The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-12-05
CO. OPERATIVE EATING.
ONE SOLUTION TO THE VEXlNc SER
WANT GIRL QUESTION

Living and stlIi Having the Best.
Decatur, a prosperous little village
twenty-five miles west OF Kalamazoo,
Mich, is the scene of an interesting
experiment with a plan to solve the
problem Of economical living and to
20 away with the servant question.
Briefly stated, the idea is the main
tenance Of a common table boy some
twenty-five Of the leading families of
the town, about one hundred persons
being served in this way. A place for
the experiment was found in a vacant
shop building, which had been fitted
up for the purpose.
The first week the cost averaged
- 10 cents a meal for each person.
The second week the cost was 10
cents.
L. G. Stewart, a merchant, first
thought Of the plan Mr.. Stewart was
asked to tell about the undertaking.
There were two chief considera-
lions" he said. First, | thought 1t
would be a great convenience for the
business men Of the village, who are
often hurried at lunch time and do
not like to leave their stores.
Then. even in this little village,
the servant question cuts considerable
Of a figure. The girls prefer to work
In the shops or in the fruit fields and
1t is dificult to get competent help.
had experienced some difficulty in
these respects and so l began to fig
ure.
The result was the organization of
this cooperative scheme. We do not
have formal organization, nor keep
elaborate books. The best people in
the village are interested"
Mr.. Stewart proceeded to explain
the practical working of the plan.
Two competent cooks were engaged
and sufficient number Of walters to
serve the different families promptly.
Each family has it's table, except that
several families, consisting of only
two persons, may be seated at one
table.
A strict account of everything is
kept and at the end of each week all
bills are audited and the expense div
ided pro rata. In this settling of &C
counts everything is included, such as
rent, fuel and lights. When the bills
for the week are settled the organiza-
ton owes nothing, and has as assets
| uFbn toInr ho Lea To- hn
missary department.
eve get the best of everything, 3"
said Mr. Stewart, ''the best groceries
and the best meats. Our butter Is
creamery butter and all the rest Of
the materials are equally good.
The management is in the hands
of an executive cOmittee of FIVE elect
ed for thirty days and the menu for
each week is prepared by another
committee Of Ave.
Il believe that the same plan could
be worked to advantage in the large
cities, and it would go far to solve the
vexatious servant question. 1t seems
to me that it would be feasible to Sc
cure some dwelling, for instance, and
fit it up for the purpose. 1t would
then be possible to have private din
ing rooms only the cuisine being COM
mon"
Mrs. H. G. Lamond who is a member
of the executive committee was asked
Tor a sample menu. She furnished
the following:
Breakfast.
Breakfast Food.
Fried Potatoes. Eggs.
Cookies. Doughnuts.
Coffee. Chocolate.
Dinner.
Roast Beef Roast Pork.
Gravy Dressing.
Green Corn. Boiled Potatoes.
Tea, hot or cold.
Tapioca Pudding. Apple Pie
White Bread. Brown Bread
Supper.
Cream Potatoes.
Cold Meats.
Warm Bread. Cake. Plum Sauce
Tea, hot or cold.
She was asked if the plan worked
WEI and if it was economical.
at has its advantages and some dis
advantages" she replied. Whether
it is ecOnmical or not depends some
what on the style in which a person
is accustomed to live; whether one
keeps servants or not, for instance
But, considering merely what is fur
nished it certainly is economical
we are able to get better dishes a
lower cost than if we set a separate