The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-06
BELLAMY'S DREAM.
His Utopian Ideal Realized in
"rhe Roby' in Illinois.

Ine SERVANT girl question: Dut al eheSo
faint nothin'," as a small boy remarked
in my presence when these advantages
were being enumerated. "We've got
something Chicago amt got. It's a Bel
lamy boarding house"
This is the history of the e K pirment:-
Miss Fanny Fuller and her mother
boarded at The Roby with Mrs. Guyton.
1t was the swell boarding house of De-
catur. The Misses Witherspoon, two
| handsome young ladies also boarded
there. Mrs. Guyton never had trouble
with her servant girls.
Why?
Because the work was systematized.
One did the cooking and laundry work,
another the second work. One had the
table to wait on and the dining-roonl to
care for. When their work was done the
girls went where they pleased.
This set Miss Fanny Fuller to thinking.
| One day she read Looking Backward"
and proceeded to look forward. Where
others read and marvelled and criticised,
| came into Mrs. Guyton's room with an
idea. She read the chapter from Bella
my's book on the public d~ining-room.
sWhy can't we do it?" she asked.
eve can" said Mrs. Guyton decidedly.
Miss Fuller put on her smart jacket and
hat and called on the ladies of her ac-
| ouaintance with her idea. Everybody
was charmed. The gentlemen forgot i'm
| patience and listened.
A few weeks later a meeting was held
In Mrs. Guyton's parlors. After u NUM-
Der of whereases it was resolved to estab-
lish:-
l.. A cooperative association for the benefit
Of all its members.
2. No debts shall be contracted.
8. A president. secretary and treasurer shall
be elected from among the members.
4. A superintendent shall bs appointed to
act as the purchasing agent of the club. vouch-
ers to be delivered to the treasurer.
5. Members shall pay $2.T5 a week board to
the treasurer; children under ten half price.
6. The superintendent is to have entire
charge Of the dining-room, kitchen and ser
wants, under the direction of the board of mana.
gers.
It was agreed by all present to sign the
| constitution, these being the charter
members. Applicants for membership
| should lave their names posted in the
~dining-room three days before admission
and no one was to be received If a serious
| objection were raised by any one member.
Mrs. Guyton's basement was rented, in
Guiding a large dining room, kitchen and
pantries, a manager installed, two cooks
| and three waiter girls hired and the CO.
operative club, after paying a member
ship fee of dollars and one weeks
board in advance, sat down to their first
meal at The Roby. Mrs. Guyton gave up
keeping boarders. and h and all her
guests fell into the new order of things.
| 1uGI6 ID In OLO - 0AN oOA .
| enthusiasm. She met me and began an
other book of her epic.
eve nave fifty-four members-men,
women and children-all of the upper
crust aristocracy, who are used to living
we'll, and they wouldn't put up with
ST. 5 a week a head; half price for chill
dren."
"What do you have TO eat ~
Everything in season. Stay to sup
per and ind out. Now we get everything
| down to minimum COST by having each
| family bring Its own linen and silver and
fancy dishes. We have a common stock of
decorated china. The club rents my base
ment including the range. Expenses are
| like this
Rent Cat SIS q month"; ............-.... 5 8 co
Managers salary 10 20
I Head . W
Second z 70
Three walters at $2.50..................- so
1.-THE income is tr0m:-
Fifty-two grown people, at 81. IS. .........S 142 90
One child, half 40
sl4a 40
''This is something like what the club
EATS
Fruit: cereal food of some kind; two
kinds Of meat; eggs. potatoes, biscuit,
griddle cakes or rolls, toast, tea and
coffee.
DINNER.
Soup, relish or salad; one kind of fish
| and two kinds of meat; three vegetables;
pie or pudding, fruit, coffee, tea, chocolate
or milk.
Cold meat: baked or cream potatoes;
| salad; hot rolls, cakes or mullins; fruit or
dessert; coffee, tea chocolate or milk.
"That is about as good as anybody
lives" remarked Miss Fuller. 1T is all
dainty and well cooked and nicely
/ went down into the dining-roem, a
large, cool apartment in the basement.
Eight or nine tables were covered with
snowy linen. Napkins in rings, silver
and china were on the table.
They all expressed h emselves as being
| charmed with the experiment., and did
not fear the pessimistic prophecies con-
| corning its destruction The books show
that the bills are being paid up every
week out Of the allowance. 1t is a sue
cess, financially and socially, so FIR, and
l can recommend the table.
III you should ever go to Decatur / adj
wise you to get q room somewhere and
take your meals at The Roby, in the CO.
| operative boarding house. Guests are
charged twenty-five cents a meal. BY
this means you will fare better for less
money, meet the cream of Decatur So
| ciety and see the practical working of q
par6 OF Bellamy's dream. You will be
| converted to the idea of cooperative
| cuisines and go home to spread the new
| gospel. Cooks will be abolished from
| dwelling-houses and housekeepers emau-
cipated.
The servant girl question will be solved.
Chicago Tribune
No Crinoline and Hustle.
Mrs. Whitney, the wife Of the ex-secre-