Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-12
HOW SINGLE WOMEN LIVE.
THE DIsGoMFoRTs OF BOARDING AND
L0DGING-HoUsEs.
Difficulties Encountered by self-Support
ing Single Women in Housekeep-
ing-A Clever Method.

nave zone WIN DOarQlng-nouSSS Tor
ever p was the remark of clever, self
supporting woman the other day. And
then she related her recent experiences.
1t was history of small things, very
small indeed, but of things that 60 far to-
ward making life endurable or otherwise.
1t was the story of hundreds of women
similarly situated, alone in the world with
work that must be done to give them
bread with no home, with the desire for
one, and yet with no alternative but a
clearinghouse.
And what does such woman get in a
boarding house? A hall bedroom, with
the certainty of three meals day if she
can find it convenient to be at table at GER
tain hours, corner in gloomy, dimly-
lighted parlor in which to receive her
friends, and an endless amount of gossip
about her goings- out and comings-in.
A lodging house, if she can get into one,
for very few of them will receive women, is
not much better; it is rather worse. She
will find in the average clearinghouse no
parlor, and so will be obliged to receive
her friends in her sleeping-room, rent an
other room or resort to the modern luxury
of a folding bed, which she will probably
be obliged to buy with her own money.
The room question settled, there is
the question of meals to be decided. If
the landlady is obliging she will permit
the heating of water over an alcohol lamp,
but there are ten chances to one that she
is not, and so the pleasure of making ones
own coffee must be foregone. This upsets
ones plans completely, for although it
may be an easy and pleasant thing to go
out to dinner, it is neither to go out 10
breakfast. For those whose work takes
them out early it is necessity, but there
frequently comes holiday even to them,
when cosy breakfast at home would be a
delight.
Well, what is to be done? Go to house
keeping? Women living on small in
comes cannot afford it, even when it is CO.
operative And, besides, they have not
the time to give to it. And then there is
the everlasting servant question. Women
who are engaged in an occupation have not
the time to teach ignorant people, and
they have not sufficient money to pay for
trained servants, and so we get back to the
starting point again. Boarding houses and
lodging houses are ruled out of considera-
ton; housekeeping in a whole house is
not to be thought of on account of expense,
and there remains only flat life But fat
life has the same drawbacks as housekeep-
ing-the high rent and the necessity of
keeping servant. Then, too, single
woman does not want so many rooms as even
the smallest fat, arranged for housekeep-
ing, contains The few apartment houses
wherein room without kitchens may be
had are not numerous in large cities, and
the majority of them are very expensive,
or are intended only for bachelors.
And every year the large army of self
supporting women increases, and The real
estate agents say that they have a con-
tinual demand from women for studios;
that is, a demand for apartments similar to
those that are built for and rented to men
one room or two rooms and bath. The
tenant wants to cook ornot to cook, as she is
inclined, and there must be no boarding
school rules regarding the use of gas after
a certain hour at night.
There are a few such houses in any large
city, and fortunate are the woman who are
able to get into them. As women are
gradually being recognized as intelligent
and trustworthy human beings, it is reas-
enable to hope that in the near future their
comfort will be taken into consideration
as well as that of men. and that houses
will be built for their accommodation. In
the meantime, the majority of them strug-
gle with refractory landladies, and exist in
uncomfortable rooms. But those few who
succeed in obtaining rooms in we'll
appointed apartment house, where rooms
may be had at reasonable prices, where
there is ianitor to call on when necessary,
and where the care of their rooms is in
Guided in the rent, have comfortable
time. They lead an independent life, and
get far more comfort and pleasure than the
dweller in a clearinghouse.
A dinner was given the other day by
two young women who live in this way,
and very enjoyable affair it was, albeit
very simple. The party consisted of four,
the hostess and two guests, and the dinner
cost very little more than a dollar. Of
what did it consist? OF not many things,
but everything was the best of its kind.
Having limited supply of plates, and no
arrangements for cooking, the dinner nee
essarily consisted chiefly of cold dishes,
and of those that necessitated but one
change of table service. The small table
was covered with white cloth of the
finest linen damask, and some of the silver
dated back three or four generations. The
china was also family china, and was of the
finest French and Japanese, beautifully
decorated. The table presented an at
tractive and dainty appearance.
The first course was boiled eggs odd,
perhaps, TO begin a dinner in this way,
but they were deliciously fresh, and
cooked to perfection. The next course
was cold tongue, with lobster salad, both
of which were bought cooked and pre-
pared for the table at a contectioner's.
After this were served ripe, red tomatoes,
and with it all fresh bread and butter and
delicious sherry wine. The price of the
latter, of course, was not included in the
cost of the dinner. For desert there were
peaches, sliced and drowned in cream and
sugar, and coffee that was like nectar.
What more than this could one desire for
a midsummer dinner?
These two women share an apartment
for the purpose of lessening expenses and
among their friends an invitation 10 take
dinner or a morning cup of coffee with
Inen is esteemed privilege ana pleas
ure. They invariably make their coffee
for breakfast, eat light luncheon of fruit,
bread and butter, milk and eggs, and fire.
quently dine at home as described above,
finding that in this way they can live on
very little money. They are able to
choose what they want for dinner and
have 1t at the hour that suits them best,
and they enjoy the privilege Of using their
own china and silver 1t took them some
time, three or four years, to find out this
way of living, but they think that, for
women who work and receive only moder-
ate incomes, it is the best and cheapest
way. There are plenty of confectionaries,
restaurants and other respectable shops
where meats, salads and pastry are sold,