Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-16

glish acts the Ladies' Dwelling Company,
limited. has been formed and the stock is on
the market. The Earl of Aberdeen is one
of the trustees for debenture holders; two Ia
dies are on the directorial staff. The pr1n-
cipal objects in view are stated to be: To
supply house accommodation, at reasonable
rates, to ladies OF small incomes, where,
whilst retaining their entire independence,
they may live better and with greater econ
omy than in the ordinary lodging houses; to
provide good food, regular meals, suitable
attendance at the lowest remuneratlve prices,
to the residents and other ladies; to provide
well.lighted studios and work-rooms for resi-
dents and their friends. Substantial sup
port has been given to the undertaking by
number of ladies and gentlemen of the high
est ability, and the Princess Mary of Cam
bridge, Duchess of Teck, lately performed
the ceremony of formally opening the great
house at Sloane's Gardens.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION.
Applicants for admission to these homes
are required to make written statements
concerning their birth. parentage and edu-
cation, and to give references as to their So
cial status which will satisfy the commit
tee in charge composed of ladies) that the
aspirant for residential comforts is lady.
These communications are considered conti-
DENTAL. and a moments reflection will
show how necessary they are to insure the
harmony and respectability of the house.
In England. where the law of primogeni-
ture is so strictly enforced, and the male
heir absorbs the entire rent roll Immediately
on his succession, there are great numbers
of aristocratic widows who are most
cruelty reduced in financial circum-
stances, though their social standing
remains unchanged. With many of the
great titles there is a dover house, and
the late Lord, but death plays such strange
tricks sometimes! Until the beautiful
Gladys, now the Countess de Grey, married
the Earl of that name there were no less
than three Countesses of Lonsdale existing
simultaneously, two of them dowagers.
The reason why the sprightly Lady Bless
ington got into her historical troubles was
because from being the wife of an Earl,
with rent roll of $500, 900, she suddenly
found herself widow with the proverbial
"mite" of an income. She chafed against
the change in circumstances, ran heavily
into debt, and the creditors put an execution
into Gore Lodge.
That the directors of the Ladies' Dwelling
Company have no intention of incurring
bad debts, is evident from the fact that they
-
sion to the house, the rent of the rooms is
weekly in advance; and meals are paid for
in cash or coupons bought at the office as
soon as terminated.
SOME ODD RULES ENFORCED.
The same restrictions which caused such
indignation at the Stewart mansion are in
force in these London homes. No dogs or
other pet animals are allowed to be kept;
musical instruments can be played under
certain conditions. Their use and that of
sewing machines is prohibited between the
hours of 10 P. M. and A. M. The house
doors are closed at 10 P. NJ; later comers
must ring the night bell and pay sixpence.
In case of infectious or serious illness, the
directors reserve the right of removing the
patients, with the concurrence of a medical
practitioner. A tenant desiring to make a
complaint must state it in writing addressed
to the House Committee. Notice to quit may
be given either by the directors or by the
tenant; in the case of an unfurnished room,
IA days; furnished room, seven days, no
cause for such notice required to be given
by either party.
Prices of rooms vary according to size;
the cheapest may be had for so small sum
as 81 IS per week. This is the unfurnished
room; but to show with what enactness ex-
pert hnanciers can calculate the certainty of
profit, room can be furnished by their
company for rental of 3711 cents per week.
This sum creates sinking fund which ad-
mits of the various articles being replaced
when worn out, and at the same time pays
fair rate of interest on the capital invested
in their original purchase.
SMALL, NEAT AND CHEAP.
To say that these rooms are spacious in
size would be untrue; the largest of them
hr1f no11 IT,, aF Af f6a
cheapest the system of dividing by curtains
to insure comparative privacy is practiced,
To such space the name of ''cubicle" is
given, contraction of the Latin cubieu-
lum, a bedchamber. But whatsoever their
size, the exquisite cleanliness OF the English
home is always observable in them. Neat,
whitecapped maid servants, armed with
brush and pail, are ever on the alert to keep
the place tidy as residence for "ladies."
The drawing room, library, and dining
rooms are large, airy and commodious, and
open, of course, to all residents alike.
Board may be partial or entire; in the latter
case it is charged for at the rate of about
So 70 per week for four meals per day
sufficient for anybody In all conscience.
The great need of the day is cheap homes
for holders of slender purses. The third
class railway carriages are those which pay
the finest profit in England. And railway
directors have had the sense to make these
coaches, in every practical way, as comfort
able as those of the first class. individuals,
as we'll as companies, are entering the cheap
boarding house business in London. Lady
Cunning, widow of clerical baronet de-
scended from the beautiful Cummings"
and herself offspring of a ducal house. has
opened six adjoining residences for ladies
only, where prices are as low as the strictest
financial calculation can offer them. Good
London references are required from appli-
cants for entrance to these houses.
1t is rumored that Lady Cunning will
next try the experiment of cheap homes for
gentlemen. Lord Rowton, it is stated,
has similar plan in view. There are sufi-
cient In England, and in America also. who
like home comforts almost as much as
women do, and would be glad to secure
them at the moderate rates of payment pre-
vailing, as 1 have given above, in the exist
ing Ladies' Homes of London.
OLIVE LOGAN.