The Washington times., 1914-07-21
Social Worker Would Dignity
Housekeeping Arts by Rails
ing Them to Plane of Skilled
. Vocations.
By FLORENCE E. YoDER.

A new field of activity for women,
which is the old one of Housekeeping,
has been revealed by Mrs. William
9. Shailer. pioneer worker in the
leld Of home economics and chair
man of the home economics commit
Zee of the International Child Wei
are League. She has merely
7rought the two sides OF an exist
ing equation together.
Wanted-By the young girl grad
uste whether from grade, high,
normal school. Or university. \
JOB.
Wanted - BY every housewife,
SKILLED ASSISTANCE.
Her plan is ridiculously simple.
The household specialist works by
the hour, does only certain things, is
hired from a bureau She will do
decorating, cleaning. attendance.
hairdresdng, sewing, and secretarial
work.
What 1t will do for the housewife:
Fill the terrible gap now left in
the home where the woman is
wage Garner.
Give the housewife THE VALUE
OF HER MONEY and an opPortun-
ity to specialize in some certain
branch OF housekeeping for which
she has talent.
What II will do for the girl:
Divert the young girl from exploi-
tetion in the field of industrial life
into the HOME. Give the potential
mother the opportunity to develop
rnto a home-maker, through contact
with good homes, and line Of work
which does not unfit her physically
for motherhood.
Give her a fair wage for her serv-
tees
Give her an opportunity 10 develop
special talents. no matter how poor
she NAV be.
Would Divert Girls To Homes.
What can We do to divert some
Of the young girls into a more whole
some life. where standards should be
formed and ideals created?" asked
Mrs. ShaiIer in a recent interview.
Has the home anything 10 offer
these girls?
Every year a veTitable army OF
= girls is turned out by the public
-chools. They go in factories. bust
ness. into any line Of industrial and
commercial work which does not re-
quire any special training. New
York city alone turns out 1900 to
900 Of them. They turn froIl Their
-~hool days into what? They are
vert up by the maelstrom of great
-'-' ~-oed and their services
exploited in the shop and the mil
,,,y. Even if they obtain
good clerical positions. where doe
any expression of their individuality
me IA? Many Of them are abso-
lutely untitled for the life that they
are 10 lead. They are not even
-chooled in the care Of their own
-odies. and have no ideals above the
-rsn@t-@ OF the wage they earn. have
no iSeals. for there is no advance. no
-row.u TO their occupations in these
mes
Now the home Is sadly in need
of assistance from the outside in
the form of I~yiting trades. Why
an we not standardize these and
coordinate them on a plane which
Till prove attrs ctive TO the youung
girls OF the nation? The home g
ready. 10 receive the efficient and
attractive expert visitor. who will
.ift the burden of a thousand things
tsntion.
New System Needed.
Woman. now in the majority IN
her greater activity in business. phil
snthroplc and social affairs. calls
for q system Of easily obtainaSle
assistance for the hous~<old. to come
al call Dy lne nOuI OF 10 Dc lSBu-
.zrly engaged ct intervals. lncress-
Ing hotel and apartment living, high
@r rents. which Eecessitate economy
~ the size Of apartments, the high
rost Of living and the extra eX
lense which arises from feeding and
oardIug the regular. servant have
hanged methods of housekeeping
-~@ have brought about new con-
ditIons
<-s. Il :he-c -vCr was I town fun
II business Wo;Hcn I j. Washington.
l' 10 personal Db3errIti"n thS:
from time to time women Of this C.tE
arr In the habit Il hiring messenger
nOys. ct so much ar hour. 10 Der
form certain duties ABOUT tneir
homes. This is done even on Il larger
scale by business women in other
cities.
Why pay il 10 the messenger boys.
when there are women who sresmore
rspable OF earning the money?
Perhaps the trouble lies in the fact
hat the young girl might feel scrne
bride about the matter-the old
theory Of working out by the day or
of being a servant might stick in
her throat"
But that part Of the question has
been thought Of by Mrs. Shsiler.
After reading the list of occupations
which she suggests. and after the
thought Of specializing in them has
been made 10 seem natural, one
wonders where the old idea ever
rame from. and why IL does not
seem more OF disgrace for the
young girl 10 go out Of her proper
environment tn slave for her living
al the performance Of A duty which
gets her no place in the end.
Would Test Plan.
The vocations are dignifed, and
a>~zx Of them would command good