The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1909-03-19

old and enjoying perfect health.
Tell us, auntie," they said, "the
secret of your great age and wonder
full vitality"
Deed, honey" responded Aunt
Jemima with sly twinkle in her eye,
\" 'spect hits becaws amt never had
no trouble wild dem hired girls"
Work that is hated" declares
Mrs. Mary Hinman Abel, lis in a
bad way" Therefore, if we cannot
bring women down to work, we
must bring the work up to them.
And still they refuse to come. Not
long ago, in New York, the Hirsh
fund advertised for girls to take
training in homework, offering them
entire support for six months, but
not single application was received,
and other similar experiments have
proved fruitless. American born
women seem to have found occupa-
lions more to their liking, while the
emigration from lands across the
sea, formerly the source from which
we drew, has entirely changed in
character, very few newcomers being
available for home purposes.
The Women's Domestic Guild of
Chicago suggests. "Try man. A man
is willing at least" During the past
few months, a number of these mast
ers of all work have been placed by
that organization, and in every case
the housekeeper has reported herself
as pleased with the result of the ex-
pertinent. According to the manager
the men cook, wash dishes, set and
wait on the table, scrub, clean win
dows everything that the customary
maid does except wash clothes and
make beds. In addition they are
available for heavier labor which a
woman would not undertake, such
as moving the lawn and caring or
the walks.
We think with never a pang OF
the bygone dame who baked and
brewed, dipped the candles, boiled
the soap, MIXED the COW, helped
dress the meat, made the garden and
after her days duties were we'll
done, spun, wove and fashioned the
mems garments, as well as her own
and the children's, while she rested,
all without modern improvements"
Now the housewife of means, who
dwells within the city's gates, sends
her soiled clothing to the laundry,
orders-by telephone bread
and pastry rom the bakery buys
canned fruit ad vegetables, may pur-
chase all sorts of wearing apparel
ready made, have her house cleaned
with compressed air, her windows
washed by the window cleaners, who
arrive with all the necessary para
phernalia, including warm water and
last but not least, may have her
meals sent in piping hot at the
proper hours.
And still we are miserable. Why?
One reason is that we have been in
vestigating, discovering that the
processes and the workmen were in
the one case unclean and unhealth-
full. Why? Because in the other
case they were careless and un-
trained. Yet Mrs. Abel tells us that
the tendency toward outside organ
ization is not to be resisted; that
women not only must accept the
modification of their function as
housekepeer which this movement
necessitates, but must in measure
follow their work as it goes outside
the home and obtain some control of
it as their civic duty We have in
vestigated the sweat shops; we are
now to go into the laundries, the
bakeries and the canneries, and, If
all is not pleasing, we are to organize
committees who will make careful
estimates, start subscription lists,
erect buildings, and, lastly, procure
competent hands to make the wheels
60 round. After that we may eat,
drink and be merry, without fear of
dying tomorrow; that is, If we are
content to live by this outside serv-
ice plan.
Then few years ago some wise
Bostonians devised another solution
of the domestic service problem,
when the Household Aid Company
opened an Institution where girls
were fitted for home work and after
ward rented out by the hour or day
mot exactly like livery horses, al
though the system is suggestively
similar. These young women must
be of good standing and have at
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