The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-02-20
AAPLEA
For Efficiency In Home Offer
ed By Detroit Woman


Imagine a woman going into a mil
linery shop and asking, What is the
price of hats today? l need hat Yet
every day women go to the grocery
store with the query, What is the
price of eggs today? | want Dozen
And there is far more difference in
eggs than in hats, and they are far
more important. You see, there are
many different grades of cold-storage
eggs, besides fresh eggs, and even in
fresh eggs there are the washed and
unwashed varieties"
The speaker was Mrs. Alfred NJ.
Dunk, of Detroit, Mich, chairman of
the Housewives League of that city.
The league has 100000 members in the
United States, the Detroit branch hav-
ing $500 members though it has been
organized only little more than
year.
Mrs. Dunk says that the watchword
of the league is efficiency in the home,
adding: -"
"The successful man of today de-
mands efficiency in his place of busl-
ness, and 1t is just as important that
woman should learn to apply the same
rule to her place of business, the
home. For while many modern women
are wage earners outside of the home,
NV fa tba tyraotaot ,uroba,. of tba ,rc
men of the world are engaged in the
business of housekeeping and home
making.
"a mans work is, after all, only
means to an end, making enough mon
ey to supply the needs and wishes of
his family, and to provide as comforta-
BILE home as possible for himself, his
wife and children"
Mrs. Dunk thinks that for too many
housewives are ignorant of the funda-
mental principles of good housekeep-
ing. She says, 'If man started to
build house without having any
plans drawn by an architect, or without
ohy NCly OlOdi AuSd dD W NhdJ SOIb vi
house he wanted, or could afford to
build, he'd make a dreadful hodge
podge of it, wouldn't he? Yet the av-
erage woman attempts to run her
home in just such haphazard fashion
Most of them have not the faintest
idea how much money they can afford
tn, ho h4I
and very few of them keep any sort of
household budget. The result is just
what might be expected, waste, exorbi-
tant prices paid, and a score of other
evils incident to inefficient manage
ment
"What many households need is an
efficiency expert, to come in, investi-
gate conditions, find the weak places
in the system and propose remedies.
This is what the Housewives League
does. The advice it gives is practical
and well tested We do not live one
way ourselves and advise our neigh
Dor to live another"
When asked whether the retail mer-
chants resented the activities of the
league, Mrs. Dunk replied; Not at all;
they work in harmony with us; in
fact | find that a merchant is pleased
to have his customers we'll informed
as to what they want, and why they
want it,
THE league really Is more popular
with men than with women l have
had many husbands come to me and
ask me to urge their wives to join the
league. | believe IL | could start a
house husbands league every man In
Detroit would join, for every man loves
pleasant comfortable, well-ordered,
efficiently managed home"
In addition to being at the head of
the Detroit Housewives League, says
the Memphis News Sclmitar, Mrs
Dunk is member of the committee
of home economies of the Michigan
Federation OF Womens Clubs, and
chairman of the department of house
hold economies of the national fedora
tion. She is also chairman of the com
mittee on animal welfare of the Twen-
tleth Century Club of Detroit. This
latter committee has done much to pro-
teot horses and other animals, and has
had some much needed laws passed by
the Michigan legislature.
WORTH KNOWING