The Spokane woman. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1921-1935, 1927-04-28

Home Economics and chairman of the department
of the American Home of the Washington State
Federation of Womens Clubs
There a time, most of us can remember back
that far, when Home Economies meant teaching
a group of school girls to make neat seam with
stitches that grownups wouldn't dare compete
with; indgestable salad dressing and hot biscuits
Today Home Economics deals in terms of human
relationships. True, its students taught skill
with the needle and the frying pan, but with it
scientific knowledge. 1t is concerned with atti
tudes and ideals and has grasp of the sub
ject only when high standards of home-making
in all of it's aspects. including its spiritual SIDE
recognized.
Improvement of home conditions is the result of
the work of State supervisors of Home Economics
and it is in the work of forming senior home
making classes that Miss Gillett is fulfilling the
ideal of the training of women and girls through.
out the country both for the state and the depart
ment of the American Home of the State Fedora
ion of Womens Clubs.
Miss GiIIett has coined the name Senior" home
making classes to designate the classes formed of
mothers and their daughters, outside the school
room and she is doing for the state of Washington
a work which according to Miss Adelaide s. Bay
Tor, chief of the home economics service OF the
Federal Board for Vocational Education, is a con-
tribution to the expansion of home-m making train
ing for girls and adults that cannot be measured
At least SIS per cent of girls and women are at
sometime of their lives home makers with very
large responsibility of spending wisely OF the ram
ily income, of maintaining good family morale and
of giving initial training to all prospective citizens
and every step that is taken to increase their eff
ficiency for this important mission OF home-making
should be recognized as invaluable.
Miss Gillett is aiming especially to develop the
senior classes in smaller towns where the field for
the training of the home-maker has scarcely been
touched. Commenting what has been accom-
pIished Miss Gifett said that prominent business
man who has been observing the effect OF nome
making education in part-time and evening schools
on the girls and women of certain mining eommu-
mites stated, 81 believe this type of education II
sufficiently extended would Americanize at least
one generation earlier, the immigrant families
which come to this country.
DIVERSITY of methods of instruction from the
standpoint both of need and of age characterize
the small town evening classes and should center
around their immediate activities in the nome, ana
their community interests" Miss Gillett said IN
dividual health and a program developing nutrition.
clothing and recreation that would stimulate good
health habits; the building up of better homes win
a better balance in all home-making activities as
we'll make the family morale is needed, she con-
tinued.
Miss Gillett is intensely practical and has includ
ed in her plans of study finance, home furnishing,
insurance nutrition, home-making and home dem
onstration. She declares that there is no such
thing as standard household budget; each family,
she insists must make its own and she further IN
siss in the training of home economies teachers
to teach home-making not subjects from text
hook Though the work includes the teaching OF
nutrition textiles and clothing the home economics
program that omits consideration of the socable
life in the home and the use of leisure TO develop
the spiritual side of life is giving attention to the
nonessentias and neglecting the essentials of true
home-making" she said.
Miss Gilett has been supervisor of Home Eco
Monies Education of the State Department OF Edu-
cation with headquarters at Olympia, Washington,
since 1924 She came to Washington from Albany,
New York where she was head of the department
of Home Economics of the New York State Col
lege for Teachers. She has had wide training for
the responsibilities which the State of Washington