The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-26
COOPERATIVE HOUSEKEEPING
The Bellamy Plan In Successful Action In
Kansas.

lSpeclal Correspondence to Washington Start
junction City, Kan, May %, 1894.
The Bellamy idea of cooperative
housekeeping has had thorough trial
at junction City, and the results are
more than satisfactory. The oganiza-
ton of the Junction City Cooperative
Cooking Club was brought about in
peculiar way. One cold December morn
ing three prominent ladies of that town
found themselves without "hired girls.
They happened to meet and each told
her experience in failing to keep help.
All OF them had read Bellamy's books,
and the plans of cooperative housekeep-
ing advanced by that author were con-
sldered In detail. 1t was new idea,
and they believed they could induce
enough of the people to join the move
ment to make it succeed. They accord
lngly called their friends together and
made an assessment of $2 so per head,
Bellamy Housekeeping Association sat
down to as fine breakfast as anyone
]eouid wish. Then the membership was
small, but since that time forty families
have joined, and today it is the most
talked about and popular institution in
| Central Kansas.
junction City is q substantial old
Town OF 1000 people 1t is a pleasant
home town." where many farmers who
nave grown wealthy, or at least well-to
! do, have retired so as to live easy and
| have the advantage of good schools for
| the education of their children. This
class make up the membership of the
Rellamy Club. The town escaped the
deadenlng and destructive boom which
| swept over Kansas seven years ago, and
| hence the banker does not live in
| palatlal mansion in the middle of a corn
| held addition" nor does the lawyer re-
side mile away in his wheat field sub
urb. The town is compactly built, and
the people are brought together in their
| business and social relations, condi-
| tion which made the formation of the
reside near the dining hall, none of
| them living more than four blocks dis
tant. The streets are kept very clean,
and bicycles are used by nearly all the
mem bers. One family has three, one
| for the father, one for the mother and
one for the boy of six The baby, a,year
old, is taken to his meals in a basket
| tied in the front of the fathers machine.
There is no complaining by members
OF the club. Should there be any the
party making the complaint would be
voted out of the association. So far no
one has been stricken from the rolls on
| this account. On each Saturday after
noon a committee of three ladies meet to
| hear suggestions for the bill of fare for
| the following week. This committee
receives the assessment of s. so every
| week, pays the cooks and dining room
girls, audits all bills and starts the ma
chinery going for the following week.
| The committee makes no purchases,
| leaving all this to the housekeeper, who
| has entire control of the kitchen, as no
member is allowed to, enter that depart
ment. When a member has any fault to
| find with the service he or she complains
| to the vice president, who calls the
housekeeper in and investigates the
complaint. Applications are numerous
from women who want to work. for the
| Bellamy Club, The work is easier than
the ordinary homework, and the addi-
tional advantage is that the girls have
no woman to boss" them. When the"
meals are cooked they are IT liberty to
go where they please. School teachers
and high school girls generally hold
| these positions.
While the bill Of fare Is plain, it is
better than the average family enjoys.
| Usually the breakfast consists of oat-
meal and cream, broiled beefsteak and
| eggs, French fried potatoes, mullins,
maple sirup and peaches. The dinner
! and supptr rs are equal to those served
| il the average hotel. Each family fur
nishes its table with linen, dishes and
silver ware. Those who do not furnish
these articles are assessed 50 per week
by the auditing committee. The host
pays the association 20cents per meal for
each guest,
The objection made to the cooperative
plan is that it interferes with the home
nd breaks into the privacy of the
family cilc.e. This objection only comes
from those who are outside the club,
and never from members. The women
especially hold that the system forces
them out into the fresh air three times
a day, and that the social intercourse
in the dining room with neighbors and
friends gets them out of beaten path
and makes their lives so much brighter
and happier. This is the experience of
every member of the Junction City Bell
amy Club. and it is an argument that is
winning many converts to that plan of
| living.