The Dickinson press., 1888-12-22
rroblcm of Household Comfort.


The united wisdom and work of Cllicago's
organized wonanhood directed upon Chicago
homes will mean Il better knowledge of sani-
tation and hygiene as applied to lone archi-
lecture, ventilation, drainage, light, heat,
diet, and dress adornings. If the best and
broadcast naturcl housekcepers, or, as | like
q thousand times better to cali them, tho
honemakcrs Of our city, could put their
heads together over this problem of the mod
crn homc as their husbands do over tho prob
lem of rapid street car transit and the bridge
question, l believe that such an impetus
would be given convention and such cncoum-
agcment to enterprise that the following I'M
provements would be wrought out within
ten years:
Hot water and steam heated air supplied
to every house as gas is now from common
reservoirs, Il public laundry system, 50 con
plete as to drive the wash tubs out of every
kitchen, banishing forever the reign of
stcamy, sldsy, indigo blue Monday, aud Il
caterers system so complete Il, to send the
cooking sto"c& into perpetual exile. Ii men
had these problems N hand, complicated
with tho unspeakablo servant glrl problem,
they would have solved them by II svndicate
long before this, lutting no end of money i'll
their purses and no end of misery outside of
homes four walls. believe that as the boy
in his first composition answered the qu,s-
ton, ''llow have pins done the most goodl'
with tho words, ''By not swollcrin' of EN-"
so the servant girl question will ere long be
answered by not having servant girls. Tho
relations of the maid of all work to the aver
age household are abnormal, if not to dcgrcs
inhuman. They ought to be abolished, and
will be in the growing unrest and uplift Of
fho wn rrn worker on tho npn ln,J .,,j a.,
growing tendency Of the employer to look
upon this woman as Il convenient Celtic
apparatus on the other. Invention. enter
prise, and associated effort, stimulated by
the united wit and wisdom of united house.
keepers, will lead us out OF this Wilderness.
l often think, when rejoicing i'll the homo.
like amenities of q vestibule train, with it:
day coach, dining car, and sleeper, that il
George NJ. Pullman could be induced by &
council Of women to give five years of his
wonderful BRAN to this problem Of house
hold comfort off the rails, counscling Will
the housekccpcrs. as he would be wise enough
to do, he might crown his splendid life by
carrying into the average home the same
wholesale comforts and elcgancies with
which he now rcgales the travelling public
Only in that case VIC must petition him t.
spare us tic diiTusive atmosphere of that
horrible smokers annex. He would have
his house porters who would come around
regularly and set everything to rights, build
fires in the open CRATE, just for tho beauty
and coziness thereof, and clear up the house
generally; his pneumatic tubes through which
to send the meals ordered by telephone, and
walters detailed, so many to the block, tc
serve and gather up the fragments of tho
same, at far less cost than how, taking tht
wholesale contract by the year, while the NV
erage excellence Of viands prepared by ex
perts would be far higher than at present
with a proportionatc increase in the healtl
and happiness of the families thus served
10 preserve the individuality, the orivac,
and sanctity of home while diminishing it
cost and friction is the problem that womc,
in council must set themselves to solve
Notable homemakers, ready for the hex
thing, and not afraid of it because it is til
next and not the last, should bc organ
lied into q standing committee ont this sui
ject.-Frances E. Wizards Address.