Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1900-10-06

more than consume the remaining 800.
The day labOrer, working. say, 800
days In the year, gets perhaps 500
more, but must live upon the poorest
Of fare II he has family Of five or
more to feed. Let us figure for him.
His bread or -four will cost not less
than $50 for the year; his meat bill. say,
$50. which Is less than 20 cents worth
q day; potatoes and other vegetables
half as much more-a total Of $115.
Add 500 for rent. and how does the
poor man clothe himself, not to speak
of wife and children? Verify. 1t Is a
serious question whether laboring men
can afford to marry. 1t Is not much
better with Office clerks In the city,
statesmen in stores, etc. Few of them
get more than enough for fair living
for themselves, and many can earn
scarcely enough to pay board and
clothing expenses and can not lay up
anything for the future. Such facts
show the folly Of farmers sons and
daughters going TO the city to improve
their prospects. At home they are Sure
Of food. shelter and clothing of some
sort. In the great towns their very liv.
ing Is precarious. The superiority of
the farmers calling Is strikingly shown
In this, that, however hard the times,
however slack the labor market and
low the wages In all the Industries In
the manufacturing or trade centers, on
the farm there Is always work to be
done that either presently or remotely
will pay well for the doing. II may be
repairing. making improvements, shell
tering the stock or implements. hauling
out and spreading the manure, killing
weeds, trimming the orchard. or any
other Of the thousand and one jobs
about the farm. There Is always some
thing waiting for the improving hand
Of the farmer who has mind to work,
and his work. II inteligently and faith
fully done, pays every time.
The cost.ofliv!ng question is one that
comes up for discussion at intervals In
the majority Of well.regulated Ameri-
can families. All other expenditures
are SO closely related to 1t and so fire.
quently regulated by II that 1t may be
regarded as the cardinal question OF
domestic life. The WOman's Educa-
tional and Industrial Union Of Boston
has recently carried on IN investigation
with the view OF obtaining data which
would serve the purpose Of establish
Ing basis upon which there could be
common understanding Of the prob
lens involved and eventually reason.
able solution OF them. The investiga-
ton resolved itself, Of course, into an
inquiry into household expenses and
the results, and the principal source of
Information was the tabulated reports
OF the Massachusetts Bureau Of Stats
ties. The schedule Of statistics Of par
ticular moment was filled out by sew
enty families living In the vicinity of
Boston. From condensation Of the
report of the inquiry the following In.
teresting facts are obtained: One fam
lily OF two members was represented,
and one Of seventeen. but In general
they ranged from three to twelve. The
time for which expenses We're reported
covered nine months, and the items re-
ported upon were "a subsistence, CD
fuel and lights, 80 rent, a. taxes and
Insurance, % servants and service,
| 90 furniture, fittings, and repairs. Only
two of the families kept no servant. or
the remained twenty-five employed one
servant, while twenty-nlne reported
two, thirteen three, and four families
reported four. One-half Of the seventy
families owned their houses, and the
rents paid by the remainder ranged
from SIS month to $685.. The total
expenses for the whole period OF nine
mOnthe showed wide range--frOm
$3.50 for family Of three to S5,412.G6
for family Of ten. The average total
expense for all the families of 1--we per-
sons was found to be $1,477.24. For six
persons II was $2,O5S.94. The total
weekly cost Of subsistence for families
of different sizes ranged from 1925 for
a family Of two to $54.05 for family
| Of twelve. The average cost Of sub
sistence per week per person Is found
| to be from $500 In families of eight
persons to $3.50 In families of twelve.
The lowest rate Of all was $l.?9 a week
for each of the members Of house.
hold consisting Of eight, including one
servant. In contrast with these was
family Of two, with two servants,
whose food cost $S.0l for e,,cn week In
nine months. The difference In the
size of the families, the difference In
the means at their disposal for supply
ing their various wants, render these
statistics worthless. They simply show
that seventy families have lived in sew
enty different ways, according to sew
enty different methods, depending prac-
tically upon seventy different kinds