Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-05-09
PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE is NEEDED
To Meet the Wants Of Homes From San
Itary and Economic Standpoint.

| ecouOmy a Elrl VINO cannot make
and bake bread, compound pudding
and wash and iron her own shirtwaist is
fraud upon young American woman-
hood, declared Rev Jeukin Lloyd
Jones before the National Housewives
| association, at its recent meeting, ''and
| you, mothers and housewives, are to
blame for the common feeling of your
daughters against kitchen service. This
servant girl question is becoming more
vital than trusts, tariff or anything else
In the nations category Of unsettled
things. It effects the home and family
the most sacred institutions in the land,
and has much to do with the unhappi-
ness of the nation The idea that
kitchen work is menial must be cor
rected, and the lessons must begin at
home, in every home The speaker
further expressed himself ia favor of
domestic Hcisnce in school
In many communities there is some
misapprehension Gs3 to what is meant
by the term domestic economy and
some vague ideas ae To the aim and
ultimate purpose of schools offering
this work, When he purpose is not
we'll underatood, when nothing is known
of what is included in subject it Is
difii cult to jadge Of its value and So a
short explanation Of the aim OF thia
work is here given. All oyer the conn
try IL has been felt for some time that
something important and vital has been
lacking in our educational system for
girls and that something relates TO the
most sacred institution of civilization
the home. We have come to realize
that the root OF many evils once at
trlhuted to other causes la In the home
and of woman Is responsible for the
home ehe mnst be educated TO meet the
responsibility. Housekeeping and home
making together constitute the most
important, most difficult business
known to modern times, and woman
must hgye thorough, practical scien.
tific Knowledge Of all that concerns the
home IN its sanitary, economic and social
relations
We need no longer pretend that
homemaki30 is learned by intuition.
The condition on too many homes in
America proves that many, many wom-
en- are ignorant of their duties are
wasteful, or too busy with social cares
or with wage-earning to know either
their home work or their mission in
life. We live in an age of transition,
of rapidly changing conditions, and the
time has gone by when the skilled
mother who lead o home life trained
her daughter until she was equally
skilled. In our age there seems to be
neither time nor inclination and, too
often, no ability to give such instruc-
tion at home. If homemaking can no
longer be learned in the family, it must
be taught outside Of the family and the
place for such instruction is in the
schools designed for that purpose or in
the public schools. While domestic
enonomy includes cooking, sewing,
laundry work, sanitation, hygiene and
all details of housework, its ultimate
aim and purpose is to train home max
ers, to make skilled, enlightened young
women who shall understand the busi-
ness of homemaking. Heretofore, while
in all departments of the business world,
in all industry, skilled labor, trained
assistants, scientific knowledge, are
necessary for success and advancement
there has been one branch of industry
where there has been no definite pur-
pose, no experience, no training. no skill,
no special education, and that branch
has been homemaking II is the pur-
porse of those offering courses in domes-
tic economy to make homemaking st
least something better than a haphsZard
makeshlft, endured because of the
sanctity of the home. Helen Campbell
says If mans clothes were made as
badly as his bread is. or mans house
constructed with as little success as
his dinner he would ciamor for q return
to coats Of skins and houses in hollow
trees
There is yet another phase to this
subject. Studies have been made of
the cause of poverty, crime and drunk.
enness and results show that improper
food, bad cooking, unsanitary surround
ings, rank the first cause You can
not make great and good men on miser-
able food nor rear them amid squalor
or filth. DIR. Atwater says that investi-
cations show that twot thirds of all dis
ease is brought about by errors in diet,
correct proportions of foOa principles
have not been maintained or food has
been improperly cooked, 1t has been
found that fevers, epidemics, consump-
tion, once supposed to be hereditary or
the mysterious visitation of Divine Pro-
vidence, are the result of ignorance of
the laws Of health or of unsanitary con-
diti0ns. Thomas Edison outlined the
work for the coming year when he said,
''1903 will bring great advances in sur-
gerry, in the study of bacteria, in the
knowledge of cause and prevention of
disease Medicine is played ont. The
doctor of the future will give no medi-
cine but will instruct his patient in the
care of the human frame in diet and in
the cause and prevention of disease
Surgery, diet, antiseptics, these are the
vital things of the future in the pTeser-
vation Of the health of humanity "
Knowing and noting the trend of
thought in regard 10 womans work in
the home and preservation of health we
need give 40 further reason for urging
that girls add domestic economy 10
their somewhat oue-sided education
In all the realms Of knowledge there is
no iiela 10 full OF promise and no field
so uneXplored, Much can be done in
this work when people fnlly realize the
importance and the Significance OF
skilled and trained home1nakers.
A study of relations of income 10 ex-
| penditures IL made. The propcrtiomoi
expenditures made for existence, cam
| fort, culture, aud charity is estimated.
| a stdey Ia made OF the income from the
| farm ia the form Of house rent, food,
and Injuries as we'll 40 cash profit,
| The purchase of clothing, household
| stores. and furnishing ia considered as
| to suitability. The relation of cash
and credit in reference to coat il studied.
Bank accounts, check hook, and
| forms OF Investment or saving devices
are discussed The stude.G is urged to