The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-24
THE PRIZE ESSAY ON
HOME OWNERSHIP
Miss Marie Wilcox Is Winner o
Real Estate Boards First
~'H Prize.

MISS MaT1e WILCOX, &lol4 WaSn1ng-
ton avenue N, who is q pupil Of A
ninth grade, North high school, won
the first prize in the Real Estate
board 8 essay contest on "Why Father
Should Own His Home and Not Rent
Her essay follows;95 *7# -.s%.s ...--
Moving leads to the one great Ameri-
can fault, restlessness, which the Euro
peans so severely :criticise. In France
and Germany the people have. better
taste and more love for the beautiful be-
cause they are settled. The same Is true
in England, the country which is so often
called THE great garden" In contrast
to the French, Germans and English,
many Americans are like band Of
gypsies, for they repeatedly pack up their
furniture and go from house to house, az
the gypsies take up thir tents and go
from place to place.
1t is better for every father to own his
home because his children will be more
carefully trained They will be taught
to be careful Of .5the house and not dis
figure it nor destroy and ruin the trees
about it.. Then the owning Of ones home
will develop the sense Of the beautiful.
Parents and children will cultivate vines,
such as the woodbine, grape and climbing
| rose, ana SHRUBS SUCH as ltlao and snow
ball bushes! These s1owgrowing vines
and shrubs tho most beautiful when
grown, are very seldom found in the
yards OF rented houses. The children Of
man who owns his home will not be so
restrained as those Of a. renters, and
win have a great many more social ad-
vantages. The y renters children are
brought up, to a great extent, on the
street. They dare not bring their friends
| to the house, nor romp nor laugh as
| much as they please; for fear the owner
will turn them out. The father cannot
| choose a nice house ina good neighbor-
hood and settle down, for It is very hard
| fora renter to get such place II he has
! children. The rental men know that the
children OF renters are not very often
j taught to be careful of a. house. and so
i they bar them out Of their best houses.
Il On. the other hand, sons and daughters
! have a great deal of freedom. They not
i only have a pretty home to which to
bring their friends, but also :. a social
/ standing Of higher rank because their
i father is a landowner. .> h
I A town in which almost every father
owns his home has the appearance OF q
very prosperous one. Many thoughtful
persons have observed this fact. There
l Is q town being built forty miles from
Chicago in which every man will own his
home. Prophets say that it will indeed
be a most beautiful and prosperous one,
in identifying his own place, but also in
making his home town grow and become
important. Contrast this town with Pull
man, in which very nearly every man
was renting. One cannot wonder that
such a town as this would break up, for
all the people were merely renters and
liable to move any time; consequently
none cared to promote its interests or
better his own surroundings.
Health, the greatest Of all gifts, can
! be gained and kept in the family Of the
man who owns his home. It is the
! dirty alleys and backwards that draw dis
? eases to a. house. The father will sec
J that these places are kept clean near his
} own home. He will also make improve
!: ments such as putting In gas, hardwood
, floors and city water which will simplify
the housework Some people say that II
Is better to have health than wealth, but
the man who owns his home has both
There is q great deal said at the present
time about people wasting their nerve
| force, but surely no one wastes as much
) as the renter. He Is obliged to be ready
every month with his rent at a certain
date, or out he goes. Moreover, much o.
{ his time and energy must be expended II
) order to find the next lodging. Every
: renter has to move many times during
! his life, either because the family in
: creases or landlords will make no add
! lions to the house, or because the rem
goes up. At such times both the expens,
Of moving and injury to the furnitur,
must be considered. One can readily se4
the great amount Of money the fathe
( who owns his home saves. On the aver
= age man pays $25 a month rent. In on,
year he pays $500, and In ten year
Z 50, 000 This last amount, the rent OF th
! most ordinary Of houses for merely tel
!, years, will enable man, according t
: the plans and specifications in the Ladies'
!, Home Journal, to build a most comfort
9 able home, with grounds and all moderl
3 improvements.
}, Indeed, If q. man wants real confer
Q and happiness, he should own his home
g He will not only be relieved OF the car
Z and worry over the rent every month
y but will know that In his old age he wi
L be independent. The home itself will b
q q source Of inspiration to him. Nearl
q every one realizes that there is q gen
& eral dissatisfied feeling among renter,
d They are always looking for somethin
better. On the other hand the interest q
= owner feels In his home breeds content
IS ment But perhaps the greatest and bet
g reason why father should own hi
d home is because Of the influence It he
# over his children. Associations that clua
4 ter around the old home are always mos
y dear to children The family residenc
Il Is inspiring and ennobling to followin
d generations. It will always be q plac
Z for gathering. All will leave their care
z behind them at the entrance Of, the HON,
e 80 powerful will be the influence Of ia
!, and happiness. They will have @ Inuc