It must be remembered, however, that it is a trinity of virtues.

No piece of furniture should be chosen because it is intrinsically good or genuinely beautiful, if it has not also its _use_--and this rule applies to all rooms, with the one exception of the drawing-room.
The necessity of _use_, governing the style of furnishing in a room, is very well understood.

Thus, while both drawing-room and dining-room must express hospitality, it is of a different kind or degree.

That of the drawing-room is ceremonious and punctilious, and represents the family in its relation to society, while the dining-room is far more intimate, and belongs to the family in its relation to friends.

In fact, as the dining-room is the heart of the house, its furnishing would naturally be quite different in feeling and character from the drawing-room, although it might be fully as lavish in cost.