The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-11-20
WASH HIM AND FEED HIM.
PROBLEM OF POSSIBILITIES.
How to Live CheaPly-The CO-OPerative
Plan Applied TO Laundr1es and House
keeping-why Not the Kitchen?-Of
Interest to the Economical.

time given TO books on the subject in sew
eral languages, that the one practical
treatise he knew-the only one that threw
light on the matter-was the work OF the
famous Mr. Dick. 1t will be remembered
that when Ddrid CopperJieid had, during
the process of his journey to Mss Trot-
rood, reduced himself TO the condition
characterizing 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 promptitude which proves beyond
a doubt that be must previously have given
much secret consideration to the question,
replied succintly, but suggestiveiy, wash
him." This feat successfully accomplished,
Mr.. Dick further counselled, Feed him"
and his immortal treatise on What Shall
We Do With the Poor?" was so completed
and rounded that later social economists
have only been able to expand and anno-
tate it; for, washed and fed, the problem
of David was solved.
Summer baths along the river fronts are
provided in New York and in almost all
large cities with water facilities; but for at
least seven months in the year very large
portion OF our population never know the
luxury OF an entire bath, and have the
most n1eager opportunities for cleansing
their clothes. In Paris public laundries
are provided where the poor can wash
their own clothes. In London similar
laundries are provided, with driving and
| ironing rooms attached, on equally reason
able terms. The jewellers in the New
York tenements have nothing of the sort
within their reach, and are not only with
! out anv opportunities for baths, but must
depend, for laundry purposes, upon the
common hydrant in the hall or in the
courtyard-frequentlv frozen-and must
furnish the heat to make this water avail
] able for washing
This problem of the possibilities of CO.
operative cleanliness has been to a certain
extent solved in the building put up by
| the improved dwelling association in 1881.
Bayard Cutting was made president of the
association and Cornelius Vanderbilt con-
/ tributed largely. Seven other millionaires
took part in the experiment, and half the
! block between Seventy-first and Seventy
/ secOnd-sts., facing on First-ave., was pur-
chased. A building, six stories high, en-
tirely fire proof, and so arranged around
a large window opening to the sun, was
! then erected. The apartments are ample
| in size, containing from three to four good
sized rooms, with several closets. These
rent from 1926 to S13 a month, and have
water, coal and garbage elevator, and an
ash chute.
On the ground floor in each of the four
| divisions is large bathroom divided into
! closets, each containing 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 5, and to the men
| from to Z. They are quite free, the only
| rule being that every one, after using a
tub must wash it carefully, and provide
| 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 laundries 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 ten
ant receives four tickets which entitle him
to entrance to the laundry one day in
each week, either Monday, Tuesday, or
| Wednesday, as he may prefer.
| The cost of supporting these laundries is
not great the coal required for pumping
water throughout the entire establishment,
| for heating water for the baths and lauu-
dries, and heating the halls, amounts to
only nine tons a month-about S50-the
laundry and baths being the smaller por-
ton of the expense, as the power to send
water through so large a house is very
considerable. The cost of laundering the
| clothes of each is only few cents month.
The first suggestion OF cooperative house.
keeping as a solution for many domestic
| difficulties was made nearly twenty years
ago by New England woman. Mrs. Me-
lusina Fay Pierce, who published series
| of articles under that title in the atlantic
! Moaihly in 1868, and afterward collected
! them into volume.
Mrs. Pierce has, in her little book, some
sharp things to say to women. The wrongs
and oppression OF women, of which so
much is heard in these later days, are, in
! large measure, due to the very fact of her
having failed to keep step with the ten
| dency of modern civilization. She has
learned no lessons of organization as to
her labor or methods of spending the
money which the man earns for the sup
port of the family. Labor-in this coun-
try, at least-is well paid, and if families
do not live in comfort it is largely because
the money earned is not carefully and
wisely spent.
Here is an illustrative case: A family Of
three grown women and four children in
Brooklyn earned SIC a week a week. Their
food cost them Sc week, or 81 centsa day,
and consisted ofthree daily meals of which
two were composed entirely of tea, with
out milk or sugar, and bread without but
| ter. The third was of potatoes, meat and
pie. AT one of the cheap restaurants the
owner undertook TO feed five 'longshore-
men for Sligo a day and gave them for
| breakfast two cups of coffee with milk
and sugar. apiece, bread and butter, pota-
toes and two eggs each. Dinner consisted
| of roast beef, soup with vegetables and
barley, potatoes, bread and pudding. Sup
per was OF steak, potatoes, onions, bread
and butter and tea. This using the
most expensive kinds of meat, roast and
steak being far more costly than meats for
boiling and stewing, providing for the APP
| petites of laborlng men, and taking into
calculation the restaurateurs profit on his
business, the cost of rent, coal, service and
general plant; yet 1t is not-all this
double what il costs to feed in the mean
est way three women and four children.
The difference is, to great extent, in the
advantage to be had by the purchase of
food in quantity; for the tenement house
| poor, having no place to store their pur-
| chases, but in infinitesimal quantities.