The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-10-15
Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, Wife of
Republican Nominee, Praises
Her Sex.
DISCUSSES HIGH LIVING COSTS
Declares in an Interview That
Present High Prices Can Be
Reduced by Votes.
BY Estelline Bennett.

a slow local train between Boston and /
Northampton and talked about her
husband, her children, the high cost of !
living and the domestic problem. The .
conductor and the brakeman stopped .
as they went through the car to talk |
to her. She had made friends with
them in her frequent journeys back |
and forth to keep in touch with her |
children in school in Northampton and !
her husband at his duties in the state /
capitol. She knitted diligently as she |
talked. During those trips she knits
all the winter stockings and sweaters |
for her two boys-John, aged four
teen, and Calvin, twelve.
'"ToO many people are afraid of
work." she thinks is the fundamental
reason for the high cost of living and
the much discussed domestic problem.
Il think the only thing the women
Of the country can do now" she said,
with the quiet conviction of one who
has thought it all out, "iS to vote for
the men whom they think will make the
right laws and see that they are en-
III the home. think the reason there
is SO much sugar on hand now is be-
cause people are doing without it In
their homes.
Women Have Done Their Share.
American women have done, and
still are doing, their full share. They
have sacrificed and saved and substi-
tuted and made over. But that isn't
enough. They'll have to vote the high
cost Of living down.
Here in New England, where 1t is
little hard for US to give up pie" she
| laughed at the tradition that has be-
come a joke, 1--WE have learned to use
all kinds of cheaper substitutes for
butter and lard, and in my own house
hold we have experimental with diff
fereht fruit combinations to find some
thing we like and that will take the
least sugar. Apples must be tart to
make good pies, but we have found
that blueberries take less sugar and
the combination of apples and blue
berries half and half, is delicious, re-
quires less sweetening than apples and
|
rtes alone"
| Knows No Domestic Problems.
The domestic problem, which Is clos
ing homes all over the country and in
creasing the hotel population, is some
thing of which Mrs. Coolidge thinks
she has no personal, practical knowl-
edge. She never keeps but one maid.
and she never has been without one.
Ir the fifteen years of her married life
she has had only two. The first one
she inherited with the furnished house
into which she and Mr.. Coolidge
moved when they were married and
took with her when she moved. The
second came when the first left to go
and live with her sister.
There must be reason for their
STAYING. 1t was suggested to Mrs. Cool
idge, and she thought possibly there
were several. She thought the type of
maid had something to do with it,
Hers both have been American wO-
men old enough to have sense OF re-
sponsibility TO their work and intelli-
gent enough to respond to reasonable
courteous treatment.
"A good many women who keep only
one maid have trouble in their house
holds because both mistress and maid,
but chiefly the mistress, are afraid OF
work. 4 woman expects one maid to
do the cooking and sCrubbing and ev-
erything else and still be dressed up in
black dress with white cap and apron,
ready to answer the doorbell any min
ute. 1t isn't humanity possible. 1 al
ways answer my doorbell myself. l
do, 1t for two reasons. In the first
place, there is no one else, and, in the
second, I like to greet my friends at
the door myself"
Have Home Orchestra.
Mrs. Coolidge is of medium height
with brown hair, hazel eyes that hold
, a good deal of merriment and very
quick sense Of humor. At home she
and her children have little orcheS
ira. Mrs. Coolidge plays the piano
e John the violin, and Calvin, after con
s siderable discussion, in which he ia
: yored a bass drum, compromised on a
D banjo-mandolin. They play hymns and
! war songs usually-the hymns they
: learn In the Congregational church and
Sunday School of Northampton. They
: avoid difficult and unfamiliar music
because the object of the orchestra Is
a entirely recreatienal and not educa
C tional. That is a part of Mrs. Cool
fdge's educational policy-that chill
e dren should work when they work anC
o play when they play and keep the tive
0 separate. That was why she sent heI
boys to the public schools Of North
ampton when they were FIVE years old
. Every morning when she is in North
= ampton, Mrs. Coolidge takes her Bos
. ton bag and goes to market. If th'
/. neighbor next door Is going Mrs. Cool
}, idge goes with her in the car. other
! wise she walks. She has no domestic
!; policy. She buys, she says, what th'
: family need and can afford"