The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-04-21

UtHtS ana UCCOHIPttSHpSttS.
Bv MRS. ELIZABETH M. CRAIG.
The Homecraft Club didn't know
that it was going to be club in
the beginning. In fact, we are not
quite sure that 1t is real club vet,
for we have no officers except a
general manager, and no parlia-
mentary proceedings. But we have
lovely name.
We are a group Of young matrons
with a house and one or more chill
dren apiece to look after. and no spe-
cial preparation for doing either. We
used to get together every now
and then and discuss our common
problems. and we derived SO much
mutual benefit from each others ex-
periences that We finally fixed a
regular day for our meetings and as
signed one general subject to each
member to look up. And that was
the beginning of the. Homecraft
Club.
Every other Tuesday We deposit
our several children with some ac-
commodating grandmother or auntie
and repair to the house Of one,
member, where another member
tells us what she has been able to
find out concerning some subject
that we as housekeepers and moth
ers ought to know about.
One, who was trained nurse.
gave a talk on the anatomy ana
physiology of our sex. touching on /;
prenatal care, maternity. heredity.
etc. Then we discussed the German
idea Of maternity insurance, and the
case of the New, York school
teacher. who asked a years leave OF
absence to become q mother. And
we talked about collective mother
hood and elective motherhood; about
race suicide and the merits Of guam
tity versus quality. and about the
methods of birth and death resistra-
ton here and abroad. There 10 a
paper now in preparation Wnicn
deals with the Kansas motherhood
pension law and other bills with the
same purpose.
We asked the Children's Bureau
about its work, and spent some Tune
studying child labor, infant mortal
ity, milk stations. etc. And the
Health Department sent US, on re-
quest, their regulations in regard to
the contagious diseases of children
and their provisions for clinics and
nurses for school children.
We asked Dr. Eiinora Folkmar
what to say 10 our children when
they begin to ask sex questions, and
wha- preparation the normal school
girls were gwen for dealing with
these questions when they came to
teach.
one of US. who had been a kincer-
garten and playground teacher, gave
some suggestions on how 10 utinze
kindergarten methods in the home,
and dipped into the Montessori sys-
tenn of child training And we spent
much time arguing the question OF
When
Another member, whose husband Is
a lawyer. enlisted his services In
digging out Of the District Code
the local laws for married women,
SO that We might know where We
stood in regard to holding property,
signing contracts, etc.
Then We asked the Department Of
Agriculture what it could do for
housewives. and received in reply
innrmerabte pamphlets relating to
everything from breadmaking to
kitchen gardens. and meat inspection
to canning. We interviewed tile gro
Ger and the butcher and secured their
graded lists of food products, which
told us many things that We did not
know about the grading of meats.
canned foods. eggs, cheeses, etc. For
instance, We discovered that prunes
are graded thus: Choice. extra
choice, fancy. and extra fancy" so
that when we bought choice"
primes we did not get much, We
studied up on the lpure food law in
regard to our corner grocer, and the
labels On the cans on his shelf. We
each ordered a quart of Tinegar from
our respective markets and found
that the quantities received were
woefully at variance. especially