New-York tribune., 1904-10-18
ECONOMICS IN THE HOME.
Few Women Realize Intimate Connection
with Housekeeping.

At the first meeting Of Miss Jessie Wallace
Hughans class in economics for women, az the
Brooklyn Institute last week. the informal discus
sion 10 which the hour devoted proved very
interesting.
Il am convinced said Mss NJ C. Fitzpatrick
the founder and head Of the Social Settlement at
No. Franklin Court. Brooklyn. that women who
engage in any practical philanthropic work
led straight 70 the study Of economies. I Went
into Settlement work with the idea that should
teach the class which generally lump together
under the Of the poor how to econoruize
their time, money and effort how 10 make the
most Of their Ives-n short. we should solve all
their problems for them II is so up to q certain
extent. The poor with better trimming could get
more out Of their lives than they do But I have
become convinced that this is not the root of The
matter Wage eaTners have not money enough TO
I've decently on. that's all there IS about It. With
the rent they have pay, the prices Of the neces
saries Of life they cannot sell their labor in the
open market for enough 70 live in decent comfort
How can man support family 81 a wees?
And yet that is good. fair wage for a great
many positions. The family can manage 10 scrape
along in deCcncy if the wife is u good manager,
but the moment there is sickness or any expense
out Of the usual the family must topple over
into the class aided by charity
And I can't see anything except that this condi-
ton must grow worse AS the use Of machinery
increases. work is going TO become more and more
centralized. and it will grow and more of a
privilege to get q Job More and more employers
want young men. and middle aged men, in the
prime Of life are shelved rs too old. The pro-
ductve period OF the laborng mans life is shorten
ing and more and il is Impossible for the mass
Then we must have old age pensions TO meet this
condition, I suppose, practically the pauperizing
OF the whole working class. when they are beyond
the productive period.
Il have come face to face with these things in
nv Settlement work and 7 can't grapple with
them / have read and read sociology, buJ think
need solid basis Of economics 70 go on and am
prepared to take Il textbook and study.
7 think many women, said another, 'eSpe-
-. 80, ~ %, m Onir,iors once frrrr,s5
are apt 70 be tenaCiously adhered 10, and they
ought to be based on some exact knowledge. Girls
under the sIn-hstory Of art. history OF literature
lives of composers. all the culture studies-but
the base Of our whole social structure. The gen
eral public men and women noth. Is totally lg-
rise and fall. what hxes wages. what fixes prices,
what fixes the quantity OF circulating medium and
so on. -. .,-. ~,
cans EnoY dr Democrats Ml said another who cannot
answer single argument II they happen to en-
becaI.se fbev d6T't understand what they are
taikinE about know women VINO espouse the
never had the preliminary training 10 enable them
need classes in economies
And cant We bring IN something about cen
tralized housekeepinS2 sad Mss I FI.zpa{rrilekl I'll
realize the trulh or Mrs ''--Inan views 4.oul
hoUsekeeDirg--he weiiheinE OF the working
buviDE and cooking. the good management or his
wife. And .et the wife has never had any train
ing iu this kind of tnlnE Ard IL is going 10 oe
worse and worse. and more girls go into
business. How are they 70 get any training m
housekeeping and home making when they nave
been in q factory since they We're twelve or four
tseno And when tuSt soon as they begin this
now work they begin 20 have children Mrs Gu-
mans whole argument is that housekeeping should
be q specially. Ike anything else. How can II oe
a speciality when each Individual woman has got
10 begin 70 specialize in f. alone. after she has
been sueriaiiZiUE ign something else Tor eight or
ten vears2 And I never realized the wtteS de
fercIess position i1 her moneFi-ss condition Unt!
Went into this work No matter how much She
does or how well she manaS"s the house the
money is never hers. bvt her husbands. because
re earns IT, heard u man saw 70 his wife the
other day. 'vouI never have rhe handling Or a
dollar Of nv money again. because she mad 0ougAt
something that didn't suit him. She was managing
family OF twelve q larry az $40 a W+"k
Her good management doubled the purchasing
power Of his salary. vet n was aIl his He DIDN'T
allow that She was entitled 20 dollar or IT.
The class wiU meet THURSDAY afteruoous at =
O'Clock al No I7t NortHCue-st- M-7F HIgha0 IS "A
graduate OF Barnard, wnere she made speciality
=.