The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-16

London Institution Proposes to
Train Angels for the Household.

mere is a PROJECT afoot at the SOUTH
western Polytechnic in Manresa road.
Chelsea, which should brighten many
homes. Nothing less than a carefully
concocted scheme of fitting what / may
call our future wives for the profession
they hope to embrace The idea of a ma
trimonial college was attractive. And
here Is a rough sketch of the school
which in few years and with ordinary
luck should turn Chelsea into a paradise
peopled by happy husbands.
The great project was started in the
brain of thoughtful principal, who sits
with finger, as it were, on the pulse of
those who wished to learn. lie had no.
tieed that now and again young wo-
man of prepossessing appearance" arriv
ed and asked for a cookery course. She
was a shop assistant, or a typist, and
was thinking of changing her condi-
tion." The principal knew-and twinkled
Moreover, he thought, and his thoughts
led him to this conclusion; that the aver
age girl who marries and undertakes the
charge of house is starting blind on a
march through an unknown country Es-
necially is this the case with the girl
who has had to earn her living as shop
assistant since leaving school. But even
the girl who comes from a middle-class
home has had very little training in
housekeeping. She may have picked up
scraps of disjointed knowledge. But few
mothers will give daughter the full fling
OF weeks housekeeping money, and
teach her to do the best with it, Few
mothers will disclose the amount And
the daughter orders dinner in the dark.
80 from the hint dropped by these stray
girls who were on the brink OF marriage.
ana mad the sense to plumb their own in
H.
technic came upon his project Tens of
thousands of girls have a few hours in
the evening in the region marked S. w.
thousands have most of the day at their
disposal Most of these will marry Few
Oh them are equipped for their duties
why not organize a school for wives?
Already-the material is there The pro-
Iessors are ready; the teachers of cook.
ing are at work, without a spatter of
gravy on their aprons. The dressmakers
are ousy teaching girls how to make
thelr own dresses on next to nothing a
year: AZ only remained to concentrate the
dsdHaOle FORCES on course which should
aunt all who wanted to run II. And
mere, obviously, we find two classes Of
manageable maidens. These are those
VINO nave the whole day at their disnosal
mere are those who have only the even
ing free. One might even sub-divide these
classes into those who are to be married
IN few months and those who have a
year or more for preparation. But the
Foiytechmc's hope is that all girls will
putting false modesty aside-assume that
marriage viii come this way or the other
bilities. 'e'poiisl-
Home Life as a "Busine,...
Inc special course which is being plan
ned al Chelsea is designed tn orovjdo
Dnooi LOT wives who will be summoned
I'm tie MONIES of the comfortable middle
Grass TO manage the homes Of mar -
lloueraTe means, and even though thew
miss wifehood and become ONLY house,
keepers the course will be equally yalua-
ole' TOT most women are called unon al
suiheIlne or other to manage a house
ne professional man who designs his son,
LOT an engineer gives him special train
ing and does not expect him to learn
ms procession by making ocean liners that
DreaK down. But the engineers wife has
10 learn her profession by her defeat
az .ne hahds of dishonest tradesmen.
DOCKS that do not balance, incomnetance
IN the kitchen, and discomfort in the nurs0
cry. chelsea is going to mend this TO
the girl with leisure it offers two wears,
course OF training in the duties which she
viii IN all likelihood have to face. tvo
years of pleasant practice. Before an
terlne upon the course suggested" writes
the principal, ''the woman should hava
liau sood all-around education. The
course is intended to enable the student
to begin the specialization of actual bon,s
lie business. In addition to the ususI
SUBJECTS of domestic science. thai is m
say, cookery, needlework, dressms kim
laundry work and account keeping. she
studies the Importance of sanitation and
oodlly health, and the life, recreation and
physical training of children The courses
are intended to be very elastic. and The
student need not necessarily take up the
whole. ~ '"o
From the two years course the perfect
Wlie should be evolved. For cooking
dressmaking, millinery needlework lam.
dry and housewifery the macbinerv ;s
ready, and not only are students com
PEELED to eat the luncheon thew have
cooked-a sufficient stimulus to careful
ness-out they are asked to 60 ont and
buy the materials. That contract with
the shop is a most important point. for
the ordinary bride cannot criticise a fish
and is powerless before a butcher. More
over the begetter of this scheme has do
Vlsed system of household accounts
more welcome to the feminine mind than
bookkeeping by double entry. which has
saved pound a week out of his own
income. Something of hygiene is useful
IN the home, and this. with physiology
occupies four hours a week For two
hours week gymnastics are suggested
since the feminine body must wait ON the
feminine brain, and Fraulein Wilke. the
gymnastic instructress, leads a crusade
against the weak-lunged and anenic
Child study, too, and the games Of chill
dren' are on the programme, for we must
look ahead and prepare for probabilities
How many mothers have faced their own
nursery without the vaguest remem-
brance of how they wanted to be amused
as children. An ambulance class, too. en-
tiers into the course, for every baby and
not few husbands squeeze thumbs IN
the door. The girl who has assimilated
all this science and practice should be A
competent housekeeper. One may antici-
pate vast increase In the traffic receipts
of railway, omnibus and steamboat COM
panios from aspiring youths journeying
to Chelsea in search of wives who have
been graduated in the matrimonial school
g. r.