Woekingman's Model Home, 397 



First. How good a house can be built in the State of New York, 

 outside of the cities of New York and Brooklyn, so as to rent for ten 

 dollars a month ? 



Si'Gond. How completely and suitably can such a house be fur- 

 nished for $300 ? 



Third. How well can a family of six persons, father, mother and 

 four children under ten years of age, be clothed on $100 per year ? 



Fourth. How much and wh.it variety of food can the above family 

 have for $200 a year, and can the requirements made by a scientific 

 study of foods be met in practice for such an amount? 



These questions will be taken up in order, and the manner in which 

 ihey were answered will be considered. 



The House. 



"Do you not believe that the workingman should own his own 

 home ? " " Why do you not show some plan by which a man's pay- 

 ment of rent can apply on the purchase of his house ? " " Do you 

 believe in renting a house ? " These were some of the questions asked 

 each day of those in charge of the Workingman's Home. 



The question of rent versus ownership is a most important one. 2^0 

 attempt was made in the exhibit to show how every laborer may own 

 his own house. The various loan and building associations are endeav- 

 oring to make it possible. It means the utmost industry, care, thrift 

 and self-denial on the part of the laborer and his family, with a chance 

 of losing all the savings through sickness or misfortune. The courage- 

 ous minority attempt it. The majority are compelled to rent. Too 

 often, especially in the cities, the poor man pays an enormous percent- 

 age upon tr_e value of the inconveniences he enjoys. 



How good a house can a capitalist build in one of our New York 

 cities ?.nd rent for ten dollars a month, making a fair return on his 

 investment ? The result of consultations with business men of experi- 

 ence was a decision that, exclusive of the land, $1,000 could be put 

 into a house which should rent for $120 per year, the belief being that 

 a small lot oould be purchased in certain parts, or on the outskirts of 

 our New York cities and towns at a price which would make that rent 

 pay a fair profit on the entire investment. 



Lack of time prevented the submitting of competitive designs for 

 the house. Except for this, a more artistic one might have been 

 secured, but hardly a more convenient one. In the emergency caused 

 by the fact that the exposition authorities insisted that the house 

 should be inclosed at an earlier date than had been expected, Mr. 

 Frederick B. Pratt, a man not only widely known as secretary of the 

 Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N. Y., but also in connection with the com- 

 fortable housing of the poor in the city iu which he lives, most gener- 

 ously undertook to furnish the plans and working drawings. After 

 consultation with his architects and others, the plans used were pre- 

 pared by Prof. W. S. Perry, head of the department of art at the 

 Pratt Institute. 



The house at Chicago stood in the extreme southern portion of the 

 grounds, not farirom the Anthropological Building, and directly across 



