Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-02-20
Won Place AS Feminist
Leader Through Ability
(By Dispatch A. p. Wire,

the "Hindenburg of the Kitchen"
has been a more conspicuous cham
pion of woman's rights and demon
strator of woman's constructive abil-
ity than 'any other German of her sex
and despite her rs years of age she
frequently is consulted.
Hardly had Hedwig Heyl been mar
ried to a Berlin dye manufacturer in
1859 than she revolutionized the plant
by creating better working conditions,
establishing Fairgrounds for the work
ers' children, and beautifying the va
cant places about the factory with
flowers. 1t was not long before she
was persuaded to organize the first
school for women gardeners in Ger
many.
Her husbands death at 40 compelled
Frau Heyl in 1889 to take over the
management of the dye works. This
was an almost unheard-of thing in
Germany then, when Hausfraus We're
supposed to confine themselves to the
three K's-Kinder Kirche, Kueche"
children, church, kitchen) and it
cost determined effort to impress her
authority upon the staff of employees
and workers. But she succeeded.
Frau Heyl's public duties soon be-
came, such that she withdrew from the
active management. But during the
world war; when her sons were at
the front, as also were most officials
of the company she had to take COM
mand again.
Convinced that the country needed
food more than it did dyes, she con-
verted the plant into a canned goods
factory. This, again, proved an eye
opener for people who doubted wom-
ans constructive abilities.
Frau HeyTs particular hobby is the
organization of the household. One
monumental contribution of hers was
book entitled THE A. B. G. of the
Kitchen which soon reached a cir
culation of 100000 copies and is to be
found in almost every German house
hold today.
/ Another contribution was the organi-
cation of the first home economic
courses given in Germany. For these
she managed with the aid of friends
to erect the Froebel- -Pestalozzi house
of Berlin. She also sponsored the
movement for young peoples homes
WnlCn now GuCOIlpdSS6S oil dCA llceliS
T During the world war, Frau Heyl
established soup Kitchens in various
sections of Greater Berlin which were
later extended to other sections of
the country. Further, she organized
the National Women's Service league,
which became a powerful ally to the
military forces of the country. Social
welfare work was Systematically con-
Quoted by the league to provide for
war orphans and widows.
/ Another absorbing interest of He'd
wig Heyl was the advancement of
the organized women's movement. 1t
was she who was the head of the in
ternational women's congress held in
Berlin in 1904 congress which for
the first time graphically demon
strated to the German people what
a tremendous international force for
good womanhood can be.
A year later she founded the Lyceum
club, a womens organization which
soon acquired it's own spacious club
house and later became part of the
international system of women's Ly-
ceum clubs.
/ Her most conspicuous service to the
feminist movement, perhaps, was the
organization of the gigantic exhibit
tion entitled Woman in Her Home
and Occupational Life" which took
place in Berlin in 1906. 1t was q
graphic survey of everything in which
womanhood then was engaged.
Empress Victoria, mother of Will
liam II and daughter of Queen Vic
toria of England, was the first wom-
an of royal blood to take an active
personal interest in Frau Heyl's social
welfare work.
August Victoria, the late first wife
Of William II, was in constant toucf
with Frau Heyl's work and, wh4r
the breakdown came in 1918 and tbs
Kaiser already had left for Holland
relied upon her for advice and comfor
as she prepared to follow her eXile'
husband
With Crown Princess Cecile, Fral
Heyl called into life the "Cecilien
hilfe" relief organization for WON
en- and girls.
When the revolution came and tn
women of Germany were called upo
to enter political life, Frau Heyl le'
by good example and despite her az
became member of the Berlin coun
ell, where she served until her seven
Il tieth birthday.