The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1906-07-18
CLUBLIFE ECONOMIES
POOR MEN IN THE SWELL oRGANl-
CATIONS or NEW YORK.

A Democracy Where All, Regardless
of Income, Are Euuni-hiembership
In "a First Rate Club Regarded as
Profitable Investment.
A good many country visitors are
disappointed when they learn the sober
truth that New York has no clubs COM
posed exclusively of milllonaires. 1t
Is harder still to make country folk
believe that hundreds Of men join the
so called swell clubs in large part from
motives of economy.
There are scarcely three clubs In the
city that do not include n considerable
number of poor men in their member
ship. The average income of the whole
membership of the ten best known
clubs in the city is probably nearer
$4,000 year than $4,000 year, and
almost every one of these clubs in
cludes some scores of men with incomes
well below $4,000 and good many
with incomes well below $1,000.
There is real democracy of New
York club life. Youths in their early
twenties and just beginning their ca
reers on very moderate salaries fire.
quent truly palatlal clubhouses, break
fast in rooms such as few princes ever
use and lounge before fireplaces that
are to be matched only in the most
splendid buildings of Europe.
The poor mans credit at the club Is
as good az the rich mans, and both are
impartially posted when they neglect
to pay their bills in good season. There
are good many instances also In
which the monthly bills Of the poor
man are higher than those of his rich
fellow member for the frequcnters of
clubs are apt to be the poorer rather
than the richer members.
Many n man of small means regards
his membership in first rate club in
the light of profitable investment.
Such a man, If II confirmed bachelor.
has probably lived for twenty years
within half block of the club, paying
q few hundreds year for small
bedroom and finding all his luXuries In
the apartments of the clubhouse.
Without being in the least mean he
makes of the club a money saving in
stltution for himself. Its comfortable
lounging rooms save him annually
from $500 to $1,000 a year in rent, ac-
cording to the location in which he has
his modest lodgings. After that he
saves a fair percentage on everything
L. .I..., nIt,I,
His simple breakfast costs him per
haps 10 per cent less than it would cost
at any restaurant he would be likely
to frequent, and the same is true of his
dinners. If he takes three-fourths of
his meals at the club he saves annually
about 500 in tips.
If he drinks wine at dinner he saves
from 10 to % per cent upon every bot
tie. If he permits himself the luxury
of cab he saves a handsome per-
centage by ordering it through the club
and avoids all possibility of row
with the cabby over the amount Of the
fare. Many man writes all his let
ters of social character and some of
a business character at the club, and
thus saves from S15 to $40 year in
stationery.
He need buy no books, nor need he
subscribe to library, for there Is the
club library free for his use. He never
need buy periodical or even news
paper save when he travels, for all
that he reads are freely supplied by
the club. And the enjoyment of all
these things imposes upon him no con
siderable expenditure for eXtravagant
luxuries. He is sure, especially In the
college clubs, to find plenty of men
with like modest incomes and simple
tastes as himself, and he may sit for
hours with cronies over the cafe table
without spending money that he can
not afford and without giving offense
to the servants of the house committee.
Most club members probably do not
keep a debit and credit account with
the club, but the man of modest means
and moderate habits would find the eX-
animation of such an account a matter
of great satisfaction. Such a man,
paying $3.50 as an entrance fee and S75
year in dues, is likely TO find himself
at the end of twenty years long way
ahead of the game. The club in twen-
ty years has cost him rather less than
$4,000 for entrance fees, dues and con-
tributions to the Christmas box, and
his savings by reason of the club have
been from $4,000 to S16000.-New
York Sun.