The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-02-03
THE MIDDLE WEST
AS REFLECTED IN
ITS METROPOLIS
lSpcHdl to The Nail

iii the rural prosperity of Illinois has
partial explanation In the strides
made by the Department Of House
hold Science, the auxiliary to the
Farmers Institute which at it's an
nual convention in February will rep
resent Al county organizations. The,
president, Mrs. Mckeene, of Spring
held."ln her review says: Just as
the boy needs the study of mathemat-
les and other higher branches if he
Is to become a merchant, he needs to
study the use of his hands if he is
to be a tradesman; so If he is to be-
come successful farmer he must
study the chemistry Of the soils, the
crops best suited to them, the care
and feeding of stock. And so, our
girls should be taught the chemistry
OF foods, the best methods of prepar-
Ing them, and to plan and make the
garments she must wear. a girls,
natural destiny is home-making. So
widespread has become the recog-
niZed need OF such knowledge that
our city schools are meeting the de-
mands by introducing the various
branches of domestic training, and
the boys and girls are being taught
the pest methods of handling their
respective tools, from the primary
grades up through the manual train
ing end high schools" The more
highly educated girls are these DAYS
the less they know about home MAX
Ing, according to an investigation re-
ported by student. A young mar
ried man in Chicago, told me that
he had no married friends among all
the young men whom he knew, who
were not head over heels in debt"
says the report. 1T was a startling
statement from q man with a large
acquaintance. Some will say that
the cause CT this Is simply social con-
dltlons. such as the price of rent and
food materials. Of course this does
make 1t hard, but You can not look
into these homes individually with
out seeing that there is a better ex-
planation back Of it all. The girls
have not been prpnerly educated for
their business. French music and
Latin fail to help p young housekeep-
er, when she is hopelessIy at the mer-
cy OF an impudent, ignorant, extrava-
giant cook. Nothing in her past ex-
perlence has taught her how to keep
accounts. Her hardwood floors are
washed with water because she knows
no better-and it costs to have the
finish restored. Good food materials
are ruined by poor cooking"
The cheaper cost Of living in Can
ada than the United States, revealed
by the Investigations into relative
prices Of meat, vegetables and other
necessities now and one and two|
years ago, proves to be homely but
lmDelling reason for the exodus to tn
new lands Of Western Canada. It'll
suddenly hobs up as a factor in the
Of Uncle Sans uneasy
millions which probably was not con-
sldered by officials of the Canadian
Northern and the Grand Trunk Pa
clfic in estimates that the total num-
Der Of emigrants from the United
States would grow from the 0,000|
Of 1909, to 10000 in 1910. The
cheapest cuts Of beef were found to
be 10 cents per pound in Detroit asl
compared with Gh cents in a Ca
madam city Of about the same size
Cabbages were 3 to 5 cents in De
troit as against to cents in Can
ada, turkeys % cents as compared tOi
20 cents, chickens IS as against 13|
cents. While the consumer in Detroit
pays 80 cents pound for butter, the
consumer in Alberta pays only 28t
cents, and in other words, the farm
er OF Alberta is getting more for the
butter he sells than the farmer near
Detroit, beneficent condition which
has been maize possible by the cstab-
lishment government dairies along
the new lines Of the Canadian North
ern and Grand Trunk Pacific by the
Alberta Government. Moreover plug
tobacco, always more or less essential
in farm work, costs two and three
times as much in the states as in
the Dominion. The cost Of wOolens
and cotton fabrics has become sol
much higher south Of the interna-
tiOnal boundary than north of it as
a result Of the tariff reductions UNI
der the Payne bill that clothing does
not begin to cut into the household
budget of the settlers in Alberta, as
it does everywhere in the United
States be it wool-growing or wool
spinning section or not, The same
is true as to shoes. The result Of the
inquiry is likely to increase the i'm
ports across the line"
Trains to California leave Chicago
'loadcd to the platforms Of the last
extra Pullmans, not only with tour
lists but with mechanics and farmers
VINO are looking up the region OF
small farrns for intensive farming and
elimination Of the help" problem.
The trials caused by the lack Of COM
Detent help in the middle west, even
more than the severe winter, has
started radical changes, dairying be-
| ing on the wane throughout the Ell
J gin butter district and the zone Of
milk supply for Chicago. The Joint
efforts Of the Union Pacific Southern
Pacific and the Santa Fe railways
seem focused upon the San Joaquin
Valley, now watered by the irrigation
bitches supplied from the Kings riV-
or that has it's head in the SHOWS Of
the Giorroc The cIork ond NOR