The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-09-28
BACHELOR APARTMENTS.
To Meet Crying Want of Single
Women.

In the spring, we are so informed, a
young mans fancy lightly turns to
thoughts OF love- Probably. Bat It is
in them autumn that the girl bachelors
fancy solemnly Ieverts to the problem
Of the hall bedroom. says the New York
sun.
If the houses Of this city could be
sliced in two, like the toy houses with
which Children amuse themselves, there
would be a sight for gods and men. The
hall bedroom army is vast one, and
it Is mainly recruited from the ranks
of self-suppOrting women. Perhaps the
first year that a girl becomes one OF the
halI-ibedroom species she rather enjoys
IT, She dwells on the fact that her room
is coy. But before the first spring she
exchanges, in her mental vocabulary, the
word coy for small. and her tone when
speaking Of dimensions is apologize.
The next autumn she wonders why city
houses have no rooms OF intermediate
size and she wants two chairs, but she
hasn't room for them. The second spring
finds her as restless as Gagged squirrel,
and she has got into the habit Of saying
her prayers in bed, because she declares
she hasn't room 10 kneei down.
During the summer she takes an oath
that she will never live in a hall bed
room again. She runs across a friend
who has just recorded the same vow,
and hand in hand as il were. they set
out 10 seek a solution OF the same prob
lem. There are dozens OF these hapless
couples wandering up one block ana
down another this month. They can see
a Flat to Let sign twenty docks
with the naked eye. and they can tell
at a glance from the street how large
an apartment is and whether IT is rented
by the year or the month
Two Of these unhappy young women
appeared on the writer's horizon last
week. They were footsore and weary, and
there seemed to be a jaundiced express
sion In the way they lookd at things.
They were taciturn and gloomy until
an inquiry about their fiat prospects
was made. That opened the hoodgates.
Have you got a hat?' repeated the
less weary one "Have we got nat!
MOI I don't think there is one 10 suit us
in the city Of New York. That is. not
within a radius OF twenty-five blocks
from Thirtieth street and Firth avenue.
What do we want? Not the earth, by any
means. We want an apartment or four
or five rooms and bath. We should ike
to have II no higher than the third moor,
and we should be glad to have 1t light
1t without carrying candles. We should
keenly appreciate janitor who would
keep the halls clean, and we should be
abjectly thankful for a closet. We should
be willing TO pay $40 a month. which
seems a fair amount when you consider
that S75 is the price for seven-room
apartments answering this description.
"But we have secured the streets in
vain. We have come 10 the conclusion
that we are not wanted in human affairs.
There are the most charming buildings,
with the most complete little apartments.
in the most accessible localities. and at
prices so moderate as TO turn your head,
but they bear fatal Inscription which
is as prohibitory as the yellow nag or
quarantine. They are Bachelor Apart
ments.'
Now, for the sake OF the luckless
women in whose tired footsteps we have
been treading. and OF those who are even
now treadng In ours. want to know why
some one does not put up an apartment
house that VIII make the eyes OF thu