The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-10-21
NOT A CHA ri TX HOME.
AS WomAn,s Hotsl Will be Eatab-
iished Ia New York city
S9s Before Long.

has been postponed by the war, not the
least Interesting to baehelor-maids Is the
long -contemplated Woman's hotel. Sub-
scripti0n to shares In the WOman's Hotel
company opened late last January, and
before the war was declared 5000, 600, or
about quarter of the requisite capital
lof 81 600, 600, was subscribed.
It was thought wise, said Miss Mary
BoWley, to whose zeai and enthusiasm
the success Of the enterprise TO date, Is
largely due, ITO suspend for the present
subscription solicitation until the immedi-
That interest is already being revived is
apparen by the letters of inquiry that
nave begun to come in relative to the
hotel stock. j. Pierpont Morgan assures
US that we have every reason to be en-
couraged. He considers the subscription
OF $2OOOOO worth Of stock in less than
tniee months for an experimental enter
son to secure subscriptions is from De-
cember to the middle Of January BY
december people have returned to town,
and the spirit of Christmas is in the air.
aud with the coming of the new year
dvidends begin to arrive. Before the
END OF this yearwe hope to have $500 900.
With that amount secured building will
begin at once. The plans are ready, but
the site is not fully decided. Efforts viii
De made to locate it not far from the
vicinity of Twenty-third street and Lex
lngton avenue. Nine months after the
ground is broken, the architects assert,
| the hotel will be ready for occupancy"
Il know" asserts Miss Grace Dodge,
and ! put the estimate low, that there
| are lO,o0O women at$present needing such
| The Young Women's Christian associa-
| ton receives thousands of requests yearly
for such accommodations as the new no.
tel will give. It is estimated that there
are more than 5000 art, musical and
medical students, including, trained
nurses, in New York every year
Inns IS the first effort made to fill the
need of women whose, work does not per
NIT them to, waste vitality or time in
household cares. however light" contin-
ued Miss Bowley. 1T is intended for
women who support themselves as artists,
Iltterateurs, teachers, clerks and similar
pursuits. or for students of these profes-
sions. 1t will be the first institution to
| put premium on WOmen's labor. No
/ woman, save the self-supporting, will be
admitted. ~
Women who live on an, income not
earned by their labor will be excluded
Two references will be required Of each
applicant. These will be investigated
pending the opening of the hotel. This
precaution. is followed to secure guests
above reproach, for, naturally. the success
of the whole enterprise depends largely
on the desirability of the women who
will live there. Beyond the investigation
of the credentials there will be absolutely
no rules or regulations not to be found in
a frst-class hotel. 90:
whenever the subject of a woman's
home is mentioned the luckless Stewart
| hotel is invariably quoted as evidence of
the impossibility of making such an en-
terprise a success. 1t is we'll known to
those who have investigated the subject
that the failure of the Stewart hotel was
due largely to the fact that it was con,
| quoted with that end in view. Had Mr..
Stewart lived, it would in all probability
have been another story.
The Woman's hotel is not charity,
but it is philanthropy, in the sense that
it will insure working-women comforts
not to be had in the average New York
boarding house, and which the money
The enterprise is based entirely on bust
ness basis. 1t will pay the stockhoid-
ers 5 per cent. If it is conducted as
planned and proves, the success anticipat-
led, it will pay double that percentage
but per cent. is all the stockholders
will be entitled to draw out. The sur
plus will be devoted to paying mortgages
\
hotels for working-women who earn
small salaries. '-.@
"The proprietor of one of the most ex-
elusive uptown hotels refused to iIidorse
the scheme. It's purely a business
project: there's no philanthropy in it.
he said. It will pay. and pay we'll.
Morking-Womei don't desert the city in
the summer, so the hotel will always be
i full. The fact that hotel proprietors
have invited us to cooperate with them
in setting forth the attractions of New
fork as 4 summer resort shows that they
regard the Woman's. hotel a forcgone
financial success. Women capable of
earning from SIS week up are not OBJ
3ects OF charity. They have no desire
to eccdpy a house conducted on charity.
principles :.
The hotel will be erected to achieve
financial and Social success. 1t will ac-
commodate 1000 guests. The architec
tural plans provide ample pariors, read
ing, music and sewing rooms restauran ts
and tea rooms, elevators and electric
giant par IA and every usual provision for com
every floor. Each guest will have an am
pie closet. The roof is reserved Cor STU
dos, isolated music rooms, sun parlor
and promenade: Five htindred small
rooms are to be had for So and 81 a
week. A sitting room, with two bedroom
alcoyes for the accommodation of two
guests after the manner of Vassar COL
!ege. will rent for IS and S. each. Meals
in the cafe, which will be accessible to
outsiders, will not exceed So a week for
residents of the hotel All residents will
be Obliged to pay S. a week for meals.
| This obligation is enforced to conpl
women to regular and healthful diet. It
IS well known that self-supporting wom-
en-, when left to. their own devices. are
prone to stint their st0machs in behalf of
| dress and other necessaries or luxuries
! If the meals are paid for, the authorities
argue, the women will be prompt at
meals, thereby serving the main purpose
! for which the hotel is planned-to nro-
mote their best physical interests.
4 Baths to residents will be free; to out
siders, 10 cents. Laundry not exceeding
a dozen pieces will be done on the prem
ises for 25 cents. On the second floor
who may dislike the publicity of the cafe
From ffty-foot court, facing the
! south, will rise glass tower, iii the vi
/ cinity of which on every floor to the
fourth story are sitting rooms, always
open to the sun. In the basement will he
a huge swimming pool. :. So u 3. .
The house mother, chaperon and coun-
EsellOr has already been selected. She is
a woman well known in New York, a
woman of broad sympathy, consummate
tact and wide social experience. She will
| not restrict the guests in any way, but
will always be accessible in case of ill
ness or need of advice OF sympathy, wants
So often felt and rarely atpeased in the
/ life Of the average New York working
woman. - = :: i -. ISL. 4 sssTs
The advisory committee Of the Woman's
Hotel company includes Miss Virginia
i Potter, Mrs. w. w. Newell, Mrs. A. Il.
i Schauttler, Mrs Richard Irving and Miss
Grace III. Dodge. I'll 3
''The first man to take practical interest
| in the project, said Miss Bowley, ito
draw up the papers Of corporation and set
the ball rolling in the proper direction was
i John $. Kennedy, whose philanthropy
built the Charity Organization society
building. s ssss.g e zs. ).
Among the subscribers are John D..
Rockefeller, who leads with $50, 900, fol-
lowed by Mr.. Kennedy, j. Pierpont Nor
gan, William Cochran, Morris X. Jesup,
DR.. Frederick e. Hyde, James Talcott,
i William G. Schermerhorn, Miss Matilda
Bruce, Miss Katharine w. Bruce, Mrs.
William II. Osborn, w Bayard Cutting,
r. Fulton Cutting. Mrs. Frederick Dc
i