The state herald., 1919-07-11

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rich. who can hire profession ii W.
al servants at high wages: /\IN X
the poor, who do without Ii m "a
servants. The moderately ~@\.
wellto-dO woman must ZL-N
choose between housework <(%
and all other activities She z
cannot get servants, because
we have no servant class in
this country. Working wom- UH
en- will not do domestic work (VU
when they can get other kIIi
work. even though the other VIII
work pays less Aul
These conditions have *
raised a widespread interest
in the proposition of COM
munity cooking. Notwithstanding the high
prices Of food and the scarcity Of cooks
the American people like good things to eat just
as well us ever. The question is where can these
good things be hadl A large proportion of twen-
teth century married women cannot cook accept
ably and would not cook II they could. modern
city woman who can cook can hardly be blamed
for unwillngness to spend all her time in home
work. II is an age Of inefiiciency In restaurant
cooking us In most other things and menu prices
are even higher in proportion than raw material
prices. -
Iva Lowther Peters, Ph. D.. Of .he womans divl-
sion of the council OF national defense. made In
1913 complete survey Of the various cooperative
and community food enterprises OF this country.
1t was then believed that II the continued com
munity kitchens would have to be established In
our larger cities to save food and fuel.
England was already running great many Of
them. with encouraging results and Doctor Peters
not only studied these. but undertook thorough
Investigation Of the cooperative movement from
the time II wns born in the eighteenth century.
As II happened, the signing Of the armistice came
Just in time to make the survey useless to the
United States food administration. but II is going
to be Of great assistance to those Individual Amer
leans who are thinking OF cooperating with other
individual Americans In bringing down the price e<
eating.
An object lesson is community kitchen that
was opened In 1907 In Carthage. Mo. II was To-
cnied In private residence and the various fslnl
lies OF the neighborhood came TO II for their meala
Each family furnished Its table, chairs dlshes
llnen silver thus maintaining Its own tastes and
standards To provide the original equipment for
the kitchen an assessment Of 81 per adult nnd $3.50
per child wns made. In the beginning there were
90 members. including 10 or ~ children. For the
first three months the price OF meals was 81 for an
adult and s1.5O for n child per week. After the
third month several families stopped coming.
When the number decreased to 30 the price OF
board was advanced to $3.50 per week. An the
Kitchens patronage decreased and the cost OF food
Increased the price Of board kept advancing until
finally. In 1911. four years after lts opening. the
kitchen went quietly out Of existence.
Most Of the community cooking enterprises sur.
veyed by Doctor Peters for the council Of national
defense tell practically the same story--a brief
popularity. a brief decline then extinction
But the community cooking enterprises tell one
other story and II In this
The only community cooking enterprises showing
unmistakable signs Of success nre those where the
central kitchen delivers the cooked meals to the
homes. These kitchens nre now being established
In several cities.
ChIcngo and mnny Of Its suburban cities have
their attention ON Evanston. H.. just now. Evans.
ton s n few miles north Of Chicago on Lake Mich
igan. II has about 5000 people. II is city Of
homes. Many Of the men do business In Chicago.
Evanston II called the city Of Churches" In the
seat of Northwestern university and is what Nay
be- called high-cass American small city.
Yes. Evanston II city Of homes. There are
streets Of dwellings md comparatively few fats
nre In evidence. There nre trees aud lnwns The
houses look M " they had kitc,ens--good, big
roomy. old.fnshioned kitchens. where things were
To compare even with those Of the sni.
vntion Army.
Bu, the Imagination that sets you to smiling In
the hope Of catching delectnbIe cdors from these
kitchens In these oldfnshioncd
homes Is n dcluson mud n snare. The kitchens arr
there. hut they nrc m idle MS n painted ship on n
painted ocenn. Cause why-thcrc nrc no cooks.
There wns n time. not long nao. when nm occn.
sonnl cook could be- cntccd out Ia Evanston and
into cooking. iiut even TINT time IL
past.
So Evanston II going 10 hive n community kitch.
en mud hi- innde u beginning. Thnt's why Chicago
sud iIenols nrc watching her with interest.