Evening star., 1900-11-10
THE COOPERATIVE PARLOR
GOOD SUGGESTIONS FOR A DOCTORS
WAITING ROOM.
Utility and Comfort Combined in Same
Idea for Bachelor Apart
ments.
Written for The Evening Star.

written lor Inc Evening Star.
The furnishing of a room used by tho
head of the household as his reception room
/ In cases where his occupation is one that
requires professional consultations at home
Is problem easily solved. The suggested
furnishings IL beyond the means of the
average person of taste. can be easily and
satisfactorily duplicated at very rea-
sonable figure. Instead of a scrolled cell
Ing and deep and ornate frieze a SIM
pie paper and border may be used.
A mantel OF carved wood can be bought
more ornamental than expensive and OF
wood suited to the style of the apartment.
The book cases should be unobtrusive low
ores, simple in style and quality.
The chairs in consulting room should
have cane backs and cane seats. less like
ly TO gather dust and contagion than heav-
lily cushioned ones.
The pictures upon the wall should be
pleasant. such as will put the waiting
IN a good humor and Danish from the mind
that little bit of ominouS anticipation that
awaits on most when they visit doctor or
uentlSt. In the city. when doctors or
dentists offices are located in a part of the
dwelling occupied by his family, the who,e
lower floor is generally given over to his
use. The family sitting room library and
receiving room for friends is on the second
floor, while kitchen and dining room are,
as a rule, on the basement floor. below the
level of the street. This leaves the first
floor for the doctors reception room. con-
sulting room for patients, with. perhaps.
one other room usually kept for the labora-
tory. Of course. the first floor par.or is
used by the family during the hours not
reserved for the doctor AT other times
callers are received above in the family sit
ting room or library. 1t is because of its
dual usefulness that the chief parlor should
be given little as possible the air of
receiving room for the public.
For RncheIor Suite
A parlor in bachelors suite might with
proprety be arranged after this style. The
single man wants his surroundings to COM
blne utility and comfort, and surely moth
| ing could be more happily home-like than
the great cretonne covered chairs and
couch seen in the picture. Several young
men frequently combine TO rent an apart
ment, each having his separate sleeping
room, but all uniting in using the parlor.
The janitress of the building, as rule, is
ready to serve the eggs and coffee and rolls
and chops that they need to start them
comfortably on the day, while luncheon Is.
as rule. obtained at the cub or down
town. where their various occupations de-
tain them for the greater part Of the day.
Dinner is taken out or is served at home
by some meighboring Testaurateur
The life of the bachelor man of the pres
ent day Is one to be enEicd. No wonder
that he hesitate5 to assume the reS9on-
sibilfties Of matrimony. when he has all
the comforts of home, without the troubles
that aSSau the best regulated families
Rachelor boarding houses, bachelor apart
meut houses and bachelor clubs have -four
iehel wondrously in the last twenty years
Indeed, il might be called the age of the
bachelor man appropriately as that OF
the bachelor maid. Everything that can
minister tC his comfort is provided by the
tn fifty land ady or landlord, who thus hopes
to beguile the bachelor into many years of
single blessedness which shall be the
schemer's profit.
General housekeeping.
The co operative system of living is one
that is as popular with the bachelor man
as with the bachelor maid. for those to
whom fate has accorded but small income
can. by sharing the expenses, enjoy
measure of luxury beyond their means for
wears to come in a single state. Co-opera-
tive housekeeping for families has not met
with the measure of success that the plan
has received when men or women alone are
the benetCiaries.
In furnishing the cooperative parlor one
Individual can contribute one article and
another something else. Sometimes, how
ever it is better for each to contribute
stated sum for the general furnishing, and
then such articles as they care to for or
nament these latter to be removed when
ever they wish to withdraw from the COM
binafjpO.