for holding books are as much needed as in the library, although they need not be as expensive nor in the quantity that the latter claims by right of its being a book room. A convenient furnishing for the den is found in the table-settle, a design that had its origin in Puritan days when it did double duty as a seat and as a table. In the course of time it made its way into the kitchen, where it became popular as an ironing table. Its simplicity of construction, in accord with the present tendency toward a plainer style of furniture, has brought the table-settle forward again. Its double service has been increased by the addition of a space under the seat for holding small articles. If bought in the unfinished wood, the settle may be covered with stain or paint, decorated by burning in a design, or it may be cushioned and the back hung with a tapestry panel.

One of the common mistakes made in equipping a den is to turn in upon it all the odds and ends of furniture that have proved unsuccessful in other parts of the home. When the den occupies a place on the second floor this condition is more prevalent than when it is located on the main floor. The characteristics of a garret are by this method introduced into the den, to the exclusion of anything that is quaint or suitable.

The expense of a thorough refurnishing of the den may be lessened if the really good pieces of furniture are retained as a starting point. For instance, in one home a jumble of modern and antique furniture was carefully sorted over, and every article belonging to the first class was eliminated. The walls were treated to a buff-coloured kalsomine, and the woodwork was painted a French grey similar to that now on the hall woodwork of President Washington's old home at Mt. Vernon. The floor was also painted in the same colour as the woodwork and a large rug made of rag carpeting. At the windows a bright chintz was hung over buff-coloured shades, and with these few changes the room presented an old-time air in which nothing was out of harmony.

Another room, with a north, disagreeable lighting, walnut furniture and blue paper, had never realised the expectations of the household. A change for the better was made by covering the walls with a yellow ingrain paper, and applying to the ceiling a figured paper in two tones of the same colour. The woodwork was painted white, and a narrow shelf for bric-a-brac was attached to the side wall. Some blue plates made a happy contrast against the wall paper, and brass fire-pieces brightened the hearth. Over a yellow floor covering of wool filling some Indian dhurrie rugs in colours repeating the blue of the pottery and the white of the wood-work, with an assertive little touch of red, were laid.

If a den is to be occupied in either the daytime or in the evening its furnishings should be chosen with this in mind; for carpets and rugs that are pleasing by gaslight are often disappointing by day, and the same may be said of furniture covering, wall hangings and draperies. Green is a particularly changeful colour, and red shares a good deal of the same trait. Yellow, while often selected by the inexperienced for its light-producing quality, is in certain shades anything but satisfactory.

Blue that is successful in the evening is, again, unpleasantly harsh in the sunlight.

Furniture that is made especially for the den by manufacturers is usually brought out from the dealer's standpoint, and may not be capable of meeting the need of the householder. The best choice is that designed to meet the demand created for it by those occupying the den. This feature alone gives individuality to the room, especially when it is in possession of a man with a hobby. A collection of old armour requires wainscoting and panels of simple pattern for its display; minerals and insects must have proper cases; pictures and books their own background.

With any one of these interests present the den achieves something more than is attained by mere furnishings however well chosen, and the masculine tendency towards severity of style, "things that will wash," and articles that do not gather dust contributes a significance to this room that is unrealised in other parts of the home.