The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-09-13
THE COUNTRY GENTLEwoMAN


expression has to many busy women
who have little time for anything but
their usual routine work around the
house!
The country woman, in particular
suffers from this lack OF time to d.
those things, which might give hel
the little relaxation which she deser
YES and frequently needs so badly
The average farm house has moi
kept pace in modern methods with
the farm on the outside. We criticise
the average farm woman for beins
a poor housekeeper, or for not being
neat in her personal appearance, OF
that she doesn't know how to cook
well, or that she doesn't cook as well
as she knows, or many other things
The criticisms are unjust. She puts
in SO many hours a day at hard, ply
steal labor that she is SO tired that
she lacks interest in these other
things. The pity is that she has SO
few of the labor-saving devices. A
great movement encouraging simpli-
fed housekeeping is starting up In
every direction and is bringing with
1t a reduction in labor and cost and
finally saner life for the woman on
the farm
This is an age Of efficiency and
scientific management. The princi-
pies of scientific management have
been applied to operations in factor
les, bricklaying, railroads and even
to the Government at Washington,
and always with the result that there
Is much more work accomplished with
less expenditure of energy. Could
not these principles be applied to
housekeeping with advantage? Elk
periments with the bricklayers show
ed how efficiency may be produced in
even the simplest operation through
saving in motion and energy. These
experiments resulted in three con-
illusions: The bricks should be placed
at such height that no STOPPING is
required: the mortar should be prop
erlY mixed and placed at the proper
height; the actual motions required
to lay the brick should be reduced to
a minimum. When the bricklayers
were set to work under this scheme
the number of brick layed per man
was increased from 40 to $50 per
hour, from which the workman receiv
ed higher wage and a greater pro-
fit accrued to the employers.
Efficiency does not consist in ex-
IRENE effort, but in the elimination of
undesirable effort and waste Of all
kinds. But, you say, in any of our
states farmers can get expert advice
in regard to the use of soils. The
farmers wife, however, like anybody
eise's wife, has been left to 60 1t a.
lone. What can she do? New condi-
tions are developing and ways are
opening for the women to be educat-
ed to realization of their position7 |
and to al stand for better things. In !
several states special bulletins are is
sued for the women and on the list
of bulletins available at the Depart
rnent of Agriculture at Washington
may be found a large number of sub
jects Of interest to women. The in
PRODUCTION of domestic science into
many of the colleges and secondary
schools has been of tremendous val
ne.
Self-Help the Remedy.
You again inquire. "How am I,
farmers busy wife to grasp this eff
cheney idea from a few bulletins and
books in way to be of consider
able service?" The only answer is:
The women in the home must help
herself by studying her work. The
greatest saving in household labor,
as in other lines, will come from a
saving by steps. In factories one op-
Grafton succeeds another with no loss
Of motion or unnecessary stops. The s
kitchen is our workshop and yet how
few are arranged with that in view.
The housekeeper must make study
of saving steps, strength and time !
she must "cut corners" and make one 9
step answer for three If she makes G
study of her housework she will 9
grow more and more Interested in I
t, and as soon as she learns to do it L
n systematic way she will be aston v
shed at the number of steps she is n
Ible to save herself.
One kitchen was remodeled and t
very kitchen utensil used was listed, Z
measured and fitted into its omp o