Omaha daily bee., 1910-11-13
PREPARED FOR ulFES DUTIES
German Housewives Thoroughly
Trained in Domestic Pursuits
and Economics.

The young girl Of the working class in
Germany comes 10 marriage with box
full Of beautifully made garments, every
stitch put In By her own fingers, and a
thorough practical knowledge Of the way
IN which a woman OF modest means lives
writes Frances II. Lowe in London Mail.
But a considerable number Of girls 90
into workrooms today, dressmaking and
millinery being especially popular. and
they, too. Il f. being everywhere reoog-
nized, must prepare for their future do
minion. In Baden the girl dressmaker
must go TO the continuation school for
thBee years. OF course. the school is pri-
marily a trade school in which the girl
IS taught the principles OF her trade In
place OF picking them up as best she can
In the workroom: but general knowledge
and housewifery form part Of the curric-
ulum. and, as everywhere In Germany,
the teaching is thorough. A girl may
not learn In the three years many things
but what she will carry away with her
viii be Thoroughly understood and most
intelligently applied.
One knows how unconsciously ideas
that are cherished in the upper ranks Of
society come to be held by those below.
The knowledge that the kaiserin is a
thoroughly accomplished hausfrau and
enjoys ali dudes pertaining to this char
acter has had an excellent tonic effect
upon all classes OF women; and the fact
that the young daughter Of the emperor
has attended cookery classes In Berlin
and IL q good cook has spread through
out the length and breadth OF Germany.
may say here that the cooking taught
these girls In the schools is most prao-
teal. They not only learn upon precisely
the same simple stove as that found
In every artisans cottage. and with the
one or two indispensable utensils found in
the humblest homes, but In addition they
have the benefit OF a most carefully ar
ranged and wonderfully practical curric-
ulum. They learn to mako three or four
good nutritious soups and the cost OF the
material and their value as q family meal
are 80 clearly and impresBively driven
home that the foundations OF the thrifty
housewife are there and then laid. In an
English village school last summer 1
found cookery was being taught. I
asked a Eirl OF fourteen to make an In
expensive nourishing stew, herself doing
the selecting She expressed her inability,
saying she had learned this last term
but she undertook to make two kinds OF
tarts. Now the German girl Of this age
would probably bo unable to make even
one sort OF tart but she would have
learned TO make half dozen good, whole
some, nourishing dishes, even though she
may leave school knowing nothing more.
One morning about IL / unexpectedly
visited the home OF worldngman. The
father earned % marks a week Crather
less than 25s). and there were three daugh-
ters. OF whom two. after being trained,
were earning. one Il marks a week, the
other less. All told. the mother had what
would be equivalent to about 25s a week,
out OF which rent, food, light coal and
everything but the dress Of the two elder
girls ana the mans personal expenses,
beer, tobacco, etc, came They had a
flat. q most nice, airy one fit for the
most fastidious person. consisting OF a
good-sized kitchen. with a little scullery
containing copper, two falr-slzed bed
rooms little dining room for meals and
small parlor. For this they paid e1l
los rent and taxes. Everything was beau
hfuily Clean though the beds were not
made. for which, the wife apologized, say
ing It was washing day. AS in Ger
many 1t is the practice 20 wash once a
month or once q fortnight and as cotton
dresses are worn by the women and
blouses by the men to an extent unknown
In England, the immense number OF things
to be washed can be imagined. The clean,
buxom frau was washing in her cellar
and while she was drying her hands ]
looked around. I was struck with the
cleanliness and simplicity OF the bedroom
furniture. AS everywhere In Germany,
the floors were polished, thus doing away
with dirty. dusty carpets and rugs, the
beds were painted wood, and the polished
brown wood furniture, OF the cheapest
sort. looked very nice Only absolutely
indispensable things were there, but / no
tioed a roomy wardrobe. an article OF fur
niture which Is practically necessity,
owing 70 the ample supply OF linen pos
sessed by the humblest wife.
Presently the husband. who had gone off
at $50 after a roll and hot coffee, with
two slices OF the pleasant and wholesome
black bread, In between which was wursi
CsausaEe) In his pocket, came In with the
two daughters. At 1880 they all sat down
to a good meal, but there was no meat
Instead there was a most palatable thick
soup. In which potatoes were clearly recog.
nlzable followed by a potato salad. Al
the abondessen (eveninE meal), which TOOK
place at 7:SO, some meat made Its appear
anqw; there was also some dish which
trc@i cOmpels me TO relate thought very
repulsive. made. fancy, OF chopped suei
principally and some excellent coffee The
girls were Immediately clean. and. as
have said. wore washing dresses made
with the utmost simplicity. The mother
told me that TIL the girls started earning
she had made every stitch OF their cloth
Ling as we'll as her own, and everything
worn was very simply made and perfectly
clean. There was not scrap Of ''finery'
/ -