The Washington herald., 1914-01-11
''EDUCA7ION NOV
COSTS TO0MUCH''
Mime. De Ia Ruelle. Agent Of
France, Comments on
American Customs.
TO CALL ON PRESIDENT
Bluff" Is ChSacteristic of People
of This Country. She
Declares.

There Is a great waste of money in
expenditures for public education in this
country and much misdirection In tn
training of children. according to Nine.
Alice Guebel de la Ruelle. a French
government Inspector Of labor. who Is
visiting this country 10 investigate eco
study American methods of vocational
training. She is a guest at the Hotel
Powhatan.
Mime. de Ia Ruelle Is one of the twelve
women lawyers of France being the
fifth admitted to the bar Of that country
Sne has attracted much attention in
educational circles In this country by
articles published recently In several
American periodicals. The French gov
eminent sent her to the United States
last May. but she reached Washington
only Thursday. after extensive sojourns
in New York, Boston. and Philadelphia,
Nine. de Ia Ruelle explained last night
that in her capacity Of inspector of labor
she Is concerned chiefly with working
women and children As most of the
factories and schools she was to visit
are In the large Industrial cities her trip
to Washington was made with the idea
of learning what she could from the
Department of Labor. She expects to
meet Secretary Wilson early In the
week, after calling on Ambassador JUS
serand and many others to whom she
has letters Of Introduction Meanwhile
she is being entertained extensively
French Domestic Science.
education are totally different, Nine de
La Ruelle declares. while vocational
training in this country Is quite at the
beginning" One of the things which i'm
pressed her most forcibly, she said is
the immense amount of money spent
here for education She said that much
OF ii Is wasted. that, while Americans
get dollars worth for a dollar in many
things, they are frightfrlly overcharged
In education She was particularly struck
by domestic science" as it is taught
here. In France. she said. using the
term home economies" II is not con-
sidered science at all; II is merely a
practice, and the thrifty French people
laugh at the idea of establishing schools
for the study of it. Over there every
mother is a professor OF domestic science,
and every kitchen a school in which II
is taught thoroughly.
One of the principal reasons for the
high cost Of living in this country. she
said she learned during her visit, is the
presence Of too many middlemen, cou-
tice Of buying things without having
looked at them first. In France. she
said. the wealthiest housekeeper. as well
as the poorest. when marketing. care
fully upsets and examines infinitely
box of sprouts. for instance. before buy
ing it Here the housewife hardly looks
at even the top layer.
Praise for Washington.
Blur a tender synonym for hypoc-
risy, she thinks, is characteristic of
the American people; but nevertheless
she expects great things from the Ameri-
cans.
ITO judge America and its people cor
rectly." she said, lone must make
long visit First impressions are likely
to be changed in a few months So it
has been with me. at any rate"
She said she had noticed a great move
ment for Improvement, a universal thirst
for knowledge. which indicated that the
American people are striving to advance.
She had seen II everywhere in the
factories and slums and schools that she
had visited One of the circumstances
which gratified her was the American
mans respect for women
Mime. De La Ruelle said that she liked
Washington better than any American
city she had seen.