Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1913-03-20
REST ROOMS
How May They Be Establish-
ed in Our Trading
Towns?

f1OW May lney be EStaDllSll=
ed in Our Trading
Towns?
At the beginning of every
American enterprise comes The
question, "Will it pay?" If
this can be answered in the af-
firmative in regard to rest
rooms, after agitation of the
subject, someone will see thai
they are established. In the
larger cities opportunities are
provided for getting lunch al d
rest at the same time, but in
small towns where farmers get
most of their goods, the estab-
lishment of such rooms are not
so cramped in resources as
compared to the city. How
ever this may be, the need Of
rest rooms cannot be doubted
But admitting the need of rest
rooms, their establishment is
The question for discussion. 1t
il organization that succeeds,
and in the matter Of rest rooms
as in other things, there must
be someone, or some few who
can give this the attention it
deserves. 1t would be a profit
able investment in more way S
than one. If the merchants
would bee ome interested, it
would become their greatest
advertisement possible. 1t
would be splendid drawir e
card to customers and add
greatly to their comfort. So
little would be needed of the
merchant and farmer com
bined that it would not be miss
ell, and rest room would be a
luxury to the many tired W. M
en-, who have nothing to do af-
ter the shopping is done, Lut
tramp the streets or stand
around in a crowded store room
until she feels she has worn
out her welcome, waiting for
the "good man" to get ready to
90 home. Under such circum-
stances, and after a long drive
from and to home, she arrives
there so tired that a weekly
wash day is preferable. It is
much easier to patronize the
country peddler or the cata-
logue houses. In many towns
rest rooms have been maintain
ed by women's clubs, churches
and other organizations, but
| think the burden should fall
on those benefited; the rooms
would not need be large, but
should be made comfortable,
with easy chairs, touches and
tables filled with the latest and
best reading where the mother
could bring her little family
and leave the baby in the care
of the Older chi dren while she
can do her weekly shopping, or
else sit in the easy chair with
something good to read or chat
with her many Acquaintance S.
But the most important
would be the toilet room, for
that would give us a chance to
tidy up and be presentable af-
ter a drive through the heat,
dust and wind. The lunch
room would also be advisable.
This could be placed on a regu-
lar business basis and lunches
could be served every day.
This would make it self sup
porting. 1t certainly seems
natural to us who are farmers
wives, daughters or sweethearts
that we should look forward to
the rest room as pleasing an
swer to the question, "Where
shall find you?' and a solution
to the problem of how to keep
sweet in spite of WEAKNESS and
peevish babies, a room where
we can feel free to rest and
wait, leave our packages and
extra wraps. These rooms
would need a matron 10 10, k
after and care for them.
| imagine such a place would
not only accommodate farmers
wives but there are many la
dies in town who would be GLAD
for the opportunity to ''loaf"
and exchange greetings with
friends from out of town. We
are a progressive people and !
think that the cost and man
agement of such a place would
not be so great that if Oh &c es
tablished the result would be
that the plan would not b
abolished, if the churches,