Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-26
AN EXPERIMENT BY AousEksEpsas.
st. Louis Women Are Discussing Pro-
fect That Seems FeasibIe

The ladies of the Woman's exchange
have had the question of housekeeping
under discussion and have decided to
make vigorous appeal to the house
keepers of the city to join together in
some sort of alliance for their material
aid and benefit. A paper on the subject
prepared by the committee appointed to
investigate the question indicated their
plan.
The ladies expressed the belief that
thorough and competent bureau of in
formation where housekeepers can Sc
cure the material for the transaction of
the business of the household is the hope
of many womans life The domestic
service is the mechanical and structural
part of the home. If the machinery
here is not running smoothly and on
time, the happiness and repose which
constitute the central idea of home are
seriously endangered or perhaps wholly
destroyed. They said with one accord
that way which has not been exhaust
lively tried might be put to the test by
forming a branch or department of the
Woman's exchange to be called an Asso-
citation Of Housekeepers and Bureau of
Information, whose purpose it shall be
to bring together an exchange of the
wants and the needs between employer
and employed in every department Of
home and social life, to investigate the
sources of supply by which domestic
service is maintained, to arrive at
more intelligent understanding of the
means by which skilled labor may be
secured and a respect cultivated for
household labor; to promote a more
scientific knowledge of what constitutes
housekeeping and homemaking; of the
economic value Of food material and its
nutritive conservation by good cooking
and to consider and study all questions
which concern the health, happiness
and economic management of the fam
lily. Such an association they said ap-
pealed to every man and woman in the
community-for it goes far to constitute
the comfort of everyday life.
The ladies thought that if only one in
each 500 housekeepers of the city Joined
the association band of 200 ladies
would be formed to labor for reform in
domestic service. Their plan as indi-
Gated at the meeting aims to establish a
clean, decent and comfortable boarding
and lodging house for girls when out of
places, where they can board at the
minimum rate of the cost of keeping up
the house. Probably to do this advan-
tageously they would be required to take
care of their rooms and give, perhaps,
two hours day to the work of the
house under the inspection of super
visor.
Second, to furnish practical lessons in
cooking and dining room work in con-
nection with the restaurant under pro-
fessional teacher. Also in laundry work,
dish washing, scrubbing and scullery
work. Girls taking lessons from the
professional teachers would pay for in
struction in addition to their board. In
creased ability or new knowledge gained
would entitle the servant to better
place and higher wages. Girls sent out
by the association would be registered
and kept in sight, and they might ap-
peal to the association in any case of
real or fancied injustice. For the sup
port Of this department an appeal has
been made to the women and house
keepers of this city.
The scheme of the association embo-
dies novelty in domestic work, for in
addition to the work Of supplying do
mestics at monthly rates the association
aims to supply women by the day for
laundry work, housecleaning, sewing,
etc. They will also establish an emer-
gency department, which will supply at
short notice persons at day rates, who
can take a place rendered vacant by
sickness or unforeseen necessity. They
may also establish house to house SER
vice, at hour rates, by a person who
comes regularly to house to perform
special service, such, for instance, as
cleaning lamps, silver or windows, and
who leaves when her special work is fin
ished.
The association estimates that with a
membership of several hundred and an
annual fee of ten dollars the plan out
lined could be carried into practice. The
payment of the bill entities the member
to all the privileges of the organization,
including the lectures, discussions and
monthly meetings. st. Louis Post-Dis-
patch.