, 1889-12-01
COOPERATIVE LAuNpRlEs.
An Experiment In New York which De-
monstrates the Possibilities

An experiment IN new York winch De-
monstrates the Possibilities
A student of sociology who had
spent the best years of his life in en-
deavoring to find the correct answer
in the great catechism of life to the
question, What is my duty toward
my neighbor-when he is very poorf"
declared at the close of much time
given to books on the subject in sew
eral languages that the one practical
treatise he knew-the only one that
threw real light on the matter-was
the work of the famous Mr.. Dick. II
Will be remembered that when David
Copperfield had, during the process of
his journey to Miss Trotwood, reduced
himself TO the condition character
izing the generic poor, even that strong
minded lady was unable to cope with
the problem, and appealed to Mr.. Dick
for assistance. That worthy person,
with a promptitude which proves be-
yond d doubt that he must previously
have given much secret consideration
to the question, replied succinctly,
but suggestively, Wash himi" This
feat successfully accomplished, Mr..
Dick further counseled, Feed himi'
and his immortal treatise on What
shall we do with the poor2" was so
completed and rounded that later
social economists have only been able
to expand and anuotate it; for, washed
and feed, the problem Of David was
solved.
Summer baths along the river fronts
are provided here in New York and
in almost all large cities with water
facilities; but forat least seven months
in the year a very large portion of our
population never know the luxury of
an entire bath, and have the most
meager opportunities for cleansing
their clothes. In Paris public laur
dries are provided where the poor can
wash their own clothes. In London
similar laundries are provided, with
drying and ironing rooms attached,
on equally reasonable terms. The
jewellers in the New York tenements
have nothing of this sort within their
reach, and not only are without any
opportunities for baths, but must de-
pend for laundry purposes upon the
common hydrant in the hall or in the
courtyard frequently frozen and
must furnish the heat to make this
water available for washing.
This problem of the possibilities OF
cooperative cleanliness has been to a
certain extent solved in the building
put up by the Improved Dwelling as,
ISOLATION in 1881. Bayard Cutting was
made president of the association, and
Cornelius Vanderbilt contributed
largely. Seven other millionaires took
part in the experiment, and half of
the block between Seventy-first and
Seventy-second streets, facing ON First
avenue, was purchased. A building
six stories high, entirely f~ireproof,
and SO arranged around a great inter
Tor court hat every room had a large
window opening 10 the sun, vas then
erected. The apartments are ample in
size, containing from three to four
rent from 1925 to $13 a month, and.
have water, a coal and garbage eleva-
vator and an ash chute.
On the ground floor in each of the
four divisions is a large bathroom di-
vided into closets, each containing a
zinc lined tub quite as good as those
in the private homes of wealth. These
have both hot and cold water, and
are open to the women and children
from 10 10 s, and to the men from 5 to
4. They are quite free, the only rule
being that every one, after using a
tub, must wash it carefully. and pro-
vide his own soap and towels. In two
of the houses are general laundries on
the first floor, and from these the
clothes are dried in the court, while
the other two have theirs on the top
floor and utilize the roof for drying,
thus giving ample room to all. These
lnundries contain stationary tubs and
an excellent arrangement for the in
lection of steam instead of hot water,
by which the clothes can be boiled in
the tub itself. Upon payment of the
rent the tenant receives four tickets
which entitle him 70 entrance to the
laundry one day in each week, either
Monday, Tuesday, Oh Wednesday, as
he may prefer.
The cost of supporting these laun-
dries is not great; the coal required
for pumping water throughout the en-
tire establishment, for heating water
for the baths and laundries, and heat
ing the halls amounts to only nine
tons a month-about $50-the laundry
and baths being the smaller portion of
the expense, as the power to send
water through SO large a house is very
considerable. The cost Of la%undrying
the clothes of each is only a few cents
a month. Cosmopolitan
Obsolete Words.
L would, however, conjure my