Evening star., 1927-05-01


L out the Nation, information fur
nishqd by the farm women
themselves. Is today made avabahle
20 the public through the General Fed
Grafton Of. Women's Clubs, which CON
Quoted the survey.
AT tie outset OF this administra'
ton, in 1924, L announced that the
keynote, of the administration would
be the American home. said Mrs.
John j. Sherman, president OF the
General Federation, in a recent inter
view. II have at all times held it UP
as the Nations most important indus
try; fhe industry for which all other
fpd,Fstrie@ are run. the industry from
whic n the Nation must draw both raw
materials and the finished products OF
its citizenship.
our first effort was to find out
whether the machinery in this great
in lustry is all that it should ana can
he. To do this two great Natloh'Wlde
home equipment surveys nave neeh
conducted by the clubwomen' ne
President of the United states seer
+arv Hoover and Secretary Jardlne
jIave public and private lndorsehleh'
of this great project
THE first survey was of the urban
homes of the Nation, which yleidea
Information on nearly 8,00o.00O. inns
was completed several months ago
and the follow-up programs are al.
ready under way in some sections OF
tl,a country. The facts and figures IN
+he urban home survey were CLEANED
largely from public and company rec
ords. but the blanks for information
concerning farm home equipment
went directly into the hands Oh lhe
farm women, and with what interest
rGGnnn0p0
shown in the wealth of material which
we now have and which is already be
ing used s basis to formulate work
able plans for remedying conditions
revealed.
while the leadership for this cam
naien will remain in the hands OF the
clubwomen, it's success is dependent
upon its being a $3.50 cooperative
effort on the part of men and women.
Ii is necessary to have the interest
and efforts of the men who manage
and operate the publicly and privately
owned utilities, who manufacture
home equipment, who have the sclen-'
tific and technical knowledge, who are
officials of the communities and of the
press.
THE summary of the survey in each
State will be sent into that State upon
request. and the report may be COM
uared with that of the country as a
whole or with that of neighborlng
States where conditions are similar.
On the basis of this report, the presl-
dent of the State Federation, having
called together a cooperating COM
mittee of men and women, may pro-
ceed TO outline plans for definite lines
of work for the accomplishment OF
specific things.
"VitalIy important as are all the
facts and figures revealed in the sur.
vev findings concerning the physical
equipment of the home, they are not
all that the General Federation OF
Women's Clubs has done or will do
toward remedying conditions found;
they are merely a means to an
end The real objective is the
raising OF the mental and spirit
ual standards of the American
home. Spiritual values and mate
rial equipmrAt are so closely inter
woven that to pull them apart Is to
destroy the fabric. No home, rich or
poor. can produce the kind of Citizc rs
we need unless the heads of the home,
both men and women, have the time
and strength and unshakable purpose
to give their children mental, moral
end spiritual leadership as well as
proper physical development.
NO woman who fails TO organize
her home so that the drudgery of 1t
is done well, but with the least posi-
BILE amount of her time and strength,
can fill her proper place in her fam
lily or IN the life of her community.
The more OF her time that can be
saved from meaningless drudgery, the
more can be spent on the development
of the home s chief product, the Amer
lean child.
EfARbY reports from the club women
: throughout the country participat
ing in the campaign against illiteracy
inaugurated by DR. John j. Tigert,
Commissioner of Education, indicate
that the success of the work done by
them in single counties is so marked
that it probably will result in action
on the part of State authorities max
ing the listing of illiterates and their
teaching Statewide and subsequently
Nation wide in scope.
DR.. Tigert requested the General
Federation of Womens Clubs recently
TO assist in listing the illiterates of
the country. to the end that they may
he taught to read and write before
the taking Of the 1880 census.
A typical county in each State was
selected by the clubwomen and educa.
ton officials for the purpose of listing
illiterates and inaugurating cam
paigns pf education designed to reach
every individual in the chosen section
who is over IA years of age and has
less than a fourth grade education.
which is the Army standard of liter
Rcy.
The clubwomen have completed
their censuses or lists in many coun-
ties. sparing no time or effort TO in
Clude every citizen who lacked the re-
quired amount of education to pass
the literacy tests. House.to-house
campaigns were resorted TO in many
instances, and eager pupils poured
from the homes to join the classes
started in town halls, chapels and
schoolhouses, financed for the most
part by public or community funds
and conducted largely by community
groups, assisted by volunteer workers
from the women's clubs.
So enthusiastic have become the
women over the concrete results of
their work that they are constantly
offering TO widen the scope Of their
activities. In Illinois, the clubwomen
plan to conduct the listing and teach
ing campaign of their entire State
One Of the most successful cam
paiCns has been carried on i'm Bun,
Combe County. North Carolina, the
first TO complete its listing of litter
ntes
Mrs. Eliza beth c. Morriss. who di.
rected the survey In describing the
work done in her county, SAYS: Il
believe that we now have practically
accurate count of those who are
Classed as illitefates because the club
women went about this work in 2
systematic and thorough manner. de
termined that not a single man or
woman in Buncombe County should
miss his chance TO become a literate
citizen.
Glasses are being held in any avail
able place. school building, church
vacant rooms over store. or a rail