The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-08-13
Electric Things Are AIaddin's
Lamp to the Modern Housewife
Old Fashioned Wash Days and Hot Stoves Things Of the
Past, Thanks to Genius Of Edison and No
mems Votes May Yet Make Inventor
Master OF the White House

! There's nothing new under the
shining sun, well perhaps not when
lit comes to what to give for favors at
the next bridge party, or the latest
irecipe for French dressing, but there's
heaps of new things to be considered
along the lines of electrical inventions,
which are influencing the lives Of Keo-
kuk people every day and blessing
them, too.
1t wasn't so many years ago that
housewives all over the city, as we'll
as all over the world, used to begin
getting a miserable melancholy life
isn't-worth-living feeling every Sun
day afternoon about o'clock because
the thoughts of the Monday wash day
couldn't be put off any longer and all
of these good women knew 1t was time
ito begin gathering up the clothes and
getting them to soak for the morrow.
1T was doleful hour. containing all
|of the solemnity of yespers minus the
beautiful and religious atmosphere
which permeates the latter, for every
one else in the household too, for
mother in her own untiring efforts and
ambitions spared not single member
on the family tree. Everyone of them
was obliged to punch the clock at
four in the afternoon, and do his bit
toward lessening. if there was any
lessening to it, the work of the next
day. Father left off reading the Sun
day paper and declared he wished
they'd find a laundress. He didn't
talk long because he was put to work
under the command of friend wife who
directed the filling of two or three tubs
of water, in which the clothes were
to soak overnight More han'likely
new box Of laundry soap would have
to be opened and Johnny who was
patching up base ball mitt on the
side porch would be called in to do
his share, and sent to the basement
to open up that new box of soap, the
amateur Babe Ruth grumbling as he
went.
Supper Sunday nights was never
thing of beauty or joy forever, not be-
cause there were only left overs to
dine upon, but because the strenuous
two hours wash day preparations pre-
ceding the evening repast has taken
away everyone's good humor. Every
one but Mary, and she was happy be-
cause she had date this evening with
a man who had a big roadster and
they were to go driving. She was
happy in spite of the fact that the
curriers' done up tight on her head
were hurting like everything, and she
was wishing there were such things
as an electric marceller. The even
ing wore on, father decided to attend
the union services at the Methodist
Z, ,I,nv.i y,or hnI1
the washing next day, stayed at home,
retiring early to be ready for the task.
y And Sunday afternoon. with its two
hours of manual labor on the day of
rest seemed like paradise lost when
Monday morning came and the wash /
ing was actually started. 1t was an
all day affair and when night came
the town was full of women who re-
solved that they'd organize an ancient
an honorable order OF sweet rest club, |
and never do bit of work again as
long as they lived If they weren't (!
too nearly dead they'd sit on the porch /
after supper and tell the children !
about the lilies in the field; how they |
Loiled not and neither did they spin. !
It's All in the Past.
But it's all in the past now and the |
may thank Thomas A. Edison
md hundreds of other men for that. !
Mi-Lady has an electric washer which |
loes all the work She puts her
clothes in the machine, turns on sthe
button and away they go. She sits
n rocking chair close by and reads
he latest gossip from the movie mag
lzine, or if she is so inclined, she may
clean bit of knowledge from rare
I'D master, or to keep the tone in
.olor, perhaps she's reading some last /
Instructions in what to do when you
ret to the polls" When fifteen min =
ties are up, she calls time, stops the
wrings 'em into the rinse
water close by, adjusts the wringer in
mother direction and wrings the buds
nto the blueing and out again into the
lothes basket. The process is re-
,eated until everything in the place
las been washed, the entire washing
INVOLVING perhaps an hours time and
lickel's worth of labor.
And the same house now on Mon
lay Moons when father comes home, h
S a little haven of peace and harmony !
nd he never ceases to marvel about