Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-02
WITHIN THE NEXT FORTNIGHT PLANS

oMY AND PLEASANT SURROUNDINGS PROMISED. /
WITHIN THE NEXT FORTNIGHT PLANS |
w which have been maturing for some time |
past for the establishment Of . women's hotel /
in Washington will have arrived at the point Of /
active execution. Fifteen OF twenty duly au- |
thorized persons will go about the eity and
secure subscriptions to the fund required for |
the establishment of the enterprise upon
secure financial basis. IL il estimated that |
Sioo, 900 will be required for the purpose. and |
the expectation is confidently entertained that |
no difficulty will be had in procuring 90 much. |
the scheme having already received very cordial |
and general approval among influential per- |
sons, who have given their names 70 IL in |
dorsement |
CENTRAL LOCATION. /
As soon a. the money IL obtained ground |
will be purchased in central location and a
suitable building will be erected upon It
Plans for the structure have not been COM
pleted as yet, because its size and manner OF
construction will chiefly depend upon the
amount of cash available. II will presumably
contain at least 200 bed rooms. also . number
OF drawing rooms OF moderate size. . library,
reading room, q gymnasium and hall, with
q stage for entertainments. There viii be q
restaurant open to the public.
ABOUT HOTELS FOR WOMEN.
Experiments with hotels for women have
often been made. Usually they have failed be-
cause it was attempted to place restrictions
upon the liberties of the inmates. Tho most
notable instance of this kind was the institu-
which A. L. Stewart, the dry goods millionaire,
established in New York about fifteen years
ago. Those for whose benefit the house was
opened would not live there, tor the reason
that 1t was attempted to keep watch over their
lncomings and outgoings They were not even
permitted to receive visits from their male &C.
quaintances, which was a deprivation of nat
ural rights altogether into.erabe. Accordingly.
tho establishment turned out failure. No such
mistakes will be made in the management of
the proposed womens hotel here.
NECESSARY SUPERVISION.
Wherever number Of persons OF either sex
| are gathered together some sort q. supervision
| is necessity. But in the women's hotel at
Washington no more restrictions will be i'm
| posed on the personal liberty Of the
boarders than are usual in any respectable
| boarding house. A board OF GOVERNOR elected
| by the subscribers to the capital stock Of the
concern, will exercise control over all affairs,
| just as Id customary with any ciub. There will
be ouse committee which viii have charge
of the running gear Of the institution. Among
| the necessary rules of order viii doubtless be
| prohibition against the reception of male
visitors in the private rooms of boarders, but
! reception rooms viii be provided for that pur-
| pose. Men will be welcome to use the
tauFant and to attend entertainments and lee
lures.
wHEEE SHALL A WOMAN BOARD?
'Where shall board?' is question OF COM
paratively small moment to man. but of su-
preme importance to a woman, especially il she
| Is single. Nowhere is this quest on more inn
portant than in ashingtou-essentially a city
of strangers. Small wonder, then, that visions
of feminine Utopia within four walls in the
4 shape OF a great boarding house for women.
| with promises of security, economy, wide range
of congenial companolsh and other ameni-
ties. should have hoated before MANY female
mind. But in such an enterprise As this there
must be no consideration of charity involved,
else it is sure to fail Furthermore
| those who benefit by il will insist
upon preserving their Independence. A
| women's hotel in order to succeed must afford
| facilities for enjoyment superior to those of the
| ordinary boarding house and must be more
economical. As to the last point, it is believed
that board, lodging and all privileges can be
| supplied at a cost to each inmate OF not more
that $3.50 week.
| NO SOCIAL LINE WILL BE DRAWN
respecting admissions to the institution. Neces-
sarily those who enjoy its benefits will compose
a rather heterogeneous gathering. IL they
were all forced to associate together promiscu-
ousy there would be unpleasantness. But such
| Will DC euliTely dNClOtu DIV tnc
adoption OF what might be called q system OF
| clubs within a club. That is to say, the board
| ers will form cliques among themselves, accord
| ing to individual inclination. and each little
| club formed will have its own reception
| room. to which only its own members will
be admitted. There will be a general
| drawing room, where any newcomer can re-
| ceive her friends and flock by herself until
| she makes acquaintance and Is elected to one
| OF the clubs. Thus yerything will be thoroughly
4 81 H.
will De at liberty, OF course, to invite any per-
| son she desires into the reception room OF her
| own club.
THE FIRST STEPS.
| While the women's hotel will be designed to
attract well-to-do women its primary purpose
will be to afford TO women of limited means
security and suitable accommodations without
obliging them to accept charity. This cannot
| be done in house that receives only tine
poorly paid and the penniess. such estab-
lishment obliges every one who enters it to
| confess herself poor which Is precisely what no
one wants to do. The first thing necessary,
| therefore, is to gather in the Institution con-
siderable number Of prosperous women. who
| will give a superior tone and prevent all sus-
picion of charity. The next thing will be to
provide within the hotel SO many attractions
that the poor will obviously appear to resort
to it not for the sake of economy, but for
| the sake OF pleasanter living. Economy will
be the necessary result OF the presence Of
q large number, permitting purchases at
| wholesale prices and other ways. demand
will be created for work in the kitchen, dining
room. laundry. sewing room, &c. which can
be filed by those temporarily out OF employ
ment who will thus be enabled to earn their
board and small wages until they can find en-
ploymeut elsewhere. Their work will be done
| under careful instruction; the kitchen will be-
come q cooking school, the sewing room Q
dressIaaking school. the Homework . school
for domestic servants.
HOW THE MONEY WILL BE RAISED.
The money necessary il to be raised BY means
| Of q loan. Bonds will be given for the cash
subscribed, from el0 upward, secured by mort
gage on the real estate. The surplus revenue
| arising from admission of outside club mem
| bers. hotel receipts from transients, proceeds
| Of outside custom admitted TO dining room,
laundry, dressmaking establishments, &C., rent
| Of hall to outside parties and proceeds Of en-
tertainments will be devoted to paying in tsrest
and ultimately to redeeming the bonds OF
course, no hope Of large profits can be offered
| as . motive for subscribing. Money may be
! deposited to the credit Of the Women's Hotel
| Society ut the Office Of the American Security
| and Trust Company, No. 14l9 @ street Re-
ceipts given viii be exchanged fer bonds -
| soon a. the property has been purchased.
| The class Of women which wall DO most bens-
fted by this new enterprise will be Of the de-
partments clerical They will find In the
| women's hotel advantages for living purposes
| which thav hav long al o. ad for in vasn 1ha~>