Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-11-20
SPEAKER EXPLAINS WORK
OF COMMUNITY KITCHEN
Mrs. Rufus G. Dawes Tells OF Opera
ton OF System by Evanston
Women.
SOLVING SERVANT PROBLEMS
Plan Relieves Housewives Of Arduous
Tasks and Hats Evils Of Dining
Out She Tells Members of
Woman's Club.

! Hope for the wcaricd housewife and
those who are harasscd by the prob
lem of domestic help and serving Of
meals was given yesterday afternoon
in an address by Mrs. Rufus c. Dawes.
of Evanston, ILL.,, before the Woman's
Club. in which she told of the sue
Hcssful operation 90 the community
Dawes is one of the three members
OF the Evanston community Kitchen
committee and her address yesterday
was TO explain that the plan could be
where movements for such an institu-
| ton have been under way for several
months.
Mrs. Dawes said that the domestic
problem is distinctly local one. in
every instance. but when the women
it required little investigation to show
that Evanston, III common with the
rest of the world. is suffering from a
everywhere. especially young mothers,
no matter how competent they may be-
are finding 1t impossible to do all that
is required OF them to care for the
house aud the babies and have any
leisure for the homecoming husband
Many Arc Dining out.
Dinner at night seems the last straw.
she said. and it is further observed
that Ian, an increasing number of families
frcqnenting hotels, restaurants and
cafes. thus sacrificing family life and
c onts fa mfceS sly, The Evanston
dinners in such homes a service could
be rendered. not TO those families
venting the disintegration of the home
and the anniEilatlon of the family
table.
Through the community kitchen the
AT least gathered once a day about
that last generally rallying place. the
family am dinner table, the speaker said.
ton were told that they need not CON
template opening Il community kit
c S without $4,000 at least in the
by the Woman's Club of tho city. they
borrowed only $1,000. OF which Mrs.
Dawes stated. they have never Yet
College Woman ut Head.
In evanston college woman is at
the head Of the organization and she
! Is now planning TO train other college,
pred girls under her for similar work
III other communities. Many have
como there TO study under the dircc-
tiol oil their manager.
Mrs. Dawes believes that il is en-
,iIciN possible to develop a community
kltchcn, Just as they did, with "A club
TO pack II, but she advised her audi
encc yesterday not 10 let it get too
big, as the whole idea of homecook-
lhS Is lost and il becomes at once a
commercial affair, instead Of II service.
thcS could not afford the price charged
Tor the meals, but many of these tho
speaker said, had the most absurd
IDEAS as to the actual cost OF food
ana iaiied altogether to take into con-
sheraton, equipment. labor, breakaEe
snS;; servants wages, etc, that was
really saved. Mrs. Dawes dsapprovcs
OF the kitchen being run as a stock
company, since there again the COM
mcrcial idea crceps in.
Answers Many Questions.
asked following her lecture Mrs Dawes
Went into much detail concerning the
containers, especially manufactured
ION and showed ono OF the smaller
dishes that is used in the delivery Of
dinners. piping hot" some five hours
AFTER they are cooked. The kitchen
AT evanston runs a small shop in con-
ncciion with their organization and
also caters and takes orders TO helm
meet overhead expenses and reduce
me me actual cost of the price Of the
u,ihncrs sent out. Central kitchens
nave been cstabli shed in various parts
existence for many years and during
the war the EnglAh government had
cStabliShed them in great numbers 10
iccu the women industrial workers and
WEI, vl. families, In this country. in New
ilaNerford, Pa. the domestic problem
method ~ s''ie
The James River Garden Club and
m OF the Housewives League of
club 10 hear Mrs. Dawes Yesterday,
Mrs. stuart MichauX, president of the
housewives League. expressed herself
as certain OF the feasibility of such a
I,oi,nirnnnity Kitchen in Richmond. Miss
Julia Moore was chairman OF the at
tCrnOOn and presented tho cne,i.r