Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-05-09

Back IN 1908, 1chich most people think Of
as the age OF Innocence, buStleS and
horses and buggieS. bit lohich IN reality
UdS q time Of great eJcitement, since 10
acaS the beginning Of the machine and
mass prOdHctiOR era. some earnest gem
Hemen met IN small room IN SPRING
field, Mass. This room lCdS a part Of the
suite Of Offices Of Good Housekeeping
Magazine, 'chich lcaS then being pub
ltShcd m Springfield. These gentlemen
lcere lm6ued lCith a noble purpose and
IN possession Of daring idea. The idea
lcas laboratory fer the Investigation Of
ne1C mechanical appliances for the home
lChlch lcere Just then coming on the mar
ket, and their purpose lcdS to determine
the safety and reliability and usefulness
Of these things for their readers No
magazine had erer remotely considered
such t0rlcGrd step and so the idea lCdS
indeed daring departure. That's hoW
Good housekeeping Institute aOGS born.
Almost all business, in 1908, was be-
ginning to engage in scientific practices,
except the business of housekeeping.
Housekeeping had changed little in a
y
Housekeeping Magazine to take on the
job Of applying science to housekeeping.
The equipment was severely limited, be-
cause nothing like this had ever been
done before, and the staff consisted of
the Food Editor of Good Housekeeping,
but the high purpose and the vast pro-
portions of the idea destined it for great
success.
Beginnings were small One of the first
things that turned up as needing i'm
provement was the loWly sink-the home
Hest and yet probably one of the most
widely used units of the kitchen. For rea-
sons now hard to understand, sinks up to
this time had been placed so low that the
housewife had to bend double when
working over them. Good Housekeeping
editors, working over a low sink just as
their constituents did, found themselves
smitten with backache at the end of the
day. So the editors decided to raise their
sink several inches They then urged this
step on their readers and sinks began to
be raised several inches all over the coun-
try and fatigue began to be materially
reduced. With this simple suggestion,
the first of thousands of improved ways
of life in the home was made by Good
Housekeeping. Grandma's way was on
the way out
From the days of one small room in
Springfield, Massachusetts, to the great
laboratories, kitchens, engineering
workshops and offices which now COM
pose Good Housekeeping in New Y ork, is
a long step. From the idea of an improved
sink in 1903 IN tho MANY acconnlich
ments which have made the Institute an
internationally known source of home
economics information, is a history
which has involved a great deal of time,
money and brain power. But the result
has been eminently worthwhile 10 the
American woman.
Good Housekeeping feels that its con-
tribution 10 the job Of making house
keeping easier, more pleasant, more safe.
has always been worth more than il has
cost, Every household appliance, food,
cosmetic, clothing or piece of equipment
which appears in It's advertising or edi-
torIal pages must meet the requirements
Of Good Housekeeping Thousands of
dollars in advertising have been turned
down by Good housekeeping because
products did MT meet these require
ments.
Sometime when YOU are .n New York
won't you stop m az Good Housekeeping
and look around? See for Yourself the
care and accuracy with which expert
ments are made, and the many different
kinds Of household appliances, foods and
textiles being investigated.