Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-16
MAKING ENDS MEET.
What 1t Costs Young Men to Live In
the Busy Metropolis.
~, yort- IIarold

% SICfAS hol0S Vi JONAo 0~ >~&~~@NS
their way to this city annually, said
prominent Wall street fnancier to
Herald reporter, deserving the
farm, and country store and light oc-
equations in small towns, ambitious
to wrestle for the spoils of commerce
and the golden traits OF trade, without
the slightest knowledge of how to live
on small pay. The first lesson had
to learn was how to spend -howato
make a small salary put food In my
mouth, clothes On my back and roof
over me. Strange as it may seem,
some never leara the lesson, and go
back disgraced through debt, broken
through disappointment and useless
by reason of their city experience. )"
"But how can it be expected that a
verdant youth will know how to
spend, how to manager asked the re-
porter.
'It is not to be expected. A boy
coming to this city with a few dollars
must learn how to get what he wants
at the least possible cost. He must be
shown. This knowledge will be more
beneficial than a place. He must
know that every penny saved Is a
penny made. See all our rich men.
Many of them slept under the coun-
tiers in the store, and had only bread
and milk for breakfast. See a. I.
Stewart, Edwin Morgan, John Jacob
Astor, Pierre Lorillard, Isacc.T Sher-
man. Jay Gould. Commodore Wander
bilt. Why, these men matched their
stomachs and their backs against the
pennies in their pockets, and the PEN
MES won, for they saved them.
with the very poor it is case of
deprivation. Poverty is poverty. A
young man should, upon getting the
iron foot of poverty off his neck, and
when he is in receipt of fair salary
say $500 to 81, 200 year, look about
to see how he can make associations
that will prove ultimately beneficial
to him. He must then spend more
literally, but still in accordance with
his means, keeping cautiously re-
serve or accident fuad for the evil
day which is sure to come unexpected
ly. This is where young men go
astray. AS the gain is to slow: Later
it is too fast. In word, it is how to
spend, for how to spend means how
to live. / believe in so much for mes
cessities, so much for pleasures, so
much as a reserve against accident.
1t makes no natter whether it is the
young clerk on $500 year or the ops
nlent bondholder on $50. 900 year. "
The banker spoke with emphasis.
What he had said was the result OF
his ewn experiences and observations.
The Herald reporter, to rest the
theory advanced, made tower of the
town, and he found that on salary
of $500 year young man with per-
severance might not only live but lay
up portion of his pay. OF boarding
houses there is no end, the prices
largely depending upon the situations
and the class of people living in them.
A young man sharing his room with
some friend may be able to get fair
accommodations for 81 per week, and,
if the sole occupant, for IS. There
are many small rooms on the upper
floors of boarding houses in excellent
locations which are rented to single
men, with board, for IS and SIC
per week. While many young men,
wishing to know exactly what their
expenses will come to at the end OF
the week, adopt this system of living,
there are others who prefer to have a
room and get their meals in restaur'
ants. Rooms can be secured without
meals for 81 and So per week.
The table d'hote system mas grown
to great dimensions in this city during
the past ten years. There was time
when dinners at fixed prices were
only to be had at the hotels, but now
they are TO be found On the principal
avenues and on the side streets, with
prices varying from 40 cents to 81. So
some of these establishments give
their regular customers dinners and
breakfasts for Sc per week. If it Were
not that the establishments employed
cooks, both economical and skillful, i
would be indeed mystery how they
could set before their guests two meals
d day for less than 81, and particular
ly so when both dinner and breakfas
are bountiful and palatable. 1t is es
timated that no less than 5000 mer
daily dine in these places during the
winter season. The great city clubs
have very generally adopted the sys'
tenn of providing their members with
dinners at fixed prices.
1t is not to be supposed that men In
easy circumstances will suffer them
selves to live on the same careful
PLAZA which marked their 6nanciering
in the early days of small pay. And
the sight Of the great buildings
throughout the city which are known
as bachelor apartment houses carries
conviction to the senses that the days
OF their tenants deprivatiops are
over. Inq Jury of the janitor in charge
will show that young men pay for
two rooms rentals varying from $500
to 81 900. Often these rooms consist
only of small sitting room and 9
bed sroom, with bath.r attached
the prices being graded in accor>
dance with the facilities, attendance,
modern improvements and ath actions
furnished. The apartment-for by
such name the two rooms are
known and leased-is most in demand
when the rent asked for it is less than
$500 year.
A young man living in small
apartment does not infrequently oc.
cupy it in common with friend. This
materially diminishes the cost, SO that
after all, the rooms only equal the ex-
pense of small chamber at the top
of four-story boarding house, where
no kindly elevator runs to relieve the
sky ledger of the arduous duty of
climbing long flights of stairs. Such
young men generally join Climb, and
the annual dues are sometimes less
than the money saved, provided they
had ordered the same article of food IN
restaurant of any pretentlons.
The associations made at a club,
young men find not only agreeable,
but useful in general way, when
they launch out their own small ven
lures ON the swelling tides of COM
merce. But still the outlay of money
is oftentimes more extensive than the
slender purse can well stand without
fear of being wholly depleted. FIRE.
quently the sum total of expenses
runs much in this fashion: Apart
ments, $500; breakfast and dinner,
$500; club dues, $50; clothing, 5000,
and sundry small expenses for neces>
saries and amusement swell the fig
ures to 81, 500.
70 the young men from the country
aud to the city lad alike, the convic-
t;o,, s.>o, onn,oS thof half tho hattie of