Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1921-03-17
AMERICAN WOMEN
DOING FULL SHARE
FOR THE COUNTRY
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 EstelIIns Bennett.

ny ESkelitH9 oennetk.
Mrs. Coolidge sat In a day coach Oh
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 Ia 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
the much discussed domestic problem.
II 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, sis to vote for
the men whom they think will make the
right laws and see that they are en-,
forced. They have done all they can
III the home | think the reason there
is so much sugar on hand now is be-
cause people are doing without 1t In
their homes.
Women Have Done Their Share.
American women have done, and
still are doing. their full share They
have So crificed 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 It is
a little hard fer us to give up pie," she
laughed at the tradition that has be
come joke. "we lave learned to use
all kinds OF cheaper substitutes for
butter and lard, and In my own house
hold we have experimental with diff
ferent 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
has more character than the blueber-
ries alone"
Knows No Domestic Probietns.r
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.
IT 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 drst left to go
and live with her sister.
There must be a 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 1t.
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. A woman expects one maid TO
dc 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 al
ways answer my doOrbell myself.
do it for two reasons. In the FIRST
place. there is no one else, and, In the
second like to greet my friends al
the door myself"
Have Home Orchestra.
Mrs. Coolidge is OF medium height.
with brown hair, hazel eyes chat hold
a good deal Of 'merriment and a very
quick sense of humor. At home she
and her children have little orches
ira. Mrs. Coolidge plays the piano
John the violin, and Calvin, after con
siderable discussions, in which he ia
vored bass drum, compromised on a
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
entirely recreational and not educa
tional. That is part of Mrs. Cool
fdge's educational policy-that chill
dren should work when they work anf
play when they play and keep the tw.
separate. That was why she sent he
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 I'll.
neighbor next door Is going Mrs. Cool
idge goes with her In the car. Other
wise she walks She has no domesti,
policy. She buys. she says. "what tn.
family need and can afford"