m magazines the new ideas; reproductions of old English homes,
French chateaux, Tudor mansions; the combinations of brick, stone, and
wood; the use of cement, stucco, and stone. We have adopted foreign
ideas, and are making them individual and valuable.

Have each member of the club bring in pictures and plans of modern
houses of all kinds, those of the city, the village, the farm, from the
cheapest to the most costly, and point out the new ideas and the old. A
good idea is to have a contest of plan-drawing on easy lines, to give
some practical knowledge of desirable points.

III--BUILDING A HOME

How shall one decide on a site for a new house? Embody these ideas in a
paper: See that the character of the neighborhood is desirable; that the
property in the vicinity is appreciating rather than depreciating. Note
the relation of the trolleys or the railroad. Are they accessible, yet
not too near for comfort? Is the condition of the street on which the
house will face attractive, well kept, and shaded?

Is the lot in good condition?--not too full of stones, not so low that
it will require filling, nor so high that it will need grading? Is it
drained? Are city water and gas at hand? Is there shade? Is the outlook
good? If in a country district, how near are the schools, the church,
the markets? What about the condition of the roads in winter?

Study of materials: Will stone, brick, wood, or cement be the best to
use for this particular house, and will one alone or two materials
combined be preferable? The use of local stone is often the best choice
of all, and gives a beautiful and durable house. Cement must be
fortified, or else have air-spaces. Cement or stucco combined with
timbers is always artistic.

As to the plan of the house, a careful study is necessary. See the plans
given in magazines and books, and make notes of what suits the family
needs best. Discuss the question, Is an architect really necessary, or
can a builder carry out a printed plan? Take up the placing of a house,
and observe that if it does not stand four-square, but rather with the
corners northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest, sunshine will
come into every room at some hour of the day. Have a paper or talk on
the sanitation of the country and village house especially, and of the
necessity of overseering the plumbing intelligently. The heating and the
conveniences of the house should be considered. Speak especially of the
point that e