The Washington times., 1923-02-19
Make
'FA|LURES" IN
DEVICES
Women Usually Blame Labor
Saving Machines Instead
of Their Oversights.

There is critical period between
the time YOU buy a labor-saving
appliance and the time you become
skilled in using it, when the fate
Of the device hangs In the balance.
II all goes well, you become an en-
thusiastic booster il anything
goes wrong you know the answer.
This has always been the case
There are persons who declare TO
this day that the use of q telephone
hurts their ears, simply because
they were nervous the first time
they used it.
We know of an old lady who
claims she feels a ''tingle of cleo.
tricity" every time she touches the
push button of a doorbell.
All OF us know people who can.
not learn to drive an automobile
We know others who invariably
have trouble with their cars, and
Of stenographers who cannot be
brought to use certain typewriters.
Failures" Are Amusing.
In the field of household electri-
cal labor-savers. the number of
these ''failures."' is amazing and
amusing. One woman who owns
and operates several appliances sue.
cessfully could not be induced to
believe that q certain electric sew
ing machine which her husband
bought was right" despite the
fact that thousands of them give
satisfactory service
Another woman declared the dish
washing machine she purchased
leaves a film on her dishes, al
though we know that such a film
Is due to the chemical action Of
caustic washing powder and hard
water upon the grease of the dishes.
There are cases without number
where clothes washing machines
are returned because they do not
wash clean and among these ma
chimes one has been on the market
ten years and its sales have grown
to something like $36, 900, 900 a year
The fact of the matter is that
every unusual circumstances which
occurs during the test period of
the appliance is blamed m the ma
chine, as well as many .circum,
stances which are ordinary and
usual. The operator Is never at
fault.
Good. Old Human Nature.
II anything happens which is not
understood, 1t is blamed on the APP
pliance. This is good old human
nature. We cannot change 1t, so
let us accept and overcome it.
OF course, many of the circum,
stances which are blamed on the
appliances are the merest accidents;
therefore, wise dealers always send
an expert to install and adjust
them. Most failures" not due to
some slight mechanical arrange
ment are the result Of misunder-
standing OF directions. For ex-
ample, the majority of washing
to the use of cool water, unsuitable
soap, or filling the tub too full of
water. Dishfashers fail" for the
same reasons.
Failures" of sewing machines
generally can be traced to nervous
ness and consequent lack of con-
troll of the speed regulator.
Home-makers who purchase cleo
trio appliances must remember
that they are on trial as well as
the machines. II a washer does
not perform satisfactorily the
operator is the more likely to be at
fault. Before condemning an appli-
ance, of which thousands are in
satisfactory service, the operator
should study her method care
fully to see wherein she herself
may possibly have failed. Such
failure is always due to inexperi-
ence.
And another thing, remember
that you want the service the ma
chine performs
Dishwasher will save you 500
hours yearly of dishpan drudgery.
Y. u want that leisure. To get It,
you must learn to operate a dish
washer. If at first you do not
seem able to make the machine
function, persevere until you sue.
ceed Practice, patience and ex-
perience will give you the "knack"
of operating a simple labor-saving
electric appliance just as practice
and experience will give you the
knack of baking biscuits or trim
ming hats or serving afternoon
tea gracefully or dancing.