The change in what one gains under the name of shelter, what one pays rent for, must be kept clearly in mind. Two or three decades since it was a tight roof, thinly plastered walls, and a chimney with "thimble-holes for stoves," possibly a furnace with small tin flues, a well or cistern, or perhaps one faucet delivering a small stream of water. To-day even in the suburbs there is furnished light, heat, abundant water, care of halls and sidewalks. The elevator-boy takes the place of "buttons," the engineer and janitor relieve the man of the house of care, so that it may not be so extravagant as it sounds to give one third the $3000 income for rent, since it stops that leaky sieve, that bottomless bag of "operating expenses." The income may be pretty definitely estimated in this case, especially if meals are taken in the café. If the family dine as it happens, the cost mounts up. Here are a few estimates for verification and criticism: Rent of an apartment............$ 600.00 to $ 700.00 Meals........................... 1200.00 " 1000.00 Clothing........................ 400.00 " 600.00 Incidentals, amusements, etc.... 200.00 " 300.00 Savings, _nil_. --------- -------- Total income................... $2400.00 to $2600.00 If the wife can manage the "kitchenette" and part of the clothing, about $600 may be saved, but in that case it represents her earnings, and should be at her disposal. If it should be possible for safe shelter to be had for $400, then with the wife's help $700 should be the sum in the "region of choice." I hold that, unless the income can be managed so as to secure _choice_, all the daily toil is embittered. Even if some is spent foolishly, it is safer than the burden "just not enough." The more common cost of decent living in our Eastern cities is: Rent...............................$1000 to $1500 Meals.............................. 1200 " 1400 Clothing........................... 500 " 700 Incidentals........................ 300 " 600 Savings, _nil_. ----- ----- Total..............................$3000 to $4000 This goes far toward justifying the saying that a young man cannot afford to marry on less than $3000 a year. With these figures in mind, what can our $2000 family with two children do? The rent that they can pay will not cover service or heat. There must be a maid to fill the lamps, see to the furnace, help with the cooking, and the wife must stay by the house pretty closely and probably decline most invitations. For the five persons, ten dollars a week for raw-food materials and five for its preparation is the lowest limit likely to be cheerfully submitted to.