The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-03-13
HOW TO LIVE ON
FIFTEEN CENTS
A DAY
Army Officer Tells Women
of America How to Save
Home Expenses.
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OMAHA, Feb. 19.-Major William H
Bean of the United States Army. De-
partment of the Missouri, has made
himself target for the curiosity of
womankind in every part of the United
States. For years he has studied the
food problem, always seeking in his
own household greater simplicity in the
character of meals and corresponding
economy. When he became attached
to the commissary department of the
army three years ago he had an oppor-
tuntty to try his experiments on a large
scale. Last month he made up his
mind to tell the world all about the
result.
And ever since he has been deluged
with letters from the women who wres-
tie with the problem of daily living
all over the country and who want to
know all about it. So fast has this
correspondence been increasing that the
major has been compelled to utilize the
spare time of the clerks in his depart
ment in order TO keep up with it.
SYSTEM IS SIMPLE.
Major Bean has solved the problem
of How to live on fifteen cents day."
to his own satisfaction and that of a
large number of husky workmen who
are employed as day laborers by the
Department of the Missouri and who
have been made part of the experiment.
When the news spread and people
were invited to go out to where these
men were being fed every day and
partake of the food themselves half
the housekeepers of Omaha got ex-
cited and now there are hundreds of
homes here where what has come to
be known as the Bean system''-not
the bean of commerce, but the Bean of
the army-is in active and successful
operation.
The basic principle of this economic
method of living is old and simple
enough. 1t is built on the theory that
the pIainest fare scientifically cooked is
more nourishing and a great deal more
paIatable than all the delicacies of the
season crowded into the human stom- !
ach and only relished because they cost
a lot of money.
PLAIN FOODS THE BEST.
Major Bean has become so weary of
answering letters from women request
ing complete information about the
method he advocates that he has now
taken refuge in printed circulars, which
he is Sen0lng DFOdQcaSC. 1neSe ClrCu-
lars explain in detail exactly what peo-
pie want to know. The major declares
that the world nowadays is too fond
of satisfying the eye with their food
instead OF the body. I'VE must have
the first strawberries" he says, that
come from the South, new potatoes, the
early garden produce, and the advance
fruits The secret of cheap living is
to buy fruit, produce and vegetables
when the season is on and the price
is way down. Then, instead of the
myriad kinds of breakfast foods that
lack nourishment the food popular with
our forefathers ought to be utilized.
Corn meal, for instance, costs a third
of a cent a pound. The fancy break
fast foods average about Is cents
pound. Yet there is no comparison
in the respect of nutriment, and the
corn meal properly cooked can be made
as appetizing as the high-priced sub
stitute.''
The economy that can be brought
about in the use of meats Is another
part of the subject that the author, or
ra Their the reviver. of this principle has
proved feasible He tells US to choose
the substantial meats instead of vast
ing time on mixed concoctions that
have no nourishment and do nothing
but tickle the palate. (,
EXPERIMENTS ARE MADE.
Beef must be eaten for nutriment and