Evening star., 1923-06-06
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

The business of homemaking, says
the PRESIDENT, Is the greatest indus
try of America. 1t employs 10000
ooo women, Of whom 100000 do
their work without help Yet there
has been toe little attention given
to the possibilities of labor-saving
apparatus In the home.
Until two years ago there was no
organized effort to make research as
to what could be done to relieve the
tired housekeeper. Now the Better
Homes Association has spread it's in
huence not only all over America, but
into Canada. Australia. the Philip
pines and other countries
X n
There have been unappreciative re-
marks about the erection of the
replica of John Howard Payne's boy
hood home, which stands temporarily
behind the Treasury, and was dedi-
Gated last Monday The criticisms
were due to misapprehension as to
the purpose. The home is humble. -
but that is what inspired the immor-
tai song-"Be it ever so humble,
there's no place like home"
The National Federation of wom-
ems Clubs. through whose initiative
the movement came into existence.
believes that " this replica inspires
greater attention 10 the things in the
average homo which may be i'm
proved 1t will have well served its
rurpose. Labor-saving machinery
they say. may well displace the
broom, the washtuh. the coal or wood
stove. the lamp. the thousand and
one items of the old-fashioned daily
grind. Electricity is the modern
housemaid of all work.
Surely such modern equipment must
take OF more than half an hour a day
from the necessary drudgery How
much does that amount to in a year?
1t Is 1921 hours. The leaders of the
better homes movement campaign
argue that a man who works more
than forty-four' hours week feels
that he is abused. he is ready 10
strike: he demands time and a half
with q. bonus for overtime Women
have heen working from ten to four
teen hours day. with no bonus.
Now. II is alleged. there comes n
means of reducing that by at leest
thirty minutes day. Shall she not
have that time for vacation. when
she may take Or. Cummings pre-
scrintion. "by getting away from the
family and have chance to rest tired
nerves by talking to other women"
Counting the mans work week at
forty-fqur hours. the saving of the
woman's drudgery by. thirty minutes
a DAY amounts to more than a
months vacation annually If she
Is not getting that vacation. the Bet
ter Homes Association wants to know
the reason why.
.. *r*
Some :of the enthusiasts are specu-
lating as to what would happen If
the 2o,O00.00o homemakers were TO
form a union and go out on strike
until they are taken out of the steel
foundry class. as to hours. and put
on an -eight-hour plan. They are
hoping that with better homes.
equipped with labor-saving machin-
cry, some of the dreams of girihood
will come to life Some may get time
to read good literature or cultivate
their love of art. musical or pictorial.
or the feminine refnements of the
home beautiful. Even with recent
emancipation of women. how many
yet sense the possibilities of their
new freedom? This, declare the ad-
vocates Of the better homes move
ment, is not politics: il is social
economics and~hfgher civilization.
* x
People often sit up all night to
watch an eclipse of the moon. They