Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-22
Copyrighted 1889. ]

Not the kings daughters nor the socie ties
for the suppression of the various iniquities,
the Salvation Army and the rest, are now max
ing suchsubstantial progress as the Society for
the Discouragement Of Matrimony. The So
ciety proper, its officers are kept in that strict
seclusion which is most effective for its public
work, but its agents, the real estate owners and
builders are carrying on an active and aggres-
sive campaign
/ Following the example OF the temperance
people who set up coffee-houses to forestall the
drinking Of liquor, this society builds bach
elor's apartment-houses, and these are so
| equipped and carried on thst according to the
statistics it is alleged that the average sum Of
comfort and happiness has been largely in
creased over the older method of marriage.
| The only objection to the plan, and it ia an
objection that is manifestly reasonable. is that
thus far the society has worked only for men,
while its aim, as every one will agree, is one in
which women are equally interested. I have
taken some pains to get an expression from
women similarly placed, on the subject and so
/ far from Directing to the work of the society,
they object only to its limitations, and their
| feeling toward men for whom the society labors
| is rather one of envy.
The first OF these apartment houses was
"The Benedict" on South Washington square,
The name gave the watchword Of the new I'M
dertaking. 1t was built by Mr.. Lucius Tucker
| man, and especially with view to the needs of
artists. literary and professional men. num-
Der OF the best-known artists live IN ''The Ben
| edict," Mr.. George Maynard, Mr. Francis Iath-
rop. Dir. Robert Blum, Mr.. A. P. Ryder. Com
mander II. II. Gorringer lived there, and their
he died.
| FITTED UP FOR BACHELORS.
| If by any chance man back-slides and mar
ries he is forced to leave The Benedict as his
habitation, although he may do his work there.
Among the men whom this fate has befallen
| are MIR. Wyatt Eaton and Mr.. Olin Warner. But
! with certain degree of consideration Mr.
Iuckerman has built an annex to The Benedict
fronting on Washington place, and there men
| who have married may be admitted privilege
| accepted for example by Mr.. Augustus Saint
| Gaudens
| The Benedict, although modest is one Of the
! most thoroughly comfortable of the bachelor
apartment houses. 1t has bureau of Informal
| tlon with all the paraphernalia of speaking
tubes, and an attendant to take charge of and
| answer inquiries; there is an elevator. The
suites OF rooms are adapted TO different needs
| and different purses of men,
The house is very agreeable to the eye, the
wood Is red and the walls are painted the color
of yellow clay, which here is really charming.
| The lifting up of the rooms is left to the occu-
| pants, and is artistic rather than luxurious Mr.
Francis Lathrop. who has one of the apart
| ments overlooking the square, has overlaid his
u
way that style of decoration he so successfully
practices.
OTHER BACHELOR FLATS.
The example of The Benedict was speedily
followed by turning the old Hotel st. Germaine
into bachelor apartments, under the name of
the Cumberland" The Cumberland fills the
broad end OF the wedge that faces 23d street,
Broadway, and 9Th avenue. Its situation in the
heart OF town brought to it clientele that
could afford its high rents, and with these came
a greater degree of luxury than is found in the
modest equipment of the Benedict"
when the Metropolitan opera house was
putt the upper floors were assigned to bach
eior apartments, although the restrictions are
not rIgidly insisted on, and these are the largest
most perfectly appointed, and most comfortable
In town. More recently has been built the
Jansen" on Waverly Place, and the "Alpine."
which Is the most important and boldest step
yet taken. 1t stands on one OF the most prom
inent corners on Broadway. 1t gets the eastern
sun and catches the southern breeze and COM
mands the painted sky in the evening. It has
everything that comes within the term modern
convenlences, boys and bells and tubes but
| tons and what not. In it live swell artists,
prosperous young commercial men, lucky
brokers, and that class of men, who find
life pleasant as well as prosperous In the Al
pine also lives merry MIR. Marshall o. Wilder,
just two corners below another large bache-
Tor apartment house, the 'San Carlo" is now
4 along
right angle, and has in this way secured win
dows on every side. These windows it has
fashIonably hung in green. Estimating from
the number OF windows and the average space
allotted to each bachelor, the house appears to
offer accommodation to at least 100 men Thus
the work goes on.
A BACHELOR APARTMENT
is understood to be a sitting-room. bedroom
and bath. But the sitting-room may have an
,rhs atao
vate bath may not be included This will he
according to the means Of the bachelor. and
apartment houses are built accordingly. In
most houses there Is a restaurant, and break
fast, If desired, can be served in the rooms. II
there Is no restaurant, the janitor, the only
man VINO Is permitted to indulge in wife and
family, usually utilities his wife and children
IN furnishing provisions, tea and coffee in a
small way, and bareheaded women carving
trays are features of most of the studio apart.
ment houses.
There are no regulations in bachelor apart
ment house beyond the unwritten laws that
prevail in civilized communities No bachelor.
for example, would be allowed to throw a glass
OF water out OF the window. Equally necessary
to their success is the absence Of small extor-
tons In the way of fees. In the Metropolitan
Up house apartments gas, heat, attendance,
the sum totai of rent This accords with the
American idea that money Ia relatively smaller
In lump. Another important consideration
Is that the elevator runs all night, whereas in
the only apartments that the women can secure
the elevators stop at o'clock.
AN EXCEPTIONAL CASE
Bachelor apartments are never furnished. or
I should say, rarely furnished. There is one
notable exception. In the beautiful new church
house given by Mr.. Pierpont Morgan to St
Georges church, complimenting the remarka-
BILE work done by the Rev. Mr. Rainsford the
upper floor is given over to the living rooms of
the assistant young clergymen that the nagni-
tude OF the work demands. Their sitting room
is an immense living inside room attractiyelv
titted up and with capacious rocking chair for
each preacher. The sleeping rooms open ont
off this; some have private snuggeries attached
These sleeping rooms are dainty enough for
girls OF sixteen. There are pretty chamber
sets of light wood with dressing cases and what
women would call little sewing chairs, Each
room has some prevailing tint, rose or blue,
which Is accented in a luxurious duvet folded
across the snowy beds.
But most young men have to do their own
furnishing, and the taste they develop for not
only luxury but even feminine adornments ia
marvellous. The other evening IL was my good
fortune to see the rooms in which two young
doctors make themselves comfortable and
they even had two covers tied to the chairs.
arranged as drapeiies, and the chairs wore
tldies. Nothing could show more conclu-
sively that women are no longer indispensable.
Naturally one OF the most artistic apart
ments was that Of Nr. w. NJ. Chase in his
bachelor days. This included the lofty studio
4 NH ~ Ill h. -