The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-20
CARING FOR THEARTSfUDBNT
NO LONGER CAN A WOMAN LIVE
HERE FOR 90 A WEEK.

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And Poor Feeding. Say the Instructors,
Means Poor work-Gae Steve Cook.
ing q had Substitute fer the Home
Table-Clubs TO Solve the Problem.
Geniuses are popularity supposed to
be more or less independent Of creature
comforts. but few Ct the young persons
who come from all over the United States
every autumn to study art in New York
are In the genius class. For the most
part they r young men and women OF
average ability. seven-eighths Of whom
are bent N becoming self-supporting
as soon as possible, and the majority
Of these have hearty appetites and good
digeston-when they arrive. After three
or four years of study in New York 1t
sometimes happens that their diges-
ton Is not 30 good.
One artist hazarded the statement
that last autumn there were at least
1000 newcomers in the various studios.
A teacher Of painting said this estimate
was entirely too low and placed the num-
Der Of strangers nov studying art In this
city, including beginners, at 5000, and
this number he thought did not include
some who only give part time to the
study OF art while earning their living
at some other sort Of work.
Nearly half tho total number are women.
only q very small percentage Of whom
can afford to spend moro than q very
modest sum for living expenses.
Every year for TIN years. say those who
have given attention TO the matter, this
problem has grown to be more serious.
Enfeebled health and digestion and medi-
ocre work are the results. for. the expert
ence OF geniuses to the contrary, some
Of the beat instructors In this city main
tain that IN unoomfortabfy housed,
poorly fed young man or woman cannot
and does not apply himself as enthusi-
astioally to his work Or get 40 good re-
suits as does the we'll lodged, we'll nour-
ished student.
An instructor who did not wish to be
quoted said thlt a reason why 80 many
art students preferred to study in Europe
was because the cost Of living, even
in Paris, was not NOR, than one-half
what 1t il In New York, and at that stu
dents were far more comfortable.
At one time students thought Is o
week quite a liberal sum to spend for room
and board, ~ being oftener the allow
ance. There are now plenty Of young
women students who come here prepared
to spend nc more than this q week, I'M
deferred by the tales Of soaring prices
for rents and provisions. Perhaps along
with these tales they have read others Of
how easy it is to prepare a nourishing bill
Of fare for 10 cents a week or something
like that. At any rate with the optimism Of
youth and ignorance these young women
arrive, determined to get along somehow.
few having made any provision for ac-
oommodations before leaving their native
village or town. In perspective studio
life In New York looks alluring. and young
women expect to ft into a corner Of some
picturesque studio at q nominal price as
easily as 1t is done in novels dealing with
European art circles. With few exoep-
tons their expectations are not realized.
Said q woman who has been studying
hard in Now York for the last three
years:
1T will save a lot OF time and strength
and encouragement II young women
students arriving In New York give up
from the start any idea Of going to live
in q regular studio. I had to give up the
idea because l had no extra money to
spend on furniture. and the cost Of a fur
nished studio OF even one room put 1t
out Of the question.
what I finally compromised on was q
tiny room on the top floor OF q boarding
house for which l paid " q week. The
=. - kLnk ranpa .n- vtth kNaSl l.
$3.50 q week.
.The only way I know OF by which q
student can live decently in New York
for s. a week 10 for her. II she Is alone
and can't ohum In with another girl, to
hire q small furnished room. set up q two
burner gas or oil stove and cook for her
self. Even then her food will have to be
Of the very plainest, for ever In an out Of
the way locality her room, however small.
II In a clean, good class house, will cost
at least ST. o a week.
"If O girl attempts to cook over the
single gas Jet in her room. and many a
girl doee attempt to. I will guarantee
that in loss than three months she will
have lost all her buoyancy Of spirit and
nearly all her interest in her work. AL
most inVariaDiy u y tuat "uy.
Cooperative housekeeping is better. I
know two cousins who came here last
year. the one to study clay modelling. the
other drawing and water color painting
with the view OF becoming an illustrator.
Both are poor girls. They hired a good
sized top hoor furnished room west Of
Ninth avenue for $3.50 a week. set up
an oil stove and prepared their own meals
at a total cost Of $40 weekly. and without
losing either flesh or courage. One.
you see. encouraged the other, and neither
would let the other lapse into the cold
bite habit-a habit which 10 bound to
knock out soone or later the very healthiest
man or woman. In most cases, though,
| think even a pretty poor boarding house
table Is 10 be- commended for students
rather han setting up solitary house.
keeping because Of the greater variety
of food they get and the oompanionship
at meal time. also because II leaves them
free to concentrate on their work.
Yes, / am aware that there are spe-
cialists who have demonstrated that one
can be well nourished on certain remark
ably restricted diets, like peanuts only,
or milk or vegetables only. cooked or un-
cooked, but have never known O young,
healthy person who wanted to make ex-
periments along that line. With few ex-
ceptions art students crave three meals
a day and ought to have them"
This ar tiet was not aware that OF late