Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-13

For the past three years several
hundred American communities have
organized and held better homes dem
onstrations under theY guidance and
with the advice of International edu-
cational organization. Better Homes
in America. Plans are now under
way for extending this public service
to hundreds of additional communi-
ties in 1925. as well as in those COM
munities which makeN better
homes'' demonstrat ton an annual af-
fair =
'I-erSerI Hoover. Secretary of Com
merce,, is president of the organiza-
tom. The active direction of Better
Homes in America is in the hands of
Dr. James Ford, executive director.
DR.. Ford is a member of the faculty
or Harvard, having been granted a
special leave of absence in order to
undertake this educational work.
Better Homes in America is support
ed entirely by public and private
gifts.
Value of Move Great.
1here are numerous excellent rea-
SONS why every community in the
country should take ADVANTAGE of the
existence of this organization and,
with its help. demonstrate some or
an or the ways in which American
MONIES may be made better places to
i've IN. This means making the
most of the family income in the di-
rectlon of comfort. economy and
beauty. The Better Homes organ
!@dtlon directs its principal efforts
.o"aEd aiding the American family
OF small or moderate means.
The! 1925 "Guidehook for Better
Tones Campaigns" which is put in
the hands of community committee
ctlair men as soon as they are APP
pointed, contains an excellent list of
ieasons why Your community should
participate in this campaign" I'm
uer thls heading, the guidebook SAYS:
!. IN your community, as in others
throughout the country. there are
IamilfeS who wish to set up house
Keeping, but who do not know how
TO go about the purchase or construc-
tion of house. There are also fam
mes who are living in apartments or
tenements who would like to have
homes of their own. The better homes
campaign should provide them with the
help which they need.
= There may be premises which
are unkempt or poorly planned. Your
campaign can encourage the cleaning
up of such premises the improve
ment OF grounds and the planting of
window boxes. shrubs. flower beds
and home gardens
j. The new building in your COM
hiunity may be only for the welI-to-do
or the houses constructed for other fam
lies may be needessly uaattractive or
poorly planned. Through better homes
demonstrations you can show the best
types of house plans from which it is
possible to build under present condi-
tons for families in moderate circum-
stances.
Beauty Possible to All.
4. There may be families in your COM
mullty who believe that good taste and
comfort in furnishings are possible only
for the well-to-do. Through your DEM
onstration it can be shown that beauty
and comfort are consistent with econ
omy in housefurnishing.
b. In your community there are prob
ably many homemakers who are suffer-
ing from needless drudgery, due to lack
of Ih.wledge of abor- saving devices or
of ~ best ways of arranging furniture
and Utensils to facilitate housework In
co-sFSration with the home economics
specialists of local schools and nearby
colleges, county home demonstration
agents, and with extension departments
of State colleges, it should be possible
to demonstrate ways of reducing such
burdens to a minimum, and of organic
ing and facilitating all departments Of
housework and homemaking.
6. There may be families within your
community that are suffering from in
sanitary housing conditions or unwhole-
some living conditions. With the CO.
operation Of local physicians, health