The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-08-24
Cooperative Homes No. 2.
~ EDWARD X. HALE

ny EDWARD X. HALE
] have said that for real success in the
establishment Of suburban homes for the
middle class, or the laboring class Of large
cities, we need loyal, mutual understand
ing between three sets Of people I; the set
tiers, the original owners Of the land on
which they are to settle, and the railway
companies which are TO bring the one party
to the other. There are thousand failures
in this difficult enterprise. and every fail
ure may be referred to a want of such
mutual understanding.
Indeed, | cannot 50 simply show what
ought to be, as by describing what ought
not TO be namely, the way in which, with
us, a new village Or a new city il apt to be
started The description viii show in
Itself the grounds Of the failure which the
method insures.
party Of improvident SPECTATORS hay-
ing got hold Of piece of land generally
not large enough for town, near q subur-
ban railway station Law il ont in stra4.ts
give it a name popular at the moment.
Early enough in the spring to make avail
Of that positive yearning for the country
and the open air, which, from Easter for
ward, takes possession Of the heart of every
child Of man, for some weeks at least, they
advertise the new place largely. The lots
are to be sold at auction on the afternoon
Of some day in May or early June, if the
weather is good. A special train, to and
fro, is engaged on the day Of the sale, and
free tickets are gwen to all who choose TO
be present at the sale. On the spot a nice
collation. is provided. Granted these con
ditions, there is no fear but what plenty Of
people will be present.
Alexis, who has been dying in a six
story lodging house for twelve months, is
there, and his little wife is with him, who,
till he brought her to Boston, never knew
4 what il was to wake without hearing the
sound Of birds, or feeling on her cheek the
I freshness Of sweet air Hermann is there
| also, without his wife, because they were
( only betrothed yesterday but he knows
how glad she, too, would be to enjoy the
country home, which, in fact she never
knew since she was born, but in stolen
visit for two weeks out Of the tifty-two.
John Smith there also /; and, as | live, /
see Mr.. Cheeryble. Who would have
thought to see him among the Spectators :
"Who, indeed, Mr.. Ingham and who
would have thought to see you here
all look round. The air is fresh from
heaven. Alexis wife has really quite a
nosegsy which she has made from the
wild-howers within five minutes Of the sta
ton. And see they have left that fine
oak in the lot at the corner of Sheridan
street and Laurel avenue. If only every
body does not see that that lot is worth ten
times as much as any other, because the
oak is left there" Everybody is pleased,
everybody is happy, nobody knows how
many professionals are there-a hired clique
to make the sale 90 well and the bidding
begins.
Are the sales high or low ! That's Just
as you think. II you had bought all this
land at two hundred dollars an acre-to
sell that corner lot with the oak on it,which
is Just an eighth Of an acre, for five hun
dred and fifty dollars, would have seemed
to you a good bargain, even if, as the auc-
tioneer said, only twenty per cent. need be
paid in cash. If, on the other hand you
have hved in six story attic for twelve
months, where your sitting-rUOm was four.
teen feet by nine, and your bedrooms
smaller, and for that privilege had paid
|, FIVE hundred and fifty dollars, a. Alexis
and his wife have done, you would have
thought the lot dirt cheap. They are sat
} is6ed as well. 1t is one uf the few piece,
of business where, ut nightfall, everyon,
is satisfied.
All the seventy-three lots are sold, Ol
} appear to be. But when, the next day
} Alexis Comes out with builder. he inds
. first, that his train stops eleven times OF
Z the way, while yesterday especial train raj
! express he linda, second, that there IN no
a large company Oh the ground only Her
: mann, and John Smith, and Mr.. CHEEKY
BILE, making out their lots with good dea
1 of difficulty, they having no oak trees
e And a. the weeks Of June 60 by, and the,
e four come out once and again to set Ou
4 shrubs, and zee to wells and found alton
t and all the rest-it proves that, out of al
J. the seventy-three sales, not more tha
d twenty are real sales; that half of thes
II were made to people who bought ON specu
) lation that half the rest were made to pee
y pie who will not build tall next year an
d 20 that, beside these four whom We know
x there are but two other purchasers-as ~ ye
70 invisible-whO are this year to build u
/, the pretty town Of Underclif This il, i
N itself, disappointment, because it hmi
,e them all in che matter of society.
4, There 10 picture, not exaggerated,
n ths disappointment Of the people who ha,
J. been attracted, as individuals, without .,
j. operation, by one Of these shOwy land spe
N ulationa. Do you not zee that each Of then
10 single-handed, has to solve tho problem
o . new country life, which ought to snga,