The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-17
Mrs. Robinson Heeds. Loud
Wall Of Refined Women
Who Seek Homes.
CALLS ON CAPITALS AID
Transforming Of Old Residence
Into Small Apartments
~ Is Urged.


srage means and fine none. fine ear
may distinguish some timid soprano
complaints such as suggest young grls.
These soprano cries for help are al
most lost in the storm of basso pro-
fundo bowls from middle aged heads
of families. the distressed tenor OF
agonized young husbands, and the
piercing shrieks of mothers who see the
rent skyrocketing to an extent that
will soon put their children on the
street, but they are sounding In In
creasing numbers-the walls OF the un-
married who crave a home, the young
women who detest cheap boarding
houses and lodging houses, but whose
salaries simply cannot be stretched to
cover the expense OF a fiat Mt present
prices, even IL fats were to be found.
There is one person who Is giving heed
10 the problem that faces these young
girl wage earners of the middle class.
She is Mrs. Phillips Brooks Robinson OF
As East Eignty-fourth street. woman
who has been much in contact with the
frye of refined. fairly we'll educated young
woman who comes to New York In such
numbers to earn her living in one OF the
semi-artistic occupations or as teacher
or stenographer. who gets from $40 to
$25 a week and who finds herself abso-
lutely UP against 1t when she looks about
to satisfy her natural craving for some
than a boarding house.
Months ago Mrs. Robinson began cast
ing about for some solution for this
problem. and now she thinks she has
found 1t. She wrote Nathan Hirsch.
chairman of the Mayors Committee on
Rent Proflteering, about 1t. and yester-
day she outlined her plan In detail to q
reporter for THE SUN.
Plan Mrs. Robinson Suggests.
IT figure" she said, that a girl with
q salary Of $50 a week could pay Sc Of
that for rent. She could spare little
more to pay for furniture on the install
ment plan. A girl can hardly get a
decent bedroom in a rooming house for
less than 81 and such a bedroom means
conditions that are hardly living-con-
fortress meals in a restaurant. no place
10 entertain friends. an abiding place
that has no more character than the
stone ledge n city sparrow perches on.
know from talking to many Of them
that many such girls would be glad and
grateful to pay s. a week rent for a
home to which they could go at night
and cook a comfortable little dinner and
be at ease among their own things.
well. then, here Is my plan. which
could be tried out at first in a small
way, and which would net any one will
ing and able to invest some money in Il
a small proft-about 6 per cent have
walked the streets many days spying out
the ground, and / have found no end
of old houses on the middle and upper
East Side. not too far from the region
where great numbers OF young women
are employed in shops and offices.
Most of these houses are for rent at
rather moderate figures. I should like to
see some OF them made over into apart
ments for young women--two room
&c. hat =, u LIT FOL 60
rent at $40 a month, three room apart
ments with bath and kitchenette to rent
at $50 a month, and some one room
housekeeping apartments for girls who
wish to live alone.
1.-TWO girls could share the two room
fats, thus bringing tAe rent of each
down to bit less than IS a week, and
by putting a couch in one Of the rooms
could make sitting room of II. In
the three room apartments two girls could
live in luxury, with a bedroom apiece
and parlor to share, and $50 a month
would come easily within the reach Of
two girls getting. say. s25 week each
Furniture Is Stumbling Block.
Then as to furniture. which is the
stumbling block for many bachelor
girl who dreams of home. There
aren't many who have enough ready
cash to At up even a tiny place. I have
thought Of furniture exchanges. sucf
as were maintained in London during
the war in connection with the army
and navy stores.
IT do not know whether these furni
ture exchanges are still In existence owe,
there-I am going to London in Septem
Der and mean to look them up then-
boon to army and navy wives. sister
and mothers who wished to turn furni
ture they could spare Into money. The,
could take a bed. chair or table there
sell II for a fair price. and It would b,
sold again for exactly what they re
celved for 1t, plus the overhead cost
OF the exchange.
NOW there are quantities of peopl,
In New York who have pieces OF furni
ture they don't need and would like (,
dispose OF. only they don't know how
My idea Is to open an exchange wher,
young women could buy nice secon,
hand furnishings on the instalment plan
'Of course such an exchange woult
have to be managed very carefully by
reliable committee, and those in charE
would have to take great care to keel
out the dealers who are always watch
ing to proht by such undertakings. Blu
efficient oversight would make that al
right"
Mrs. Robinson thinks that the host
OF women who filled the past month
with war work and are wondering nov
what they will do with this acquire,
taste for exertion when the soldiers ar
all demobilized ought to hail the need o
the homeless bachelor girls with delight
Running a furniture exchange for younl
women wage earners mightnt be SO pic
turesque as serving in a canteen o
chauffeuring an ambulance, but the ZOO
II would do can't be measured.
"Nine-tenths of the girls yearn 70
home surroundings" said Mrs Robinson
us anything more dismal than gettin
up In hall bedroom in a roomin
house and going out to a cheap res
taurant for breakfast? Then think q
the disadvantage OF not having an
parlor to receive callers in-and man
Of the rooming houses lack that How
girl to receive her suitor II she has on
how can she get married? Nice girl
don't ike park courtships.
81 tell you I'm speaking from actus
knowledge when tell you that IN
housing situation Is desperate for man
OF these refined girls who are elrnin
what Is considered a fair salary. On
girl know who has pretty good pos
ton with a magazine has been loolkin
for q place to live In ope solid year, an
-. she nnds rents impossible.
Must He Near City's Centre.
Every ono who talks Of buildin