Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-10
HOUSEKEEPING As A SCIENCE
Quick Spread of the Study Of Home
Economics.
1NFRNGEs CLOSE ON MANS LIFE
Training Given Now 60 Housewives
I'm Schools, Universities and Rail-
road Cars-New Profession
which Women Originated.

NEW YORK, April 9.--In 1890 eleven per-
sons gathered at the first meeting OF the
Lake Placid conference on home economics.
At the meeting OF the American Home
Economic association in Boston last Christ
mas /, 400 persons were present That is a
fair gauge of the growth OF interest In
the subject during the last ten years
New York state has within three years
established three state agricultural schools
I'm addition to Cornell. All three have de-
partments of home economics. Cornell IT.
self is about to put in elaborate equip
ment for instruction in household econo-
mics including plant for a commercial
bakery and one for a commercial canning
factory. President schurman believes it
will open, up new and lucrative occupations
for women. A prolonged campaign by the
women's clubs Of the state preceded this
action at Cornell.
Teachers college In it's new million dol
lar building gives now two years course
in the handling and management Of the
household and commissary departments
OF big institutions like asylums, college
dormitores and hospitals, and it has al
ready more applications for women to take
charge Of such work than 1t can fill. The
usual salary offered is $1,000 a year and
expenses, which is a good deal more than
school teachers average in the grades and
a very good salary to command after two
years training.
Such salaries are not paid merely for
cooking Domestic science is something far
wider than that They are paid for keep
ing down household expenses. for getting
value out Of money for serving better and
more nutritious food on less money than
was used before. for knowing how to mar
ket, how to run house.
The University of Illinois has com
modious dwelling house as a part of its
equipment for domestic science in which
students are instructed in every branch
Of the care, decoration and cost Of run
ming a house. All the western state uni
versties and many Others practically all
the agricultural colleges. many state nor
NAL schools, and great numbers of colleges
and other institutions Of higher learning,
east as well as west, now include depart
ments OF domestic science
In 1890 domestic science was taught in
only eleven schools in New York city, all
elementary schools in Manhattan. 1t is
now taught in ia elementary schools of
the various boroughs, and in the last year
the board of education voted to extend
It to all the high schools, in some Of which
il was already installed This is u sample
of the way in which this new branch Of
education has spread in the public schools
all over the country during the last ten
years.
UnIversItIes Take It Up.
In Newark they started in 1902 with two
small classes, which worked at boards laid
across wooden supports, with no sinks,
faucets or refrigerator At the end of
six weeks the pupils cooked and served a
course dinner to the board OF education,
whose members were present during the
preparation of the meal. That settled IT,
Newark has now fourteen we'll equipped
Kitchens in its schools and more are ad-
ded every year One school trustee in am
other city after reading little pamphlet
written by the director of cooking on
''The Mission OF the Ideal Woman" wrote:
Gould all mothers. be like the ideal
woman wo should need no trlant schools,
no defective classes and no part time
classes" thus ingenuously laying the
blame for not only truants and detectives,
but also for lack of space in the school
houses on the bad cooking of the mothers.
The extension work OF various univer-
stiles In household science is surprising.
The University of Illinois sent its lee
turers in this subject to sixty other In
stitutlons IN The last year. 1t holds an
annual school fo:' housekeepers two weeks
IN duration, and at the last, one thirty-one
counties Of the state were represented
among the pupils. s-
In Wisconsin, the state university gives
courses Of lectures and demonstrations in
cooking at farmers Institutes and holds