The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-11-17
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WASHINGTON, NOV. 17.-How to
make the ideal American girl come
true is one of the tasks set for the
White House conference on child
health and protection.
This important conference, called
together at the request Of President
Hoover, and composed of eminent
educators, physicians, psychologists
research experts and child welfare
specialists, opens its sessions at the
White House Wednesday.
Before the ideal American girl
can be made into an immediate re-
atty she must be defined. This
has been done by four Of the mem
hers, DR.. Louise Stanley, chief OF
the United States bureau Of home
economies; Miss Agnes Wayman, d.
rector OF physical education, Bar
nard college, New York; Mrs. Henry
MoskoWitz, former chairman OF a
committee on amusement for work
ing girls, and Mrs. Sidonia M. Cru
enberp. director of the Child Study
Association of America.
Composite Picture Given
This is their composite picture
Of the ideal American girl Of to-
day:
"She loves her home. Knows how
10 contribute to its wise manage
nent and wholesome activities.
Realizing that good health, men
tal and physical, is achieved by
means of a definite way of living
and thinking, she sleeps enough,
reddens her lips at the dining,
rather than the dressing table, wears
adequate clothes in cold weather,
and INDUCES in pastimes that are
recreating rather than Wreck-creat-
ing.
"She is training for some occu-
patton worth entering. Believes in
work for herself, even though she
need not depend upon it for her
livelihood. She learns the social
graces, assists her father and mother
at entertaining. She looks forward
TO marriage and home OF her own.
Sex No BugaboO
she makes no bugaboo of sex.
Is neither a prude nor a cynic. She
wishes to understand herself and
sets about it frankly and sensibly."
Each of the four specialists
contributing to this picture has
some specific contribution to make
toward achieving this ideal girl.
cat IA a girl needs companion
ship of both her own sex and boys, .
Mrs. Moskowitz began her outline
of recreations for the ideal girl.
IF a girl has the right home life
she is getting a plentiful supply
of opportunity both for indoor and
outdoor amusement, well-regulated
and supervised.
This involves motion pictures,
theaters, dances as well - outdoor
sports. It also means being allowed
to entertain her friends in her own
home"
Understanding Is Needed
Training in homemaking. one OF
the essentials in today's girls ed
ucation, must be based on an I'M
sderstanding of the changing home,
according to DR.. Stanley.
1.-THE modern girl faces a home
situation that is different from that
of her mother when she was a girl, -
DR.. Stanley stated. Outside inter-
ests demand her time quite as much
as inside ones.
She has an urge to do things, to
plan. to contrive. She wants money
of her own to spend. 1t is a false
point of view to train her for duties
which arc disappearing from the
home-teaching her merely to cook,
sew and houseclean.
Rather, she must learn wise
spending, wiser use of leisure, scien-
tific selection of food, artistic ways
of serving It for her family and
guests"
Should Learn Occupation
Mrs. Gutenberg brought out the
importance of every girl being
trained for some occupation worth
entering, ito give her the confidence
of a life work, whether she marries
or not, so that she will not have
an empty. idle middle age to look
forward to-
The Importance of careers was
stressed by Miss Lenroot.
Just any work is not a solution
to life's vocational problems" she
stated.
"A girl first must evaluate her
self. discover what she really would
enjoy doing, and then she must get
adequate training.
"If she has an ideal point of view
about a career, she will evolve a
workable philosophy of life, work
being only one phase of a we'll
rounded out whole.
THE job itself must offer some
sense of achievement as well as a
living wage"