New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-30
CHEAP COUNTRY VACATIONS

BIZ HAD FOR THAT PRICE.
TO ire EdItor Of The TrtbNne
SIR: In view of the generous plans of modern
liberality for helping all persons incapable OF
taking care of themselves to free air. free baths'
free vacations and free homes, not to mention Tree
religion, thoughtful persons have asked what care
was shown for those trying to do their own part IN
life and taking care of themselves City guilds
and societies take the children and mothers of the
Door. equip and provide for them. and send them
away to fresh sir and rest. Working girls have
their vacations and free excursions and concerts
The sewing women, by Mrs. Harper's handsome
charity, have their seaside resort, with fort
night Of Queen Anne furnishing, hOneysuckles
and heirloom silver tea-sets. But for the
diligent seIf-respectng class known as people In
a small way" what has any season TO offer but the
certainty of the highest prices aud the poorest
chances at everything7 On one hand Is paupersm
with its privileges, on the other wealth with It's
profusion between them little but snubbing mex
orable grind and imposition. Thinking of their
case one can only recall q favOrite toast OF Mr..
Sbepard the humorous Boston publisher, " God
help us all-tho poor can beg" Those who hold
themselves above beggary need ali the help
that shrewd brains and experience can con-
triye for the encroachments OF clylllZa-
ton have done their best 10 make the eX-
Istence of a frugal, comfortable middle class
in this country impossible. it is not the struggle to
lve-it is the struggle Go be rich which is respon-
sible for this. Butchers must have their diamonds,
grocers their fast teams and hotel Summers ana
ofiicehodcrs must make fortunes in five years. ana
the result is that New-York Is the highest-priced
CITY in the world TO live in Does man with
Thousand a year and family expect comfortable
life in good surroundings here 7 If there are any
families of education and refinement who have
solved this problem. they should make haste and
impart their method 10 others In general, they must
take their choice between living hard in inferior
conditions in unpleasant contact, or living up to
their incomes, without providing for the education
OF their children, or laying up for their own old age
In the question of Summer vacations, now
In the mind of everybody who can think
Of getting away from town, what is there
for people of small incomes, teachers. clerks
families, and those laid aside from active occu-
patton with Just enough to exc ont eXistencef
They can go on excursions and perspire in company
with a lager-soakiug crowd, or with the damaged
millinery and small Girtations of Sunday-scnool
picnics. They can 60 to Coney Island for twenty
five ceuts with a Grand-st. mother and three
Ineaslv children on one side and q gin-ilavored
politician on the other, and spend the day IN riding
through the worst sights and smells OF two cities ON
the way and in sitting Dol upright on hotel piazzas
and yvoitinr-rooms which combine the ease of a
church pew with the scenery OF BOwery life; and they
can feed on tho east wind pay the price of days
living at home for a scanty lunch. Where can they
get the true pleasure and rest Of the country the
lounge under the trees from morning till night the
hammock swung in sOftest shade, the privilege OF
simple and easy dressing the nap in n cool, fresh
room of an afternoon, the fortnight Of unbrOken
quiet peaceful sights and pure AIR, that strengthen
for. ,rtfl IN wa
thought the church camp grounds might afford this
sort of ifa and they ought to, but lot and house
on one Of them viii cost not far from 81 900, or
one may board for about - a week. which, with a
child or two, viii eat up the savings of year for
the class concerned. And how much consideration
is there for a sister in calico gown,
or for children IN gngham aprons at popu-
lar camp-ground7 The ordinary rate mentioned
for country board 81 is ont Of reach of such peo-
pie. Will any ono please to count mp expenses with
$500 a year salary, and board at 50 week,
mother TO help clothes and medicines and all TO pay
for out of the other s.. and where the $40 for
vacation expenses are coming 'FRONT.'
"The change would have been worth gold to me
last Summer, j." said a harl-workng artist not long
since, IF could have gone to some quiet country
place Just as / was. lean save by sixteen hours
work day the rest Of the year. l wouidl't care if
l had a room with no carpet, and there was straw
bed if 1t was only clean and sweet. I'd fill 1T with
vines and take my own curtains and things 10 make
il pretty. and Ia like to take my little kerosene
stove aud iron mg own things and stay ont OF this
wretched town till October and live. But where
would find this placer
There are sucn places aud a few people have made
IL then business to find them out for such needs as
those of the woman who spoke who Is no imaginary
character. Rates for country board are lower gen.
orally, in submission 10 the fact that nobody can
afford To pay much. An advertisement IN HE
TRIBUNE this season brought score OF answers
from bcarhug-nOuse5, country hotels ana private
families offering TO take guests for the summer for
S. week. The letters Were most OF them evidently
from intelligent families and dated from such
places "a Danbury and Twin Lakes, Conn; Amena
and Putnam County iaIm-houseSi MOUNT hlSGo anu
WashugOnyille, GreeDport and dEernead. l.. l.
But DO sounds like an incredible reduction tOtrY ana
find board for - ana - a week Yet such are the
regular rates IN some quiet paris OF the country ana
ii Is not runOusy cheap II seems as can be easily
shown. -, -.
food for each member of her family IN the city IS
not more than - a week, when supplies Of all kinds
must be purchased This calculation has been made
over aHd over in my hearing by experienced headS
of families in easy circumstances. Keeping HDtIdl
table. comfortable style can be Kept IN W-1ork
City on 81 30 week. The first sum should give
one good dinners, with game and choice iIIllt occa-
siouaIy. and all spent over tins Is sheer waste.
What charged over this for city board goes 10 the
account Of high rents, fuel aud furnishing servants
and the enormous waste lltN Ahi my YUM
families who have their own houses, gardens and
orchards VINO do their own work, prefer TO MAKE a
small profit By feeding bOsTders from their supplies.
instead of stock, the only outlay DcluB ,IoI
sugar, coffee or tea and meat, which last
Is ten furnished by their own pastures and
poultrv wards. The actual cost of each bOarder IS
sbout 81 % leaving the same sum for the use of
rooms and work OF cooking the food, with which
rural folk are content. Artists will tell Of quiet
country hooks where the native brushes as nc
{" puts ON the price " at 80 per week, knowing that
the school teacher gets comfortable fare the year
round Ia the village for 81 %. Up III Washington
County there is a lovely region where cham Of
little lakes lies the tops of toe hills, surrounded
by flrIu-housos nesting in cOntent-"a bewitchlng
country 1T was described by some one who saw 1t
Ii - snn-and the REGULAR price Of board there rs