Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-04

They DO No: ReEeng i'm the Ideal
Family.

From the Hartford Courant.
Junius Henri Browne. IN paper in the cur
rent HGrper's Monthly, discussing the art and
the cost of living in New York city, touches
upon phase of modern life which is not, as he
seems to think, peculiar to New York. 1t is
feature of life in every city. This is the lack of
any place for children. They do not belong in
the ideal family-ideal not in any poetic sense,
but in the presence Of a recognized practical
cash necessity.
The second necessity of life is shelter But
only few people in the nature of things in
cities can own homes; to all the rest comes the
choice of hiring or Of boarding. Let man set
out to secure shelter OF that sort and. the first
question being possibly as to his ability to pay
for it, the second is invariably whether he
has children. In hotels they are noisy, crying
In their grief and shouting in their joy-a
racket all the time and not wanted. In rented
houses they scratch walls, break furniture, and
work ruin right and left. In boarding houses
their presence is the reason for the departure of
other guests not so encountered. Nor does this
restriction lie solely in the cities. In the mat
ter of summer board parents often find them
selves unable to get into the most desirable
places, because they bring children with them.
l. ook over the advertising columns Of any large
ity newspaper and the evidence is astounding
of the unpOpularity of children. We have board
''fOr small family with no children:" houses to
rent TO Shall ldIllly WlINOuG cfllluTpn, ana
so on, always without children;" and, in the
wants. hong and hopeless string of adver-
tisements for board from people who have no
children.
People ask why this is so. and clamor vigor-
Ously at a state of things so discouraging to
marriage, and so evidently artificial, but at the
same time, in selecting a place for themselves.
they will in all probability choose one where
children are discouraged. at is SO much quieter,
you know" They reason in the matter very
much as society does about temperance hotels;
it cOmmends them heartily but it patronize
the other sort.
The fact is that cities and city life are them
selves artificial, and impose their artificial con
ditiOns. One Of these is a limitation upon mar
riage in its natural purpose as the foundation
of family. The two young people. who I'M
dertake the matrimonial experiment, may not
find this out at first. Boarding house doors
swing open to them cordially: they are just the
sort of people whom landlords like. They are
proud Of their welcome. and happy that society
is 80 ready to encourage marrying, but with the
cares and trials of parentage which they later
assume. they see this welcome disappear. and
find themselves out among the other unfcrtu-
mates who are the victims Of the popular dis
like for children in cities. 1t is too late then,
however, to retract
1t is general rule of political economy that
when there is demand for something obtain
able that demand will sooner or later be met.
1t would seem as if the very general demand Of
so many young and hopeful people for homes
that they can afford to buy would in some way
be met, if not in the cities then close by them.
1t ought certainly to be that when homes of
that sort are wanted somebody can see his way
clear to making it pay to provide them. At
present they are the great want in all cities.
Till they are provided, young people will do
well to consider mat rimony from thoroughly
practical view. how ever much sentiment they
may also bring into the question. and then If
they find abundant obstacles and discourage
ments they at least can have the satisfaction of
realizing that that was what they expected.