New-York tribune., 1908-03-08
DOMESTIC SCIENCE.
Courses IN Schools and Colleges-A
Profession for Women.

|
ty-nve women teaching domestic science IN tne
| 1rn,ted States. Now there are thousands" said
! Professor Helen Kinne of Teachers College,
| speaking Thursday on Recent Progress In
Household Economics" at the Domestic Science
Department of Brooklyn Institute twenty
five years Is not long period IN any ei" u
| any movement said she. yet twenty-five
| wears ago in Boston there was just one puoiic
| school kitchen, where girls went after schooi
hours If they liked. 1t had an English teachef
and was supported by one woman MRS. May
| Hemingway, who had begged PERMISSION u
!; start 1t as an experiment. In New YORK also
! there was one small school started by an asso-
| citation of women and it was attended py
few Young women who wanted to learn TO COOK
In the West the honor of initiation lies De-
tween Kansas and Iowa, for. young as the move
| ment is we have already lost the beginnings VI
our history and both those states claim the
honor Of starting the first school OF dofnestlc
science in the West.
ITO day almost every university IN tile "e''
bas large and well developed department OF
domestic science. and 1t is 1act that one
woman has won the degree of Phi D. oy grad
nate work done in domestic science. the Uni
versjtv Of Chicago giving enough In housenold
! economics alone for the winning OF this degree.
| In that university I found the professor OIL
architecture giving courses OF lectures oh
household architecture to the women taxing tile
household economics course the professor oi
| chemistry lecturing the chemistry or COOK
| ing and so on.
| MANY persons do not appreciate all that IS
| jncluded under the head of household econom-
| tcs Dr. Taylor. president OF Vassar Tor IN
stance. declares himself against household eco
nomics in Vassar. He does not want 1t there
But there Is course on house sanitation at
vassar l said to DR.. Taylor But house sanl-
tation is a part Of domestic science, ana theh
he changed the subject To many Peopie o'
mestic science means nothing but cooking
"I1niversities In the East are beginning to in
troduce the course but they are slower 'ieiii
tho.a of the West. and our leading women's
colleges in the East still refuse 70 ADMIT the
subject to their curriculum; they do not want
It, But throughout the West household econoH-
,cs has arrived 1t is definitely accepted by
the leading men IN the educational world TINS
ts a matter of the last five years. Even hVe
years ago there was still an attitude or hesltd-
tion of question, among those men. Io-day the
whole attitude IN the West is one of pushlns
and advancing this movement The University
of Illinois is now planning course In house
hold economics for the high schools Of the state
The university will begin to train teachers for
this subject in the high schools, and Will seno
out a woman to establish the course IN the
secondary schools of the state. 1t is far more
important that this course should be placed IN
the high schools than the colleges, for thousands
of high school girls never go to college, and
the day seems past when girls In even well-to-
do families getting any training in doInestlc
science at home. The great difficulty with our
students in college is not on the scientific side
they can comprehend that easily enough-but In
their lack Of practical knowledge of how to per-
form common housework. Girls live in a diff
bo1-o tiy,1a fnY
housework.
Some of our teachers have had curious ex-
periences in the West. Within the last few
wears domestic science has been introduced into
the farmers Institutes out there. woman
from the University OF Illinois gave practical
illustration of scientific breadmaking before an
audience of farmers wives at such an institute
one day. At It's conclusion man came up TO
her and said, with the most naive exhibition of
sex superiority: Why, this sort of thing isn't
for women; it's for bakers You have no bust
ness teaching these women; you ought to be
teaching men, The man baker, and
result state association of bakers made formal
application to the president OF the university
for scientific instruction in breadmaking.
Another woman from the University of Ten
nessee was sent to talk about domestic science
to a farmers institute in that state. When she
reached the platform she confused to find
herself confronted by an audience of twelve
hundred men, farmers. with small sprnkng
of women. They were so pleased with the talk
that they wanted the subject made regular
part of the thereafter.
"A line in this instruction has been
opened by the colleges, which really the
opening of a profession to women-the
training of women to take charge of Institutions
hospital dormitories and the like. Since we have
opened this course at Teachers College let
ters have been coming. asking for women to fill
these positions. The qualities demanded are
significant. They want woman who is lady.
who is an educated woman, who is scientific
household economist and a practical house
keeper. This shows that it is going to be dig
niied calling: 1t will receive a dignified name
dietician, something like that-and the SAL
aries will be increased. Simmons, Pratt and
Teachers College now have such courses.
The Lake Placid conference household
economies, which has had a great deal to do
with the development of the science in this
country. has decided to abandon Lake Placid
for its meetings, because of its remoteness.
Hereafter the summer conferences will be held
at Chautauqua, where they will be accessible to
a great many more. and there will be a winter
conference held in some large city each year.
1t wishes also to establish branches everywhere
or to have clubs and other organizations send
gathering information on labor saving apparatus
to report at the meeting next summer other
committees are at work on the standard of v-
ing. the cost of living. and
Women do not know their power over
the schools in this country. In some of the
smaller places they do realize IL and are very
powerful. with a great deal O influence on he