The times., 1899-12-10

PARIS. Nov 27.-Thers are hundreds Of
American girls studying art ln tbe Latin
quarter in Paris. The majority OF tEese
are poor many of them are il. all Of them
overworked. 4 few succeed Three djasr-
snr ways Of living have been adopted by
I this colony ol students One IS 20 sleep In
a studio or furnished room and 60 10 small
/ restaurants in tn4 neighborhood ror meals
another is to stay at the American Girls
| Club in The Rue Cheoreuse. and the third
7 is 10 board With French family In each
/ case the average cost month is about $50.
I The life is like nothing iu the United
/ States. for what iu New York Chicago. or
/ any OF the large cities would be tenement
/ house. in price aud surroundings. ia Paris
! IS an OLD studio. under a crumbUnE red
/ tiled roof 10 has a balcony reached by an
uncertain stairway from the courr below.
where the concierge clatters about in
wooden sabots. brushing away the autumn
| leaves that have drifted in from near
garden whose odors come on the damp mis-
/ ty air of Paris that filters into the veins of
/ and possesses men, making them from one
/ generation TO another. commit every folly.
/ every sacrifice for art
Studios may be rented I'm the Latin
4 quarter at all prices from SI00 90 $3.50 a
/ year. but for no less time than a year.
/ Several rooms and kitchen are Included
! for the higher prices but for the more
( modest sums girls content themselves 18th
/ small balcony at one end Of the atelier
/ which they arrange as a bedroom and
manage 60 keep in order with the aid Of
: femme de menage, who charges seven
cents an hour for her services as cham
/ bermaid
[ The winter days dawn cold aud damp in
/ Paris and the American student has ueirh-
/ er furnace, register. nor steam neat nor
running hot water 10 disguise the fact.
/ art is preceded by domestic duties she
/ makes fire on rising; she heats water
! through the door she slips in a small bottle
7 of milk. Two rolls dimiautive piece OF
I butter. left on the stairway al an early
+ hour and with some coffee which she ex-
I tracts from cupboard fun of paints,
/ brushes. canvas, turpentine and groceries.
/ she prepares her morning meal az cost OF
/ seven cents
I lunumerable Americans whose day has
begun IN this way assemble together With
/ Russia, Swedish, German, and French girls
/ between ) and O'Clock. al the different
schools, which are open an day and an
evenings IS or 50 tor any rVO classes. The
Julian's ColarOssi's s. and Nitirs where
the best French masters CRITICS once or
twice q week. The average cost for draw
ing or painting in the life class is S.
month for the mornings. afternoons or
evenings, IS or So for any two classes. The
Whisuer's School is for painting only and
lr is impossible 10 enter it for ess than
three months. at cost of S2S. Raphael
Collin. COurtOis. and Daguan BOuveret also
have private classes which are more eX-
peusive. The models pose for fifty minutes,
rest for ten. and at the end Of the morn
ing seance the students make their way
to one Of the cheap restaurants OF the quar-
ter where they lunch for about 20 cents;
item for example Napkin. 1 cent beef
steak, s cents, bread. . cents, potatoes, Z
cents, dessert or coffee Z cents: fee. 1
cent: total % cents.
Some OF these places are frequented by
masOns, teamsters, wOrkmeu Of AT sorts
The handicapped tables surrounded by
small straight-backed chairs are nailed
10 a wooden floor spriukled over with saw
dust. The American taxes her place side
I by side with q miller or a cOuntrymau i'm
! a blue blouse and eats tough meat and
greasy soup from coarse. thick china. uu-
willing even Co admit that she is max ns
[ sacrifices for arr
Tne most popular of the restaurants is
1 "Heuriettes" in the rue Leopold Robert
Henr.ey,e hiss studied the taste Of Ameri-
can girls and built at the back OF her shop
/ q pavilion where the light shines down
on clean s-ons-tiIed floor. neat tables
with bouquets at either end and around
I the walls some amusing rrescOes painted
By TWO American art students. HenrleJte
is he friend of all her customers She
/ serves the meals chatting about art, PHI
ICsOphy. the weather and later stands nc
the door with a slate where she writes iu
chalk lists of what her patrUnesSes have
eaten. taken from their diclatiou
Many of the girls return TO the schools
in the afternoons. but those who nave
studios generally work alone OF share
p model with friends Models are eNpen-
sive 50 week for children, 81 or 80 Tor
a man or woman for the mornings. or aft
srnOons Canvas ard paints are aise eX-
pensiye and a FIRE is necessity where
models Will not pose without IneSe tnihgs
far more than food and lodging augment
the expense OF studying art in Paris
II is al tea time between and 3 O'Clock
in the afternoon. that the American Girls
Club plays a role in most OF the students
lives six wears ago the club was organ
( izsd bv an American LADY wife OF he Am
bassad0r to France at that time. who al
Ter four wears i'm Paris, determined upon
This as remedy for some of the evils OF
ilI-healIh and discOuragemeuJ resulting
from the homeIessness OF American girl
students in the Latin quarter a library
and a restaurant were opened 90 all AMER
lean women. furnished rooms iu
an agreeable old house built about q
| garden were offered from 81 10 s. month,
including free use of two large, WeH-ueat-
ed draWing-r0oms and tea room where,
every afternoon jn the year any American
/ woman I'm Paris may have as mueh lea ana
as much bread and butter as she wants, aI
the kind hospitality Of the founder and pa
troness of the club.
The restaurant is warm pleasant
rrou. the meals are wholesome and
] Cheap. bur two forms OF self-abUse seem 90
| be common To all women students and
: bread winners one is Overwork. and ths
other is gradual starvation.
Nine American girls have gone crazy IN
1.-THE Latin quarter because they worked all
: day and all evening, and ate one miserable
! meal a DAY and great many free cups OF
tea in place of dinner For $50 cents q
day a girl may be well fed at the clubs
. most Of the girls never spend more than
I, 30 cents for breakfast lunch. and dinner.
. There are no restrictions for entering
ANY unmarried American woman VINO
wishes 10 study art or music in any Of iJs
branches may stay az the club She mas
= the sympathetic cOmpaniOnship 1t compa-
I triOts who are working toward the same
= end as herself, she has the protection and
q kindly interest OF devoted American lady
y directress as well as comfortable surround
F, ings for price necessarily minimum, in
IAN organization which does not even cover
. its expenses.
y For $50 a month it is also possible TO live
d iu a French family and have the opPorlu-
Unity OF hearing French spoken. This price
. in any way of living means small room