Evening star., 1896-01-11

pickles for apples she is possibly losing
an amount of health in her family that
VIII eventually be represented in dollars
spent for doctor. How a knowledge of
Domestic science would perfect her econ
| omy i shall be able to show later on.
Need of Instruction.
The account Of this womans struggle
contains no reference to a reason for CO.
mestic science being taught in the schools,
| which have proved in my own experience.
Like myself, there is a constantly increas-
| ing number of women who are trained for
| a professional career, which is Subsequent
| ly followed to the exclusion of any knowl-
edge or training in domestic matters, and
when such a woman takes upon herself
the management OF a home she neither
knows her business nor can find anybody
to teach it to her. In seeking myself to
evolve from a prodigal newspaper woman a
thrifty housekeeper, / was absolutely with
out any mears Of learning my new profess
sion as / am accustomed TO learning
| things-that is, by the application of my
| mind to a systematic course of study. To
be sure, good housekeepers galore set me
examples which / might initiate, like a
monkey, but none of them being able 10
present to me the principles on which their
housekeeping was made a success, i have
had to perfect system of housekeeping
Of my own by digging in the dark through
mountain of mistakes that simply make
my hair stand on end and my blood run
cold to think about them. and 1t is only
since 1 began studying the a b of do
mes:ic science that / have sbeen able 10
| regard my future a housekeeper as like.
IL to escape one of the horrible ends-sui-
eide or boarding.
A Proposed Domestic Science Club.
1t has occurred to me that women who
read The Star might assist in Fastening
the advent of the coming Mary Ann by
| uniting with me in the organization of a
domestic science club, to be the only woIn-
ans club of it's kind on record. We will
have here no Madame President; no parlia-
mentary free for all, go as you-please
squabbles: We will have no speeches be-
trayjng the squeak of woman's voices and
the sophomore character Of their learning;
We will have no meetings, and the single
plank of our solid platform will be the
home We will organize on the plan of
Speaker Reeds rules-to do business, and
this business will be done by each In her
home, and will consist first in each wo-
mans getting her dom estic economy into
tatiStical shape, in order that COMPARE
| sons and corrections may thus be made
possible To secure the data necessary for
this she need employ but a few minutes
every day making memoranda on the fol-
lowing points, some of which require only
a single statement, and at the end, say, OF
two months. if she will send her report 10
me, / will do !he rest:
The Housewives Diary.
HOW is your mouse lOS SateO. f1oW uedt-
ed? How lighted? How ventilated? How
drained? In what condition is the plumb
| ing?
HOY r,u.h is paid out for rent, fuel and
lighting?
How is your cooking done-by gas, coal.
ETC.? How much fuel is thus consumed
each day?
How is your marketing done?
Specify how much is spent and for what
food materials per week.
Record the menu of each day; the guam
tity of each dish prepared; what dishes
were most heartily eaten of, and why, an 4
what disposal was made Of the remnants
What are the beverages used at meals?
How is your coffee made? How is your
tea made? Do the children drink either?
What do you know of the source and pur-
ity of the milk you use?
How is your laundering done? If put
out of the house, how much do you pay?
How much extra fuel is used IL done at
home, and what do you know Of the soap
and any washing fluids used?
Is your bread baked at home?
How is your garbage disposed of?
Have you a cellar? How often do you
What is the amount of your doctors bill?
How many and who are the members Of
your family? Any particulars of the condi-
uons of each; health, occupation, etc?
What is your husbands income? Do you
or any other member of the family con-
tribute to it, and how much?
How many servants are kept? How Of
ten do you change? What wages are paid?
How is your work done? What, IL any, por-
tion is done by children? Give the program
of each day, including the servants occu-
patton and how your own time is disposed
Do you run your house IN an allowance?
Do you pay cash? Do You make ends meet?
What do You find the most difficult prob
lem of good housekeeping?
To such women as send me their names,
expressing an intepest IN .he foregoing, I
will post a list of books to read which will
give a new interest to housework.
There is no escaping the daily tasks
that have to be done over and over by q
woman to keep her home in order, ard
have found that possessed of knowledge
relating to these tasks, that my mind
may be occupied in them, as well as my
hands, not only simpliias housework but
renders 1t as interesting anything / can
do
Profitable Effort.
Keeping the housewives diary 1 have
outlined tends, Furthermore, to relieve the
monotony Of the daily grind, and in the IN
stance of women who are mugwumps-Ihat
is. educated beyond their intellects" in the
matter of what constitutes their higher
aims by training the great guns OF their
intellect on the details Of their housekeep-
ing, they will find that the mere fact OF
"lsdy" deeming the housework worthy
her careful attention wonderfully stimu-
lates servants in doing their best.
You see then how thoroughly practical
and profitable intellectual effort in the
kitchen may be made. Besides, it is in
evitable. Already Congress has made con-
siderable appropriations to this end and
a large government force is at work ascer-
tanning the nutritive value of foods that
housakcepers may learn to market scien-
t:fically. Moreover, Commissioner Wright
has assured me that IL is only a question
of dme-that the near future probably
when Uncle Sam, in the person of agents
of the department OF labor will go into
the kitchens of the people to inquire how
women condition the nutritive properties
of food, and consequently the efficiency Of
labor, by their methods of preparing and
applying heat to food.
All OF which shows as you really per-
ceive, that In advancing the interests of
domestic science, the federal government
Is behind-not far behind.
PAULINE PRY.
The Happy Home.
The Rev. DR.. Ouylef n the New York Ledger.