Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1904-01-01
FOR DOMESTIC SCIENCE
Chicago Women Interested In
Project of National Scope.
COLLEGES TO TEACH HOME WORK.

Oh homes
Mrs. Henrotin Declares That Pres
ent Methods Are Educating Young
Women Away From Their True
Sphere.
Domestic science taught in all schools
and universities attended by women,
with college degrees for managers of
households and general recognition of
the art of providing comforts and lux
uries for the home. is the dream OF
group of Chicago women, says Chica-
go dispatch.
These ladies say they do not wish to
be looked upon a S extreme propa gan
dists who would found Conservatives
of cookery where professors Of pastry
and doctors of doughnuts would eX-
pound theories, but they do desire to
spread the doctrine that women in all
grades of life ought to be learned in
economics of the home-in the laws of
hygiene as in the languages.
The foundation OF national life the
home, is declared to be in need of fos-
/ tering care. The danger is said to be
greatest in the so called educated
classes "and among those who are
which they consider higher"
| 1t is proposed to form an association
of expert housekeepers who will take
up the question of domestic science
with public educators and enlarge the
scope of the School of Domestic Arts
| and Sciences established in Chicago
1 three years ago. The promoters of the
association hope then to go beyond
! the confines of the city and state and
induce the great institutions where
! feminine students go to add to their
! curricula studies in chemistry of foods,
bacteriology and sanitation.
/ Particularly is it designed to save
/ from life of tea drinking and scandal
mongering the girl who comes out of
! school. in which home management and
/ home occupations have found little
place Such girl. while taught to de-
mand Il reason for everything, is in
many cases intrusted with the conduct
/ of household where she is given no
reason for anything except usage. To
4 the mind trained in the ave.age uni
versity such an occupation is not worth
J while. 1t is too combining. and the pos
SCISSOR of it too often turns to friVolities
/ when she is not abusing her servants to
/ her neighbors.
The Chicago Woman's club as a body
is championing the movement, and its
president, Mrs. Charles Henrotin. is out
I spoken in her advocacy. The club de-
voted an afternoon recently to discus
/ sion of the subject after listening to q
+ paper by Mrs. Lynden Evans. who is
/ the head of the School of Domestic Arts
and Sciences. The fact that within the
last few years the universities of Chi
cago, Wisconsin and Michigan had be-
gun the teaching of chemistry of foods,
/ bacteriology and kindred branches was
I hailed as most encouraging sign.
Il think domestic science should be
taught in public and private schools"
/ said Mrs. Henrotin. "This idea, which
was frowned upon by most educators
at first, has been gaining ground in the
last two years. An active educational
movement along these lines has been
7 going on in quiet way, and now it has
/ reached such proportions in Chicago
! that it is planned to take up the propo-
! sition with the board of education. This
/ is not fad, but a serious work along
/ right lines"
eve have in the United States 49,
| 100000 private homes" said Mrs Ev-
ans. *'It is a safe conclusion that
every home must have some kind of
housekeeper Add to these 100000
housekeepers 100000 domestic work
ers, and we have at least 100000
women engaged in homemaking as
against 100000 III outside occupa-
lions. HOmemaking, occupying as it
does 100000 women, who hold in
their hands the comfort of and health
| of so many other Millions has no place
in our census, and the future student
of these records may well suppose that
only 100000 out of the 24,000,000 of
the sex were doing nothing. This labor
of maintaining household, rearing
children and struggling with the serv
ant problem is considered worthy of
no record. Why? Because the women
who pursue it have belittled it, have
failed to organize, classify. uplift.
"Our present educational system I'M
fits the woman for her home life by
lowering her ideal of the home, while
it does not as a rule fit her for any
thing else that is useful. The absolute
incompeteDCy of the average girl when
she first comes from school is only
fully realized by the parent who tries
to fit her into usefulness in the home
or the friend who seeks to find her en-
DlOVmpnt elsewhere