Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-08-11
A TRAINING HOTEL.
A SCHOOL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF TRusTy aMTcHEN HELP"

How Clean Lodgings and WhoIesome
Board ut Reasonable Prices May BE
Furnished Guests OF Limited Means and
Good Moral Character Outline Plan.
The cry for clean lodgings. wholesome
board, moderate and reasonable prices
goes up ON every hand Thousands Of
clerks. both male and female, in our stores
and offices, thrown upon their own re-
sources, find themselves in large city
without home. Students, apprentices,
young men just starting either in their
professions or in business must live as
well as people better of. How infinitely
better for many q young man and young
woman If they could marry when but q
few years older relatively than their par
ents when they married-providing the
aforesaid young man can support himself
and family. Commercial drummers, tour
lists and others, commonly known as
"transients," an army ever on the in
crease, are continually seeking clean and
respectable places wherein to lay their
heads and whereat to be filed, with the
reasonable assurance Of having enough
money left after paying their hotel bills
in the morning with which to get out Of
town.
A practical solution of these much
mooted questions-the condition of the
"city slave girl" and Of the hired girl, .
and the betterment thereof-to q limited
extent at least, would seem to lie in q
proper recognition and skillful combi-
nation of these two great public demands:
~ The demand, on the one hand, for ex-
perienced and trustworthy help; (2) the
demand, on the other hand, for clean
lodgings, wholesome food, moderate
prices.
Now as to the ''modus operandi." Sc
cure suitable location, probably near one
Of the large railroad stations in the city
Erect there plain. freproof, commodious
hotel, with the modern improvements,
capable of comfortably accommodating
1000 guests, both as 'transients" and as
regulars. Furnish an ordinary so cent
meal or bed for 25 cents, or board and
lodging at 81 per day or S. per week.
Such hotel would necessarily be fur
nished very plainly throughout. Per-
haps no carpets would deck the
oiled hard pine floors. But, notwith
standing, everything could be kept scru-
pulously clean; the food could be whole
some, well cooked, and plenty of it, even
IA tnO aCiACdCAcb vi tuc StdSOu were WANT
ing. And under proper management such
institution could be made to pay for itself
in time. Prices would be so reasonable,
the service SO excellent, that people would
naturally flock to such places of refuge
without the expense of advertising. In
other words, it would advertise itself.
The two chief conditions for admission
into such hotel homo would be good moral
character and weekly payment in ad-
vance.
To run such hotel properly would prob
ably require no more servants than are
today required to minister to the wants
OF an equal number of guests in any
ordinary hotel. Although the domestics
would be novices, still the hotel would
make little pretensions at anything but
cleanliness. Everything would be con-
structed to save work wherever possible
Such hotel to accommodate 900 guests
would require probably anywhere from
$50 to 200 domestics all the time. These
servants would be under experienced in
structors, the best that money could COM
mand. For instance, dinner would be
prepared by class of fifty, if necessary,
each at her own range, arranged in semi
circles, with the chief cook in the center,
much as instruction in chemistry and
other sciences in our colleges is now i'm
parted. There would be regular courses
of instruction in cuisine, in laundering,
etc. The primary object would be to give
each graduate adequate knowledge of how
to go into any well regulated kitchen or
laundry and take entire charge thereof
The immediate consideration for such
service would be none other than board,
lodging, necessary clothes, aforesaid in
struction, and the promise that SO soon as
competent the institution would do all in
its power to find its graduates acceptable
situations in respectable families or other
hotels at remunerative wages. The sur
plus in the receipts of this hotel-for in
stance, 1000 regular boarders at S. per
week or $3.50, 900 yearly-left after paying
all running expenses, salaries of the vari-
GUS necessary instructors and assistants,
besides possibly A per cent. interest on the
original investment, would form fund
from which prizes would be given those
girls who had completed a systematic
course of training, possibly averaging $50
to $40 cash per year for each graduate
during preparation. This would be better
than paying them weekly wages, however
small, for the incentive to complete the
course, not only for the knowledge but
for the pecuniary reward awaiting the
faithful, would be so strong as to prac-
tically prevent their working a few weeks,
getting respectable outfit of cloth
ing, and then quitting. Then, again, re-
ceiving upon completing the course Gn-
stead of weekly whatever pecuniary in
ducement such institution might be able
to extend them would prevent their fool
ing away upon trihes their earnings, thus
quietly reducing to a minimum their in
ordinate desire to run which discipline
they would find when in service in pri-
vate families not to be their least recon-
mendation. All their necessary wants
would be supplied and they would have
no occasion for pocket money.
After years faithful service in such
institution a sergeant could command
from one-third to two-thirds more wages
than before. and after two years such
service she would receive double, or, in
exceptional cases, triple her present
wages, besides being forever insured a
good home in some well to do and re-
spectacle family. Should she afterward
conclude to marry-for with such a wo-
man it would no longer be q question
whether or not man could be found to
ask her-her husband would find her to
be veritable treasure.-E. H. Sanford in
Chicago Times.