Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-31
Reform I'm housekeeping,


Mrs. Helen L. Starrett is q bold woman and
has the courage of her convictions. She has
dared to turn the hired girl out of the kitchen,
TO send the dirty clothes to the laundry, and TO
point out how housekeeping may be carried ON
without any housekeeper. Her plan, which is
roughly delineated in the September Forum, il
not to have housekeeping done comparatively
IN cities and villages, but to turn il all over 20
capital and organization. Her plan Of the
future home in the city is not TO build houses
and squares where each house has a kitchen at
the back side and dirty back yard in the rear.
The city of the future, in her opinion, will
rather build them all around an open square,
and the part now disfgured by the kitchen will
be given over for a household sitting room or
nursery opening into q great green space,
where children shall play in safety, and
through which the free air of heaven
shall blow into the houses surrounding
It. In every square will be found a scientific.
ally constructed building, containing a laundry
aud great kitchen, supplied with every mod
ern appliance for skilled and scientific cookery
and also for sending into every dining room
any desired quantity or variety of food The
individuality of the home and the home table
will be preserved, and the kitchen smells and
waste and hired girl will all be banished."
This ID, In substance, the plan which Mrs STAR
rett suggests for the rescue of the servant from
the isolated life and disagreeable drudgery of
the kitchen and for the freeing OF the house,
keeper from the harassing cares and annieties
which belong to nearly every home at the pres-
ent time. This plan would give the heads Of
families an opportunity TO become ideal home
keepers, time 10 take care OF their children a.
well as themselves, time for society or INTEL
lectual pursuits or for whatever else gives vari-
ETY. and elevation TO the family.
II cannot be denied that the changes here
suggested are sensible. In many places steps
leading to this method Of treating the work Of
the household have already been taken with
out increasing the cost of living and with very
great gain in the comfort and peace Of ones
home. What are many Of our large apartment
houses but the practical development Of this
plan on q limited scalef What Mrs. Starrett
had in view, however, is not simply the reliev-
ing of wel1-to-do people from the details Of
housekeeping, but the application Of this prin.
cipie TO every grade OF life where people are
living closely together. IL is neither commun-
ism nor socialism which is here taken in hand.
1t is simply the application TO household life Of
the large and well-organized way of doing
things which il found in the hotel. in the large
boarding schools and in all state institutions
where large numbers Of people are brought 20
gether. IL 10 simply the extension 10 home life
of what has already been found most practice
BILE for the individual
There is q great force in what Mrs. starrets
says about the transfer of domestic industries
from the home TO the organized INSTITUTIONS
outslde OF the home. She says: Clothes
making, oap-making, starch-makine. laundry
work, conee-browning, yeast-making, butter.
making-aii are gone. Send after them, or,
rather, say that organized industry has already
taken along with these the remaining work q
cooking and cleaning" Mrs. Starrett believes
that with proper appliances for delicate and
scienfihc cookery on q large scale, s.the best
food, prepared from the best materials in the
best possible manner, can be set ON the tables
or all who live In cities, or even In villages Of
large size, at very reasonable price and in
tne most inviting form. when once capital and
science combine their forces, 90 they will, TO
bring about the desired end" Such feasible
plan AZ this viii be hailed with delight by
both men and women, the man not getting
being able to keep house 10 her mind, because
II does away effectnaily, and at hardly in
creased expense. with great part Of the dis
turbing influence which most people, - things
homeA