The sun., 1903-05-17
IN JERSEY ON $4,000 A YEAR,
~ ENTHISI SPEAKS 4 FFH
VORIIS ron THE 81 III RBS.
You Can Lave within Twelve Hiles OF >e"
York and Get Downtown "a Easily
~ From Harleui--Ho Need No shfn'
mcr Cottage -NOsauit Oes but Dream.

Il just dropped in on my way to the ferry
to say few words for the suourps, sa'o
a man with a faded sprig Of apple blossom
In his buttonhole. who came into IHE ou"
office the other afternoon
+ In all this discussion over the possi-
bilty of living In New York city on salary
! Of $500 year 1t seems to me that one OF
i the chief issues is heing overlooked. Why
should man with family and an income
of $500 year to spend live on Manhattan
Island? Why should he even live In Brook
lyn? can't see why, unless he is in politics
and has to reside in particular part OF the
! city for that reason
! THE Sun man suggest ed that there might
I be reason in the advantages OF superior
! communication.
Rubbish said he with the apple blossom
and he said II with great emphasis lhat
/ just what ! came in to see about, and
! you'll promise to put something about the
suburbs in the paper I'll miss the 445 to.
| night and take the $50, so that can ten
, you some things, l want that chap VINO
can't support wife and children on S''5V'
year to know what an idiot he is to keep
on trying to compete with richer men IN
their own particular territory.
! 1t was promised that the man with trout
bles of his own should have chance to
! read about the advice and the ardent
suburbanite laid down his neatly rolled
umbrella and prepared to expound.
Now. said he, Il live across the river IN
Jersey. within twelve miles OF the CITY
Hall. | can get 10 my home al any hour
of the day or night in just about the same
time it takes that fellow who talked about
Washington Heights to get 10 his. and in
quite as short a time as you take 10 reach
any Of the more desirable parts Of Brooklyn
which are not completely ctifed.
more than that. live in = house. not in
a fat, on a nicely paved street within five
, blocks Of the water. ! have a garden.
trees and flowers Of my own. which can
handle as well as look at. and while my
income dos no, exceed S4,oW a year and
averages more nearly $500 less have ~
difficulty about living omrortably ENJOYING
myself and seeing that my family does he
same and don't owe dollar to anybody
Il consider that owe great Part OF this
prosperity to the noble State OF Now Jersey
and I want to see JERSEYS end Of it held
up in this question Of living comfort ably
on moderate income. IT were foolish
enough to live in Manhattan mght nave
a different sort Of tale 10 ell.
-Firs, Of all, takc my house. We are
family Of five-my wiic. two cbldren, my
self and ole servant. We might keep two
servants on my income, but as we 1nd mat
ono good one Ia all We want one IS all VIC
have
TO mouse these | have a nine-roomed
house, with bathroom in addition. of
course h is within Ave minutes walk Of
the station and train leaves for New York
about every half hour-in the rush hours.
as yon sav in New York off
Il pay s4OO a year rent and have nc
difficulty in getting a good servant a, SIS
month That's $3.50 year more. ,,
Il don't pretend. mind yon. that my little
even like 'le fashionable section Of Orange.
It's simply pleasant. prosperous little
suburban town with few manufactures
on the outskirts and population half
factory workers. That why my rent and
service can be set down at reasonable
figure.
with New York living. should perhaps be
added TO rent. cost me- personally little
rates. Suppose we call it IS Then my
wife, who comes to town once or twice
week and sometimes oftener. has sort
Of family ticket containing fifty coupons.
on which any number OF persons connected
with her can ride | suppose that railway
fares cost us altogether about SIS year.
THE fiat dweller has one advantage over
me. He hes no fuel TO pay for, have, and
from the end Of November ~ the. end of
March my fuel bills are high, have a
cold weather keeping that going, with q
kitchen stove and an open fire ss we'll
(Which use more for the comfort it sug-
gests than because I need the heat, t,kee
live on the main line Of a coal carrying
railroad and coal is much cheaper in my
town than in New York.
Before the coal strike occurred last
year was able to buy coal. getting in
supply in the summer, when prices were
down. at IS ton. and calculate that heat !
and gas cost me about $loo a year.
My wife tells me that food particularly
meat and vegeta bles, are slightly cheaper Z,
with US than they are in many parts OF
most in any part outside, Of the big mar
kets like Washington Market. Anyway, |
those markets are practically inat cessible
to the majority OF busy New York house,
wives so We are even on that score. ..
Groceries and dry goods we buy in New
York from the big, department stores. which
deliver daily without extra charge. We
buy groceries in fairly large qua antilles to
save trouble and 1 ina gine thereby save
in cost at the same time: II we don't care
which the stores furnish the fullest facilities.
"Ican't tell you about meat and vegetable
except what my wife tells me. That isn't
my department Of the firm But do know
that our strawberries and other fruit are
grown right close by, 90 we get them at
first hand before they have been jammed
into crates and passed along by half a dozen
salesmen and marketnen. And our milk.
butter and eggs come to us straight from
the farm.
For amusements there is country
club about ten minutes walk from my
house, with golf links on a small scale,
bowling alleys, 4 baseball field, tennis
courts, boating and swimming. 1t has a
city home here uptown. and its country
house is planned as much for women as for
men. I'm going to keep a catboat there
this year and in the summer | can have all
the fun / want right there, The club dues
are reasonable
"The town has good library, and besides
that my wife belongs to q reading club. and
in that way we get all the new books we
" ant and we buy such magazines as we
care to read. In the winter we come over
10 the theatre once week or so, occasionally
we take modest seats at the opera and
contrive to hear as much OF the good music
and see as many OF the new plays as If We
lived in town.
Living in the country we don't really
need any vacation. but for all that my wife
md myself, sometimes alone. sometimes
with one or both Of the children. have
usually taken two weeks trip somewhere
every year But am not Obliged. as soon
n the hot weather comes, to send my wife