The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-08-31
A Town In One House
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN

/ -A's'AE iS SiIAiipIAs ny d SSIlSS Vi terraces
set with ornamental pools and formal
gardens and cOlonnades and fountains.
from the sea shore to the top of a
gently sloping hill. 1t is proclaimed
that this is to be the true home of all
that is great in American sculpture.
MacMonnies will here restore the IA
nous fountain which he designed for
the Chicago Exposition, and which has
been torn down because there was no
room for it. So will Athens "Fount-
ain of the Earth be preserved along
with Bartlett's equestrian masterpiece.
The United States lacks great ar
chitecture. Its work of decorative art
have heretofore been housed mostly in
museums. At the New Versailles they
are to be given their true place in a
scheme of elaborate beauty. In a
word, when the scheme reaches its
logical fulfillment, this will be the su-
preme monument to American wealth.
In the year five thousand and some
thing, mayhap, it will be dug up and ex-
hibited as masterpiece of the Ameri-
can civilization. 1t will be to the Ameri-
can millionaire what the pyramids as to
the Pharoahs-a physical demonstration
of their tremendous power to create.
But meantime. and as soon as the
first chateau is finished, it will do for
the American millionaire great many
things that he would otherwise have to
do for himself. 1t is to be an expert
ment in communal living for the rich.
All over the world, at various times,
communal colonies haye been founded
by socialistic dreamers and always thew
have failed because there was no real
need for them. Now, in New York,
the need has grown up because of the
great number of people, and the COM
plexity of their wants, and the need
has brought into being the communal
apartment house. This great coopera-
tive country home will take up the
idea and carry it a step further. Every
family that wishes to live in it will buv
as much space as it needs. One man
for example, has bought only a room
and bath for $5000,OO, while another
has bought $3.50, 900 worth. With this
he can do as he pleases, for he owns it.
This particular man has decided to cut
out the floors of the second story, so
that all OF his rooms will have vaulted
ceilings twenty feet high.
Having thus acquired an ownership
the tenant has satisfied all of his needs
without any further effort upon his
part except the writing of checks.
Automobiles, garages, chauffeurs, are
all supplied by the colony as a whole.
So are yachts and motor boats, and
giant sea-plane. A theatre. schools
for children, and a playhouse to cost
500, 600 are all thrown in. Tennis courts
and golf courses and an aviation field
and hangers and aeroplanes are all
there. Cooperative stores are main
tanned and cooperative restaurants.
grill rooms, bars, and catlring estab-
lishments. In a word, the millionaire
without once thinking about them, he
may revel in the complex luxury of
modern wealth and his own contribution
will consist merely IN paying the bill
He may 90 to Europe for the summer
and return with out notice and find
everything in running order at his home
communal.
The servant problem is to be solved
in the same way. There will be CO.
operative servants quarters where the
Wallets and lackeys and chamber maids
will have club house of their own,
and a swimming pool and an auto bus
to take them on picnics, and many
other perquisites. From this establish
ment. the tenant will be able to employ
whatever servants he desires by the
day, hour or year There will be but
one requirement; no servant will be
allowed to work more than eight hours
day.
This town, in-a-house is to have a
board of directors elected by all the
tenants, and this board is to hire a
manager. 1t will be run Just like a
modern small city, with one important
exception. The board directors will
carefully pass upon the social and
financial qualifications of every would
be inhabitant. So this is to be a very
exclusive experiment IN communism.
But if 1t works there will doubtless be
other and less exclusive ones. So
crowded are the great cities becom-
ing that self-preservation has of ne
cessity become mutual preservation.
The cooperative apartment of today
is probably fore cast of how we will
all be living in the not so distant fu-
ture.