The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-07-26
The Future NousehoId-How to Econ
ors,ise Family Expenses -The MOTH
cr,s paradise--.The Servant Girl EDS
pcnsed Within Enterprise DeS'
rsae<l tn CREME n Great Revolution.

pensed wath-kn Enterprise Des
tine<i to Create Great ReV0autfoH.
From the Boston Sunday Times, Julyr.
The Cambridge Cooperative Housekeeping
Association is the name of Society com
posca of certain ladies and gentlemen II
Cambridge, and it's object, conclseiy s'ateo
is to do away with the inconvenience, mo-
10 saw terrors, of modern housekeeping b!
means of the application of the Co
operative principle. In an address made
nv Mrs. Charles P. Pierce to the members
Of the Society few weeks ago the purposes
Of the Association are very clearly ano
charmingly set forth, and the feasibility
of applying the principles of cooperaeio,I
to washing and cooking, as well as th'
manufacture of cloth and hardware
is made patent. Mrs. Pierce says that II
tho first place there arc three reasons ioi
the formation of such an association ~hlcf
must be obvious to everybody. Ihey are
First-That the cost Of food has nearly
doubled in ten years, and shows no sign r., o
decreasing; but rather OF increasing. &c.
copd-That, Notwithstanding the greatly
enlarged expense of feeding servants, thesS
do less work than formerly and demand
much higher wages. Third-That although
they do less work, and for more wages;
thew do it worse instead Of better, and
arc more and more unwilling to be con-
trolled BY their mistresses, and leave
their place. at shorter and shorter inter
walls, and for less and less provocatior
every year. After some more reflections
on tho defects of the customary methods OIL
housekeeping, she goes on to explain Of
length her plan. Starting with the evident
proposition that it is cheaper for house
keeper to buy at first cost than at third,
fourth, or fifth, she shows that this can
only be done by several uniting together SC
that they can purchase at wholesale, and
divide the good among one another; OF 10
sell the goods to the members Of the Asso-
citation ct q certain price, the profits to be
divided at stated periods. In illustrator
of this system she reviews at some length
the progress of cooperative societies ID
England, from their humble beginning
among the weavers of Rochdale up to theil
stupendous proportions to-day.
The object of the Cambridge Society is
first, the combination of capital; and, Sc
cond, the division and organization OF labor
They intend to have a storeroom Tor provl-
eions, kitchen, bakery, aud laundry,
and it is proposed to fix the price OF each
share at S25. Mrs. Pierce makes an lnse-
Nous calculation, and shows that it costs
every family of moderate size S22.3o q
month merely for the wages OF a cook ana
for the fuel she consumes IN cooking; ana
she estimates that by means OF the coope-
rative system this can be done at Sl0 a
month. She thinks that one thorough cook
at $50 per month and six assistants at Sl2
per month each can do the cooking 1ol
twenty-five families, and use five tons Of
coal where twenty-five are now used.
The washing will be done at the corpora
ton laundry at twenty-five cents per dozen,
which is a very reasonable price. The
meals will be sent to the various house
holds in what is known as a Norwegian
kitchcn-that is. wooden box, lined with
wool and felt, which will keep food hot for
several hours. The total subscription price
to enable family to enjoy the advantages
Of the store, kitchen, baking, and laundry,
will be 500, and she estimates that it will
cost from SIS, 900 to s., 900 to start the enter
prise. A building will be erected neal
Harvard square, and it is thought that
everything will be ready by November, SO
that the institution will be in thorough order
at that time. The subscriptions can be paid
in monthly installments of $40, com
mcncing on the lst of August.
The establishment will be managed by n
committee of housekccpcrs, subject to the
half-ycarly supervision of the husbands,
who arc directly interested in it through
their wives subscriptions. Cambridge Is Il
GOOD place to start such an enterprise, as
there are so many students boarding houses
in the vicinity of Harvard-squarc that the
landladics will be glad to enter into the ar
rangcment. The idea seems to be practical,
and VIC hope it may be successfully carried