The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-11
BELLAMY'S PLAN
OF HOUSEKEEPING.
How to Get All the Comforts Of Home al
Minimum Expense.
Scheme for Those Who Are Weary of Boarding
Cooperative Dove-COtes Where There
Are No Tough Steaks.

1t is said that Utopian hash must be a
failure. and that Bellamy housekeeping is
only pretty fancy, writes Edith Sessions
Tupper in the World. A clearinghouse in
Illinois conducted on the most approved
plans of Looking Backward" has Just come
to grief and the various families are picking
up their household goods, and preparing to
readjust themselves to first principles The
main trouble seemed to be over hours for
meals and the sort of food to be prepared.
One family desired to breakfast at on
toast and coffee; another chose beefsteak
at 9. One wanted hot supper; another
voted for cold meats and muSh. There was
constant friction; there were jars lnnumer
able; there was q final smash, and the
Bellamy clearinghouse was broken up.
Don't talk to me of cooperative house.
keeping" said preJudiced woman. above
all, don't talk of cooperative housekeeping
for women alone. 1t can't be done. l tell
you no roof is strong enough to cover three
or four women who think they can keep
house together. y hornets nest would be
a little paradise beside such a home"
But cooperative housekeeping can be
made success. There must, of course, be
more or less OF individual compromise, COM
munity of taste, good Judgment and plain,
everyday common sense employed in its
workings. Method, too. There must be no
hit and miss, .go-as-you-plea fashions
Moreover, when choosing co-0peratOrs,
two kinds of people should be persistently
ayoided-those who love everybody to gush-
ing, and those who believe they have a
special permit to run the entire solar system.
Suppose for one moment that you are "a
lone, lorn creetur," wearied of boarding,
and that you desire to take unto yourself
seven other spirits, do not select the woman
who is eternally telling you
HOW SWEET AND LOVELY
You are, nor yet the one who is constantly
defining your duty. Take rather the woman
who can hold her tongue and mind her
business, II such rara avis can be caught.
There are really no valid reasons why
women of congenial tastes. independence
and sense cannot keep house together and
dwell in unity. Three or four bread-winners
may club together and have, in place OF the
hall bedroom or third floor back, bright
cosy little home to go to after a hard days
work in office or studio.
Uptown, in one of the nineties, this eX-
pertinent has been tried, and with most
beautiful results. Four women, two of
whom are well-known Journalists, the third
an author, and the fourth an artist, have
taken a pretty house at a rental of $500 q
year. The author, by virtue of her years,
her lovely gray hair and a bank account, is
the manager of the establishment, doing all
the ordering, marketing, paying of bills, etc.
At the end of each month the accounts
are presented TO the others, and each one
settles for her share of the comforts and
Injuries enjoyed. The lady manager puts
these accounts under four heads-house ex-
penses, including rent, gas, coal, etc. SER
vice, which includes all help. indoors and
out; table expenses; breakage and wear and
tear.
She keeps an itemized account of all these
expenses, and insists that the others shall
examine her books at the end of each
month.
The service consists of maid who does
everything about the house save the wash
ing and ironing, which is attended to by q
laundress. who comes Monday and Tuesday
of each week, and a colored man, who at
tends to the furnace, takes care OF the front
walk, steps, windows and vestibule. Ii
special service is required the manager acts
at her discretion.
In the matter of food it is quite fortunate
that this quartet has unanlmlty OF taste.
For breakfast there is always cereal with
cream, fruit, eggs, toast and coffee. There
are always
CHOPS IN THE REFRIGERATOR.
Each member of the family comes down
when she pleases to find the oatmeal and
coffee hot, the eggs ready to be boiled at a
moments notice, and, if shes:wishes chop,
has only to order 1t quickly broied.
Every one is away for luncheon. For
dinner there is always soup. plain salad,
roast, three vegetables, dessert and coffee.
II wine Is wished. that, too, is paid for from
the common purse, though if one wishes to
bring home treat in the line of wine OF
fruit no objection is offered by the others.
Indeed, the newspaper women generally