The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-22

the Topeka federation of women's
clubs at the October meeting in Wash
burn chapel was SO well enjoyed and
created so much discussion among the
club women that the following ex-
cerpts from the magazine article which
inspired it by Elizabeth Banks who
wrote in the North American Review
of the Educated Household Drudge,
may be of interest:
Were I a painter, and did wish to
depict on canvas the typical American
wife, I should put calico dress upon
her, tie Bingham apron around her
waist, and paint her with an intellect
ual face, all eager, searching-search-
ing for dust.
"Being so British, you will like to see
these said a college woman to me
month or two ago when l was calling
on her She opened parcel OF half
dozen Irish linen housemaid's aprons,
with huge pockets and strapped -bibs.
They are from Belfast. A friend
brought them to me"
What are they for?" I asked.
Fer afternoons" she answered. In
the morning I wear the gingha1n ones.
but there is always Something to do
Always something to do! 1t is well
for every woman that she should have
always something to do, but the some
thing should not always require an
apron.
Throughout the west 1 met the edu-
Gated American drudge in her hun
dreds At times she seemed in part to
realize what she was. AT other times
she seemed to live and work all uncon-
scious of the depth of drudgery to
which she had descended. especially IL
her husband helped her to beat the
carpets and hung up the clothes line
on a Monday morning before he Went
to business. For the drudge's husband
is handy about the house"
The educated drudge does not have
large family. Her limit is three chill
dren. The average is two, indeed sta
tistics will probably show it to be but
one and half; 1t was al ner, at IeaSt
in part, that President Roosevelt level
ed his accusation of contributing to
race suicide and thereby helping on the
survival of the unfit.
1t is true that the educated drudge
has not done all that nature has in
tended and fitted her to do in the way
of increasing and multiplying after her
kind and replenishing that part of the
earth which she inhabits.
1t is also true that in no country IN
the world except the United States VIII
one find a woman in checked g1ng-
ham apron presiding at the wash tub
the parlor to help her only little
daughter over a difficult part of Schu-
bert or Wagner at the piano! In no
other country will one find VIE
busting. scrubbing, putting patch upon
patch and darn upon darn for ten
hours during the day, then spendlng
her evenings helping her TWO chlloren
physics.
To decorate a Halloween table select
a globe shaped golden-red pumpkin,
cut a thick slice from each slae ana
hollow out the center. Place upon
mat of cornhusks and fill with per
fectly shaped red checked apples,
highly polished and luscious bunches
of grapes At each end of the table
have a basket cut. handle and all
from big winter squash and I'LL them
with sugar sprinkled doughnuts- These
also rest upon the corn husk mats
Scatter the surface of the table with
brilliant autumn leaves and drape the
edge with a gorgeous ivy vine turned
crimson by the frost.
more or less interested of late in the
rivival of some of the indus
trial arts of our Observation-Disclosures:
Among these what are called pulled
rugs have been conspicuous for their
durability and artistic merit. So far
the work has been simply used for
rugs, but it has other possibilities,
which will undoubtedly be recognized
and utilized. 1t consists simply of
pulling a loop through some material
with a crochet needle. With the rugs
this is done on burlaps, the loose
weave making it easy to pull the loops
narrow strips of colored rags, so
that a rug when finished is vir-
tually a rag carpet, the advan-
tage over weaving being that any pat
ern may be easily followed. 1t takes.
however a long time to make a rug,
as the loops are necessarily very close
together. so that when cut afterward
they present the appearance of a
thick Turkish pile-but the same work
can be done on better and closer tex
tiles than burlaps, where the material
itself can be left showing. To do this.
however, hole must be punched
through to insert the crochet needle;
for this the ivory crochet needle,
which must be a large one can be
sharpened at one end to a point and
rubbed smooth with emery paper. In
this way any material can be used,