New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-02
KEEPING -BOARDERS AN ART.
AN OCCUPATION THAT WOMEN USUALLY
sCORN
IT MAY BE SUCCESSFUL UNDER GOOD MANAGE
MENT-MEN THE BEST CATERERS
AND HOUSEKEEPERS.

MENT-MEN THE BEST CATERERS
AND HoUsEKEEPERs.
Keeping boarders Is an occupation usually over
looked in the lists OF desirable occupations for
women. Perhaps the oversight is due in meas
ure to the prevalence OF the type of
boarding mistress. who is forever impressng upon
the wayfarers within her gates the sadness of her
lot at present, compared with those hacyon days
before she fell to keeping boarders
When evil times fall upon household. about
the first thing the old-fashioned woman thought Of
doing to keep the wolf from the door TO take
boarders. regardless OF any qualifications or dis
qualifications for the occupation. But just
there Is the new journalism and the old journalism.
the new woman and the old woman. there seems
to be old type OF boarding house and new.
More and more people taking to sort OF
boarding house life. and the boarder is no longer
looked upon bird OF passage or a person TO be
pited because he can't afford home. 1t seems to
be a sort Of adaptation the home life of the
principle of big industries. People have discov
cred that 1t Is not simply cooking ana busting and
mendng that make a home There are
who take TO housekeeping like ducks TO water. and
there are others who don't. The latter are likely
10 do other work so much better that they prefer
to do 1t. and leave the housekeeping and cooking
to those who can do II best.
The development of this cooperative idea has
produced several new types OF boarding house. The
most interesting perhaps. because the one which
is likely TO go developing. is the big apartment
house, where individuals have their own suites OF
rooms and their furniture cared for by the
servants Of the house. by themselves. or by maids
who come In from outside each day. and where all
dine In common dlning-room. Another type Is
the family hotel. with It's furnished suites and
rooms its common paror billiard parlor, smoking
room and other adjuncts; and there Is the still
newer type the apartments. which have their
separate dining-rooms, In which meals are served
from the common Kitchen.
So 1t a CREST mistake for the new old
woman. or. rather. the young woman with new
education and old-fash!oned notions OF pro-
priety who Is looking about for opportunities for
obtaining n comfortable livelihood, to overlook the
regeneratei trade Of keeping boarders-p
as the successful managers OF these new types Of
boarding houses usually mere men. It's bad
enough 70 find that the most prosperous milliners
and dressmakers and cooks men, but to have
a man as a boarding house keeper seems going al
together too far for the spirit Of the up-to-date
business woman.
DIFFERENCE OF METHODS.
Perhaps the most dscouraging feature of the
boarding house business TO the novice is the fact
that considera6Ie capital is dned To- bnSin
with Prospective Nsarders are not going to risk
your getting things se & We 70 a II nav be
months before you get your mouse tiled. an, ana
you want / wouldn't advise any woman. no mat
ter how great her prediction for housekeeping.
20 set up In the boarding house business unless she
has housefu OF furniture paid for. and money
enough to her rent for four or five months at
Buying out an established place has it's advan-
tages and It's DISADVANTAGES Inc Doardefs may
to her WAYS. and they may resent changes and
leave. In buying out place 1t Is not wise to pay
monthly payments but is better than to discover
that the apparent boardcrs are merely hangers-on
given room in order to make an impression on
the prospective buyer. Claims the furniture
may crop up. too, unless proper precautions are
taken. I don't know but that the best way, II
you have from 800 $1,000 is to take house in
the best locality you can get. fit II up and adver
bureaus which direct people 10 boardng-place
and in the newspapers 1t is better to pay $ or $40
more a month and get a house with all the i'm
provements at tho start. II has TO buy furnl-
ture good secondhand articles. which may be
picked up cheaply at the auction shops II one Is
! much better than cheap new stun. or buying on
which viii eat Up the biggest profits possible to
the boarding house keeper You s1j; pay cash
and buy at wholesale whenever possible-no quarts
Of apples or dozens OF oranges. You must go &c
the market and buy your vegetables by me barre
grocers and butchers always give discount fol-
cash to boarding-houses.
WHEN TABLE BOARD PAYS.
II woman Is ? good manager and knows how
to buy good food at low rates. table board pays
| better than renting rooms. The profits on eacf
table boarder are probably small. not more thar
a dollar two a week. The money-making de-
Ponds on having large number.
The woman VINO is really determined 70 make
a successful business of IL mustn't be afraid tC
advertise But she should not let the advertising
take the form Of Il white slip on the doorJamb' oil
big yellow sign.
SELECTING A HOUSE.
In choosing a house great attention must be paid
! 70 location. II men to be largely counted on
convenience 10 elevated railroad stations and
proximity TO clubs must be considered Ii famil,
boarders are chiefly desired. more fashionable
part OF the city should be selected, and yet this
too cannot be from lines of cars. The
neighborhood must be good; public school OF
! orphan asylum livery stable near at hand would
ruin the most desirable house. While people wish
to be in the midst of everything convenient tc
every point OF Interestingly want quiet street
and especially quiet house.
No housekeeper cnn afford to allow any boardeI
to be excessively noisy disagreeable in behavior
Although it is perilous to start boarding house
on small capital and TO buy furniture on credit
the thing has been done successfully Some years
ago three women. a mother and two daughters
came TO New-York from country place with less
! a boarding house. They found house in one OF
! the Thirties. convenient to clubs and cars. ana
which the was willing to let them nave on
! a venture the rent TO be paid at the end OF the
month. With $50 Of their small capital they
as they could get, and fitted up part OF the house
! They were fortunate in letting one room Amos
Immediately. then another and another Mean
time they took small sums OF the money coming
| in-keeping enough for current eXpenses-and
bought auctic pieces Of f1rniiure that would
be too EXPENSE for them to afford II bought new
In this way all IN. rooms gradually fur-
nished and contained attractive things; one ser
| vant was kept at first. and that one only young
girl able 10 wait the door and the table. But
| the neigh borhood desirable and the table
was so good that the house speedily filled up ana
more help was needed. one OF the young women
would look at the papers every morning ana
answer the advertisements: another attended 10
the house and the mother TO the marketing ana
cooking. , - 1. ,,,t1
! OF course they had phenomenal luck, and II would
I be unsafe TO follow their example ana start with
so little capital but this shows what has been
done In three years these women had three
houses furnished and free Of debt, and were prac'
tically running a private hotel.
5000 year for a house There are five persons
10 get a living out of II The house brings IN
about 10000 a year, which nets small balance
and keeps nice home for the whole family