The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-21
WE MUST SET A
 STANDARD FOR
 OUR WOMENKIND
Radical Plan Proposed By Wife of Dean of Yale
 Law School

1 ACt W hOCIAOOl
 r Clinton, Conn.,, Oct 20-Einting that | the city or state may have to prescribe standards for wives and mothers "to ensure long suffering people bet
 ter chance of life and health" Mrs. Henry Wade Rogers of New Haven, wife of Dean Rogers of Yale Law School, made a plea for scientific and progressive home economics, at the Autumn meeting of the Connecticut Federation of Women's Clubs, yester- day afternoon.
 We certainly recognize the need of something radical being done,'' said Mrs. Rogers, ''when we know the num- Der of unsanitary homes, the multi tudes Of underfed, Overfed and badly fed people, the wreckage of home life rom bad home management and lack of knowledge of money values as re- lated to food, shelter. clothing and other household demands"
 Her subject was Household Fcono- mics as Related to Good Citizenship. D Good housekeeping" she said, 'is closely bound up with good citizen ship"
 Women in the kitchen and home,
 said Mrs. Rogers, in effect, have lag ged behind progress in other affairs. They are clinging to the old meth ods." she said of women, "sure that their grandmother's ways are sufficient
 unto them. Home Economies have
 been left far in the rear of advanc- ing civilization
 Mrs. Rogers said in part:
 The city sor the state may find it necessary to take a more active hand in this vital subject of Home Eco monies and prescribe certain stand ards of qualification for those enter ing upon the duties of home manage ment and to whom are entrusted the
 health and lives of the citizens. We thing radical being done when we know the number of unsanitary homes, the multitude of underfed, ov- cried and badly fed people, the wreckage of home life from bad home management, and lack of knowledge of money values as related to food,
 shelter, clothing anC other household demands
 And when we stand appalled, by the havoc of preventible diseases in our communities and at the number of physically defective children in our schools we are ready to demand some fundamental public measure to ensure long suffering people better chance of life and health. To un- wholesome home life, and out of date
 home economies, is due a large part of the ills above mentioned, and a sound citizenship, physical and moral, is vitally dependent upon scientific and progressive home economics. Dr. Wiley says: T do not advocate per- petual life, but a natural dissolution is possible to everyone, and for that reason advocate a National Board of Health
 For the same reason urge the put ting of home management on sane and scientific basis. Dr. Wiley will
 find his Bureau of Health of little avail without the cooperation of tens of thousands of intelligent home man. agers, and to tell the truth I fancy what his Bureau has deep in 1n,nd is
 to bring the home life of the country up to Twentieth Century Standards
 It must come to that, for physicians no longer dose us with drugs or send us to the ends of the earth after health. We are to keep we'll or get well in our homes.
 Good housekeeping is closely bound up with good citizenship. A sanitary
 home, pure food, a pure milk and wa ter supply, freedom from preventable diseases and innumerable moral and physical conditions of a sound and safe home life, are almost as depen- dent upon the national, the state and the city governments as upon the home manager To be a good home manager necessitates having an inti- mate Knowledge of laws relating to physical well being on the statute books, and of the municipal depart ments chiefly concerned in conserving the community's health and comfort.
 While men have revolutionized the business and industrial world with the aid of modern discoveries and inven- tions women have plodded along un- der the old burdens, being the con- servative half of humanity. They are clinging to the old methods, sure that their grandmother's ways are suf-
 dcient unto them, and Home Econo- mics have been left far in the rear of advancing civilization. A consid- erable body of women have wakened to the need of a new household sci ence to meet new conditions and men |have generously stepped in to aid to- wards sound and modern household science. The national state and city governments concern themselves with plans and investigations for the appli- cation of scientific methods to the household. One hundred and thirty four universities and colleges are of fering courses in household econom- ics and sending out strained teachers to enlighten the world on the great primal question of home life and management
 Each of these educational bodies and bodies polite recognize Home Ec- onomics as the chief factor in main taining the health, happiness and morals of the people As individuals and as associations are we co-operat- ing as we should in these and other efforts for bringing household science up to modern standards? Do we know and spread the vital informa tion sent out by the national, state and city governments? Do we stand for the Introduction of labor saving in ventions into the household and for extending the advantages of these to the homes of the working people by cooperation methods? Are we band ed together to make household service happy and mutually helpful and to provide for it's efficient training? Have we realized that home management is a complex business and that modern rules of business efficiency may be ap- piled? Do we adopt simplicity of liv- ing as an ideal in the physical, men tai and moral development of the fam fly?
 '9Ehe task is too large except for or ganized effort. Clubs and associations must promote it. Federations such as this must take the leadership. The clubs should provide home economic centers in their communities in touch with each other and with every phase of effort and achievement in the scien- tific mana cement of the home A central headquarters for the move ment might be established by the fed eration where money and equipment would provide experiments and inves- tioafioDS and tha diffusion of