Subj : Drawing room
To   : Carol Shenkenberger
From : Ardith Hinton
Date : Fri Nov 17 2017 23:26:41

Hi, Carol!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

 CS>  If they had a 'drawing room' (withdrawing room) I think
 CS>  except in the largest homes, it was multipurpose (male
 CS>  or female).


           That's my take on it.  While a reigning monarch might have a room in 
the palace set aside for his own use & expect certain trusted advisors to brief 
him there every morning, as I understand the kings of France once did, we can't 
assume such private spaces would be used the same way if the monarch was female 
or if the concept had trickled down the ranks to the Lord of the Manor....  :-)



 CS>  Today is very different because we aren't talking the
 CS>  words a rich person with an expansive house would but
 CS>  the average person.


           AFAIK the term has never been in common use Over Here.  We have rich 
people with expansive houses, but not "Great Houses" like the ones portrayed in 
18th & 19th century novels or in the accounts of former domestic servants.



 CS>  Today, we come with 3 bedrooms, a 'living room' a kitchen,
 CS>  and 2 bathrooms (though one may be just a toilet and sink).


           We also live in younger countries.  During the early 20th century it 
was routine for ordinary folks to build a one-room cabin with their own hands & 
upgrade it as time & $$$ permitted.  Fifty years later the average house around 
these parts had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a bathroom.  That's 
what my childhood home was like... but now such houses are rapidly disappearing 
as professional developers tear them down & replace them with larger ones.  :-/



 CS>  Today, we readd the term 'sewing room' (if you have a spare
 CS>  cubby for it)


           In most cases I know of, Mom doesn't get a room of her own until the 
kids have grown up & moved out.  Then she turns what was once a child's bedroom 
into a sewing room to make it clear they won't be allowed to move back in.  ;-)



 CS>  and add a new one called 'Man Cave'


           The terminology may be new... but the concept isn't.  Years ago many 
men could have a work bench in a shed or garage if they wanted one.  They could 
also go outside & cut the grass or putter in the garden.  (Men were expected to 
bring home the bacon & women were expected to make the place presentable.  He'd 
grow fruit & veggies in the back yard while she grew flowers in the front yard, 
but women & children might be allowed to help pick the fruit if there were very 
large quantities of it or if he found himself on the wrong side of middle age.)

           Whether or not he worked alone in such situations was entirely up to 
him.  He could invite another man to help build or repair something... he could 
chat with neighbours over the back fence or with passers-by on the street.  But 
circumstances changed.  As the family grew Mom & Dad moved to the suburbs where 
(although they could get more real estate for less money) there was very little 
foot traffic because almost nothing was within walking distance.  As the family 
shrank Mom & Dad moved to a condo where somebody else took care of the tiny bit 
of greenery outside.  Even if they stayed put they probably bought a noisy lawn 
mower & an automatic dishwasher... both of which are conversation-stoppers.  We 
may not be able to re-create the world our parents & grandparents lived in, nor 
would we want to if it meant we had to do without Fidonet... [grin].  But it is 
important that we understand why our ancestors did what they did, I think.  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

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