The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-03-30
DOES HousEKEEPINe PAY7
What Lady of Experience Has to Sag
nm tho SnhfaCf

What Lady of Experience Has to Sag
on the Subject.
In nine cases out of every ten, yes.
Unfortunately when visiting friends
who have not the nerve to hamper
themselves with household cares, }
have found that boarding is simply
method of shifting all domestic duties
upon the genial clearinghouse keeper.
have met several of the species, and
from my heart I pity, and at the same
time have thorough contempt for
them. Your comfort is, to them, an
unknown quantity; all they desire of
you is to remain invisible only at meal
times, and at the proper time present
your check or its equivalent.
Last summer 1 was obliged to place
myself under obligations to one of this
class whom l disliked at first, and
positively hated before l left her hos
pitable roof. Naturally, one does not
expect any thing of home-like nature
in clearinghouse Il am not speak
ing of an uptown hoteD, but l was
ignorant and thought that in exchange
for the-to me-big price paid for
room and board should have pleasant
quarters and plenty to eat. My room
(by no means situated in the center OF
the metropolis) was the second story
front and boosted of an antediluvian
bed lounge, a curious and deceiving
folding bed that once folded me up in
its strong embrace and had l not been
person OF rather strong will power !
might have still been there. However,
needless to state, | escaped with few
bruises and decided antipathy
to folding beds; a queer wash
hand stand, with dresser to match, a
few chairs with playful tendencies, an
impossible carpet and a billiard
table completed the furnishing of the
room, unless mention a chandelier Of
several beautiful globes and glittering
pendants, but. alas! no gas after ten p.
m. However. l would not let little
thing like that disturb me, for the city
authorities kindly keep the street gas
burning all night. Now for this ele-
gantly (?) furnished room, with three
meals per day-ohi what meals, and
how glad l was to get back to my own
humble pie agaiu-I paid the sum of
$15 per week. | maintain this to be an
outrage put upon an innocent, contid-
ing American citizen. To come down
to actual figures, $15 per week, or $50
per month, will pay house rent and
keep both butchers and grocer's bills
within proper limits for small family
OF three or four. The amount ex-
pended for one person for one week in
a boarding house, sans comfort, sans
properly cooked meals, will, II ex-
pended rightly, give peace and happi-
ness to four times the number, if the
house mother is careful, prudent and,
the most difficult task of all, ecOnom-
ical. The way to mans heart is by
means Of his palate. Never truer
saying; and unless one can afford living
in hotel-thereby paying extortion-
ate prices, offset of course. by obtain
ing everything the appetite craves-I
would seriously advise married people
to keep house. Boarding is a neces-
sity to many; IN fact, 1t Is imperative
in cases where the wife is unqualified
through illness or natural inaptitude.
Every woman should look forward to
marriage as the means of making home
happy to the one whom she loves best.
The first step.towards creating this par
adise is notify engaging suit of rooms
in fine hotel, but by going to house,
cottage or Queen Anne mansion, it
matters not which, and there set the
household gods in order and begin the
foundation for a happy life. Things
will go wrong at first, fearfully wrong
at times, but if the fair young bride
has patience and the gallant groom
discretion, I'll engage with parlor
cook book the machinery in that house
hold runs smoothly within six months.
and boarding will be an unmentioned
subject. Pittsburgh Leader.