The Washington times., 1895-06-19
WILHELM BERNHARDT, Ph. d.
SUMMER HOMES FOR BACHELORS.
Possibilities in the Suburbs of New
York Tint Are Oddly NegIeCted.

Possibilities in the Suburbs of New
York That Are Oddly Neglected.
Although there are bachelor apartment
houses in New York and bachelor families
where three or four men regularly keep
house, there are few if any such establish
ments in the suburbs for the summer ac-
commodation of bachelors that earn their
living in the city, says the New York
mering in the suburbs OF New York has
Sun. The possibilities of bachelor sum
been oddly neglected. The bungalow sys-
TEN Of Anglo-Indian bachelors is quite pos
sible in the suburbs OF New York, and
doubtless should ii once become popular
capital could be found To provide the
necessary dwelling. The number Of such
available dwellings, is now doubtless up to
the demand OF this summer and next.
Something OF this sort has been tried by
a few groups of men with entire satisfaC-
ton. and from data furnished by one Of
them it is easy TO get at the economies of
the matter The chief difficulty is the
question OF furniture. 1t is not always
possible to hire a furnished house, and
many bachelors do not possess furniture
of their own. Such men as have sufficient
furniture may rent comfortable unfuE-
nished houuse, with or without grounds,
for someth hing between $50 and SIS a
month, according to size and situation.
One group of these men found that little
more than 81 a day covered the cost OF
food aud service. A company Of four
meu would find expenses per month run
ming about thus:
Food aud service -. Sl25
Reut so
IncidentalS 10
Travelling expenses ~
1otdl - :. - - - -. F-AO
This would be about 500 a month each.
1t would include two servants, plenty of
wholesome food, and a COmmodious house.
1t would not include wine OF tobacco.
Those matters could be managed individ-
ually or on the naval mess plan To have
a fair table, wine every day at dinner would
not greatly increase the total. The esti-
mate is large enough to admit NJ a pretty
free hospitality. Men desirOus OF more
elaborate establishment could at On ex-
pense of not more than So a week each
have horse at command.
The great problem of suburban life is
service, and it is easier for a family OF
bachelors to keep servants, because they
leave a sense OF freedom and management
that few housewives encourage IN their
domestics. Men that go into such a scheme
with the expectation of keeping Il up year
after year will find il worth while to
put a few hundred dollars into durable
china, table linen, wicker furniture, and
the like. A house may be suitably fur
nished for summer use at a surprisingly 10 "
sum. The difference in rent between far
nished and unfurnished houses makes it
worth while to buy furniture.
Bachelors that wish to undertake sur
burban summer housekeeping on a more
modest scale may easily reduce expenses
considerably from the amount Just esti-
mated. One servant at SIG month can
care for a family of four bachelors, pro-
vided the bugbear OF the laundry be pro-
vidcd for \ competent woman will Come
in and do this in a sirgle day for about
S1.50 Such a woman may be trusted TO
wash outing shirts, such as many men wear
to business during the summer, but she
will hardly be able to Go white linen properly.
The summer bachelor consumes an aston
ishingly small amount of starched linen,
and the country is a prime place to wear
out old clothes. Allowing SEQ a month
for food, $50 for rent, $50 for travelling
expenses, and s 3 for ihCidentals of the
housekeeping, the total is Sl37 a month,
or tTifle over $34 a month for each OF
four Bachelors that are content to DO
most of their own work can reduce the
total by SO or S12 month.
1t is pretty safe to say that an expert
ment of this sort, once successfully made.
will be repeated year after year, so long
as the experimenters are so situated as to
make ii practicable. The bachelor family
has the choice of New Jersey, Staten
Island, Long Isl and and Westchest terCounty.
The further out the lower the rent and the
more difficult the problem of service. In
terror points are more available than the
seashore, because houses by the sea are
more likely TO be in demand