Excerpt from Our Homes and How to Make the Best of Them As a pillar stands firm on the grave of the dead. - Homer. That is a fine image of stability, though in England a pillar is a cold symbol of commemorated success. It does not appeal to the family heart, being an emblem of public virtue, not a token of domesticity. An English poet would choose a word more intimate than pillar, either home or hall, but preferably hall, because the English home of to-day grew from that one room. In other words, the hall threw out offshoot chambers and storeys till at last good house - plans were formed, the evolution lasting over a span of so much time that its periods cannot be counted now. As the hall stands firm on the grave of the dead this, then, is a just figure of England's stability through the ages. In this matter past and present unite as true yoke-fellows with Time and that is why a book on modern houses Should give, as a necessary introduction, a brief account of what they and we owe to bygone generations. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.