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children will need to
cross dangerous railroad tracks.
We shall, of course, wish to be where there are strong churches, with a
society of our chosen denomination, if possible. It may be that the
social life which has its center there will provide all the relaxation we
require; if we seek outside circles, it is desirable to know whether we

are likely to please and be pleased. Always there is the suburban club;
but not always is the suburban club representative of the really best
people of the town.

TRANSPORTATION
On the practical side a question of large importance is that of
transportation. The fast trains may make the run in twenty minutes, but
we shall not always catch the fast trains, and the others may take forty.
Morning and evening they should be so frequent that we need not lose
a whole hour on a "miss." In stormy weather we must find shelter in the
station, comfortable or uncomfortable. On the husband's monthly ticket
the rides may cost only a dime; when the wife and her visiting friends
go to the matinée each punch counts for a quarter, and four quarters
make a dollar. To the time of the train must be added the walk or ride
from the downtown station to the office, and the return walk from the
home station. A near-by electric line for emergencies may sometimes
save an appointment. None of these things alone will probably give
pause to our plans, but all will weigh in our general satisfaction or
disagreement with suburban life.

THE BUTCHER, THE BAKER, AND THE CANDLE-STICK
MAKER
Not every suburb is blessed with a perfectly healthful water supply. We
must make sure of that. We want to find stores and markets sufficient
to our smaller needs, at least, and to be within city delivery bounds, so
that the man of the house shall not be required to make of himself a
beast of burden. We hope, if we must employ a cook, that the milkman,
iceman, and grocery boy will prove acceptable to her, for the policeman
is sure to be a dignified native of family. We want the telephone
without a prohibitive toll, electric light and gas of good quality at
reasonable rates, streets paved and well cared for, sidewalks of cement,
reasonable fire and police protection, a progressive community spirit,
and a reputation for our town that will make us proud to name it as our

place of abode.

THE HOME ACRE
All these things may be had in scores of American suburbs and smaller
cities. But when we have selected the one or more towns that may
please us, and get down to the house or lot, our range of choice will be
found rather narrow. In the neighborhoods we would select, it is
probable that few houses are to be rented. Most of them have been built
for occupancy by their owners, who, if forced to go elsewhere, have
preferred selling to renting. There is no prejudice against renters, but
the sentiment is against renting, and this sentiment is well grounded in
common sense. Still, some families find it advisable to rent for a year
or so, meanwhile studying the local conditions and selecting a building
site. This plan has much to commend it, though it makes a second
move necessary. Others, who do not feel assured that a change in
business will not compel an early removal, wisely prefer to rent, if a
suitable house can be found for what they can afford to pay.

COMPARATIVE COST IN RENTING
The proportion of income that may be set aside for rent depends on
what that payment covers. In a steam-heated city flat with complete
janitor service, for instance, the rent at $40 is really no higher than the
$25 suburban house, for heat and water rent are included. With the
former, perhaps as much as a third of one's income could be spared for
the fixed charge of rent; but in the country the proportion cannot with
safety be greater than a fifth. Few satisfactory suburban houses can be
rented under $35, and to this must be added the cost not only of coal
and water, but of maintenance. On the whole, we are pretty sure to
decide that it is better and cheaper to buy than to rent.

THE LOCATION SENSE

There is some advantage in being able to secure a lot in a square
already built up. If present conditions are satisfactory we may feel
reasonably sure that they will remain so. We know who our neighbors
are to be, the sort of houses and other improvements that will affect the
sightliness and value of our own property, and the surroundings that
should in some degree govern the style of our abode.