The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-01-21
A "ELAT" SUCCESS.

uated from law school with hoI orable
mention, and, aided by friends, secured
situation in lawyers Office with salary
of $40 week.
A hall bedroom at $40 month gave
him lodging and resting place, and he
took his meals at restaurant. After a
time this hall bedroom became terror
to him. He knew every line and curve in
the pattern of the wall paper, and how
many times it was repeated from floor to
ceiling. He had traced with his eye the
figures in the carpet till they were wea-
riness to him. He could not get up any
home feeling in this little room, and he
stayed out OF it as much as possible.
The influence of the hall bedroom on
the character OF its young man occupant
is by no means fully recognized. Harry
was comparative stranger in the city
and Of a reserved turn. He was not
church member; he was not frequenter
of saloons, though he was sensitive to the
attractions they held out in the way of
physical comfort and social companion
ship. He was a haunter of libraries and
reading. rooms, his mother having with
EXTREMIST care formed in him love for
the best books. But one cannot read all
the evening after working at the law all
day, and Harry's evenings passed heavily.
Then he got tired OF restaurant fare, of
the hurry, the crowd, the clatter, the in
sufficiency of restaurant diet to one who
must count the dimes and nickels if he
would make the ends meet.
| During year or two of this sort of liv.
ing he made the acquaintance of three
other young men who, like himself, long
ed for different mode of living. Their
resources were not much greater than
his. After consulting together and count.
ing the cost, these four young men de-
cided to rent five-room fiat and go to
housekeeping. Harry had been ir itiated
into all the domestic arts, except sewing,
by his mother. She had been very much
impressed during the civil war by the
fact that great deal OF sickness and suf-
fering OF the soldiers in camps and hos
common operations of culinary and other
domestic arts. So she had made Harry
her companion and assistant in all house
hold industries, except the needle land
pity it was that that exception was ma1e).
She had the immense satisfaction of
knowing when Harry left home that he
was competent to take care of himself,
and perform all Offices necessary to his
physical health and comfort.
OF the three other young men, one was
medical stu lent, another journalist,
the other lawyer, who supplemented his
income by playing the organ in one of the
city churches. The medical student was
an expert cook, and the journalist and law
yer were willing to learn and help all they
could.
The rent OF the "aat" was 1876 per
month; necessary furniture to begin with
was procured at second hand stores and
auction rooms. Style was not to be
thought Of at first The home friends of
the young men helped them to bedding,
aprons, and such other articles as they
could spare. A gas-stove was bought for
$15. With this, by, simply lighting a
match, they could boil, broil, and bake at
minutes notice. Harry did the mar
keting and kept the accounts. They
bought their bread, pie, and cake, and
used canned goods to quite an extent.
Supplies were purchased at Washington
market at the lowest cash prices. By TAX
ing bread day or two old, and they
liked their bread stale, they got it at half
price.
The work was 80 divided among them
that it did not bear very heavily on any
one. Holidays were given partly to gen
eral house cleaning. They hung out of
their five storied windows and polished
them till they shone again. They swept
their rooms, mopped their floors, and put
things in order, and then took their out
ings.
As cold weather came on-for their
venture was made in the spring-they
accumulated fund to be expended in the
purchase of secondhand carpets for all
the rooms and a coal stove for the COM
mon sitting and dining room. It was
not till these additions had been made
that the writer of this article was invited
one day to lunch with the medical stu
dent, all the other occupants of the fiat
being away at their various Offices She
was curious to see how these young men
kept house. She found everything in
order. The feminine touch and presence
was evidently unknown in these apart
ments, but they were cozy, clean, and
"homey." An upright piano stood invit-
ingly open in the parlor, and the music
stand close by was piled with classical mu-
sic. A double folding bed was turned up
and handsomely curtained in one corner
of the room. Pictures hung on the walls,
and the CRATE showed signs Of glowing
fires. The closets were opened for in
spection, and were credit to their keep
ers. The "toilet room" was so arranged
that cash one of the four had his own
personal belongings to himself and easily
accessible. This was accomplished by
having two shelves running the length of
the room, the lower one wide, with bowls