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A Wall From a Worklngman
I havo vainly searched tho papers and
tlio household magazines
For a roclpo for dlnnor that will come
within my means; f
For a dinner, good, substantial, that
will put fat on my frame
And not cause financial panic in the
purchase of tho samo.
But to date I'm unsuccessful, for
tho monus that I see
Are too delicate and dainty for a
worklngman like mo.
Magazines there aro a plenty for the
rich who dine in state,
But I'm looking for a dinner that a
dollur buys for eight.
If I had a million dollars It would be
' an easy thing
To support six hungry children who
arc always on tho wing,
Bui I'm making modest wages and
" I'm paying lots of r&nt,
And I've 'got to cut tho corners and
make good with evry cent.
So .it makes mo mad to read 'em
menus in tho magazines;
'With their croquettes and their sauces
' lot 'em talk of porlc and beans!
"Dainty luncheons for throe dollars!'
I can't live at such -a rate
I am looking for a dinner that a dol
lar buys for eight.
"Consomme and then somo olives,
' then some mushrooms served on
toast;
- .Chicken fried, pimenta saTad, Sara
toga chips and roast;
Then some1 crackers and some coffee
and a dainty bit of cheese
This," my magazine informs mo, "is a
luncheon sure to please."
Bless your soul, that wouldn't start
us on the road from Hungryville,
For it takes substantial victuals and
a lot of them to fill
Me and those depending on me, and
I'm looking early, late,
For a good substantial dinner that
a dollar buys for eight.
It Carnegie wants to nelp us let him
start somo magazines
That will give somo information to
tho mon of meagro means
On the subject of providing three
square meals within the pay
Of a man who's mighty lucky If ho
makes three plunks a day,
And has got a growing family that
depends on him alone
To keep wolves from howling near
them in a dismal sort of tone.
Let him start one that will tell us how
to dine in family state
On a good substantial dinner that a
dollar buys for eight.
Just Thoughts . "
, Statistics show that the wage of
the average head of a "family, in !thia
country is between $550 and -$600.
The average family consists of five
members, therefore the average in-
come per member is .$120 a year, or
a, fraction less than 33 cents a day,
Statistics also show that 20 per cent
of tho wages paid o heads, of fami
lies Is paid out for rent, a sum equal
to $120 a year, leaving $480 to -pay
for food, clothing, medicines, etc.
Certainly $120 a year Is a moderate
estimate oj: the amount paid out for
shoes and clothing. This leaves $360
a year to spend in. food and fuel, med
icines. dOCtOr'S billR. Klinnnaa ,c
latter' items average $60 a year and
that is a long ways inside the aver
agethat leaves $300 with which to
The Commoner.
provide food for five people for a
year. This is a fraction over 10 cents
a day for each member of the fam
ily, or not quito 6 jtmts per meal.
And this brings us down to our real
complaint.
Now just turn to tho culinary de
partment of your favorite household
magazine and start in to read the
"Menus for April" printed therein. If
tho average workingman's wife under
took to follow out the menus thus
provided she would have her husband's
total wage for the month used up
before tho end of the first week. And
the menus thus provided would fit the
stomachs of the average working
man's family about as well as a
baby's cap on a giant's head. Just
imagine if you can a carpenter and
his wife and three children sitting
down to the following "magazine din
ner" aftor a hard day's work on the
part of the carpenter and his wife
and a day of riotous play on the
part of the three children:
Clam Bouillon
Radishes Lettuce
Chicken Croquettes
Sauce Piquante Celery
Tea Crackers
Cheese
By the time the family was filled
to repletion the carpenter's daily
wage would lack about 200 per cent
of footing the bill to say nothing of
leaving him' in debt .for the" break
fast and the luncheon.
A few days ago the author of this
department cut out the "April menu"
printed in a household magazine and
proceeded to do a little figuring. Tak
ing the prevailing market prices of
the articles given, and allowing only
$3 for fuel for the month and nothing
at all for the seasonings, and leav
ing out of all consideration the wages
of a cook, it developed 'that it would
cost not less than $96.50 to follow the
directions. And the amount thus pro
cured would be wholly insufficient to
satisfy the appetites of a hard work
ing man and three growing children.
Yet the average family into which
these househould magazines go have
less than $25 a month to spend on
the table.
A few weeks ago tne author of this
department attendee a cooking dem
onstration given by a culinary artist
of national reputation. She was ad
vertised to give a demonstration of
how to get up a "good substantial din
ner for a family of average size," hav
ing plenty of everything and nothing
wasted. She started off with a por
terhouse steak that cost $1.75, Ger
man fried potatoes, celery, macaroni
and cheese, hot biscuits and honey,
conee ana cake completed the bill.
It was a lucious steak, the biscuits
were as licht as a feather, tho nn.
tatoes fried to a delicate brown, the
coffee as clear as crystal and the
cake a creation. But the whole meal
cost more than the average mechanic
makes in a day, and the appliances
this professional cook used in her
demonstration cost more than all the
furniture in the average, mechanic's
home.
What we would like to see Is some
professional cook giving a demonstra
tion of the art of getting up a hearty
meal for the average worklngman
ana nis family at a cost not exceed
ing 30. cents about the limit of cost
the average worklngman can afford
for a single meal. If that wouldnt
make the professional cook go some
we miss our guess, It doesn't take
much of a cook to get out the plans
n.,1 nnnnlflnofinna -fftt n fnnA TTIPn.1 and
uuu djv;v.'viau o" -"- i
then prepare it when given the free
run of a grocery store and a meat
market. But tho author of this de
partment avows and declares that the
wife of tho average worklngman is
the best cook, tho best manager and
tho greatest household economist in
the world, all things considered.
What we aro looking for, and what
we will rejoice to And, is a household
magazine that will provide good
menus for the average American- fam
ily at a price within the means of the
average American worklngman. We
have grown awfully tired of the slush
printed in the average household mag
azine and pretending to tell how to
get up nourishing and palatable din
ners and luncheons at a "moderate
cost" the aforesaid moderate cost for
a week being more than the average
mechanic's monthly wage.
All this may not oe exactly in ac
cord with the original intent of this
department, but it will doubtless
strike a sympathetic chord in the
hearts of a few thousand men and
women who can not afford pate de foi
gras, nightingale's tongues, liver
wings of capons and strawberries in
April.
Often
"And do you often suffer from the
disease called 'writer's cramp?' "
queried the enthusiastic young thing
as she beamed upon tne poet.
"Yes, quite often," replied the poet
gazing thoughtfully on a pile of "not
available" notices ana working his
fingers around in an empty pocket.
"Yes, quito often but seldom in the
hand." '
Preparing for It
"Jinimie," said the "manager to tho
office boy, "are all your, grandparents
living?"
"Yes, sir."
"All enjoying good health?"
"Yes, sir.". ' ' .
"Any uncles, aunts or cousins in
poor health?"
"Not that I knows of, sir."
"All right, Jimmie. I just wanted
to know. The base ball season opens
up on the 21st of the month, and I
thought we'd fix it up so none of them
would be sick or anytning like that
except on Friday afternoons."
"Yes, sir."
"And if any of them are taken sick
on Friday you let me Know and I'll
give you a ticket to trie ball game.
.That's all, Jimmie. You may now re
turn to work."
w;
Limerick
There was a young maid in Peru
Who longed for the good and the tru,
And when things went awry
She would sit down and cry
And make all around her feel bin.
Brain Leaks
Giving money is the smallest part
of charity.
The other man's job always looks
easier than our own.
The man who never falls 'is the man
who never strives, to climb.
Some men look upon home as a
place to go when everything else is
closed up.
A lot of husbands are foolish enough
to think that their wives believe all
their excuses.
Everything comes to him who waits
and disappointment is itmiaiiv
first on the list of arrivals.
Here is a Sign Of a Imnnv hnmt-
When the husband comes home at
night and sniffs when he enters the
VOLUME 6, NUMBER 13
door and says. "My, but that smells
good!"
The trouble with .a whole lot of
men is that they always know better
how to do another man's work than
they do their own.
Every Boy
Listen!
We want to say a few
plain, honest things to
you, if you-areabetween,
say, twelve and sixteen
years old.
Only one boy out of a
great many boys ever
amounts to anything of
consequence.
The other boys are
proud of being rough.
They think they will be
dudes" if they keep
themselves cleanly
washed and neatly
dressed. They do hot
love clean, healthy out
door games and sport,
and plenty of it. TKey
like better to loaf on
street corners and brag
about what they will do
when they are men.
The "other boys"
when they grow up to.
be men, will, nine times,;
out of ten, be working
for some other man"-
mi n t t 3JM:
i ney win dc cneap men,
who can only "make a
living " by hiring out to
some other man.
Our advice is: Take part of the
time not all, by any means -
for something that will fit you to
be that other man when you grow )
up. Start now to train yourself to
be the man who hires men. Don't
grow up to be one of the hired
men.
We want you to work for The
Saturday Evening Post and
The Ladies' Home Journal.
The commissions are large, and
so are the prizes. , Some boys on
our staff" have N won as much as
500. You can take your own 4
time lor it and still earn money
easily. Other boys have done it ;
so can you.
Write to us and we will tell you 1
how some of them did it. Then '
you can do as they did and earn'
and win as much.
The Curtis Publishing Company
1672-E Cherry St., Philadelphia, Pa.
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