The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1905-08-04
KILLING HOUSEHOLD TASKS.
Energy Spent by Farmers Wives That
Might Be Saved by Proper
Provisions.


Although the United States is pre-
eminently the paral.se OF labor saving
Gevices for women. Rev L. P. Pressey.
OF Massachusetts,, is OF the opinion that
not nearly enough has Leep Gone in The
way OF easing comes. c conditions for
them. AS an Illustration q what can
and should be done, says the New York
tribune, he hopes TO establish sscdel
farmhouse with labor saving devices for
the prevention Of what he terms "moth-
ercide."
MIR. Prsssey considers that the farm
house Kitchen has not improved in con-
venience for so years, and that the fact
that some things are Gone as they must
have been done at the first atyent CT the
race, at loss OF from soto $50 Iertent.
OF energy in fruitless and urinteresting
drudgery, is largely accountable for the
number Of country women in the insane
asylums.
1T is easy to draw mechanical exam
pies OF waste of mother" says Mr.. Pres
sey. writing to the Woman-s Journal
OF his project, "and, strange to say. al
most as easy to point ouf The mechan-
ical corrections of it. Fer example. how
many farmhouse Kitchens have : pump
on one sic, or even in ttp -rrd. and a
cooking stcye in recess corner. and
how oSfn mother either HIS Ntr pots
and kettles over the iDtf.w rtrr grace
and bac or, worse. trar e,c.- o.er by
the two quart or even quar- tirrerful.
Five hundred per cent. waste CT me-
chanical energy, to say the least, when
running water and a faucet handily
placed, with slight hose attachment.
are always attainable in time on the
poorest farm.
Tale another even less excusable
example Of even greater and more no.
ticeable waste and more palpable drudg-
ery-the iishwashing and d'shwiping.
In large family literally hours of the
day are consumed in a back breaking
process that legitimately should tale
only few minutes at the most. say for
a family Of Is. There are devices. very
simple and inexpensive, for not mere
lyscleaning dishes. but even sterilizing
them. so thorough and Efficient are they.
I'm the average Kitchen. but fer the
presence Of cook stove and things get
ting ready TO eat, the room might as
well be a shed or parlor for all its be-
ing built for dispatch Of business.
Parings and waste are brought in to
necessitate constant sweeping, and other
litter, ard especially weed, is toted
across to misplaced woodbox with an
Ill devised approach through the kitch-
en-, and almost generally even thrown
by careless boys against PLASTER ceiled
and papered wall as the box overflows;
whereas, no wood should enter the
kitchen except through trap from the
woodsheG irtc closed box.
TOO frequently curboards are mis-
placed, Ill planned and remote. Only
rarely are tools ard utensils arranged
about the table or worl bench for the
swift convenience Of the hand. but are
hung on nails and hooks. with the main
idea OF gettins thru CIT &C the way OF
other thinrs. or. stupidity OF fstupidities!
when washed. heared together on a
clean shelf in the back Of the pantry,
whittier mother hastens 80 times day
to select her tool as need arises 20 feet
away by the sink. stove or kitchen table.
Again and again things that belong on
open shelves at the steve or sink are put
behind aw ward swing doors.
"Practic7lly nothing has been made
in the Penthouse of the simple device
Of store weight elevators, and mothers
back brea' 8 in the Juggling of boxes and
pals and baskets up and down, from
cellar to garret."