WOMAN AS AN INDUSTRIALIST. 385 CHAPTER XXVII. THE INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION OF WOMEN. " It is strange that a mother, educated as most mothers of the present day are, and who as wife and housekeeper has keenly felt her own ignorance of subjects that should have been taught, and her waut of skill that might have been acquired, can be content to give her daughter the same unreal preparation for real life. And it is exceedingly strange that a father, long familiar with the distress suddenly wrought by financial changes, should r-ligiously excude from his daughter's education all knowledge of bu-iness, and every possibility of earn. ing a woman's living, except at the needle, wasb-tub, or piano."-J. A. ANDERSON. WOMAN AS AN INDUSTRIALIST -THE FIELD OF DOMESTIC LIFE-HER VOCATIONS AS A Paid LABORER-HOUSEKEEPING AS A FINE ART-TRAINING SCHOOLS FOR WOMEN IN AMERICA AND IN EUROPE. our own. The wise man in the Book of Proverbs put a high estimate on the good housewife. He insisted that, although many daughters had done virtuously, she excelled all. Yet, as he does not mention her by name; as we have Deborah spoken of for her wisdom, or Ruth for her comeliness, or many others made prominent by their influence upon the men of the period, we take her as the representative of a class, and know from the condition of the household arts in Palestine, that a good housekeeper was almost as great a desideratum in their days as in So, also, the Greeks praised the women of the hearth, though we do not know their names; while we know how Aspasia beguiled Socrates with the graces of her conversation, and that Sappho took her seat by divine right rather than by a nomination among the poets. We know that neither in Greece nor in Palestine, at a period when poets and prophets abounded, was there a home in which any of us would have willingly lived for a single week; nor was there for ages afterwards such a recognition of human rights, of the dignity of womanhood, or the sacredness of the home, as could create a progressive home-building civilization. We have seen in the earlier chapters of this work how the ancient civilizations were built upon slavery, which bore equally upon the sexes. In following the historical development of industry, we shall find that woman has at all times borne her full share of the burdens of the industrialist, in addition to those which are hers by virtue of her organic constitution. In considering the question of her education, therefore, we should cover the whole field of her industrial and special functions, and provide whatever is needed to give her the highest possible efficiency in both. That we have been doing this in our higher schools, no reflective person will claim; and as for our public schools, our mistaken policy in them is not only injurious but alarming in its effects upon the female pupils. “If viewed from the standpoint of actual instead of ideal life, the course of study followed in the average female seminary will logically appear as a standing wonder. It has been so long in use that the principle of it may be judged by the results actually produced. Apart from an effort to discipline the mind, which can as well be done by the acquisition of useful as of useless knowledge, its chief purpose seems to be that of furnishing intelligent playthings for men possessing exhaustless wealth.” Ninety-nine out of a hundred women are called upon to do some domestic work every day of their lives, and yet not a ninety-ninth part of the girl's time is spent in preparation for it. She has a training fitted for the professional actress, preacher, astronomer, and usually leaves school without the possibility or the inclination of putting these acquirements to practical use. The uses of knowledge are not kept sufficiently before the minds of scholars of either sex, an evil which is especially hurtful to young women. Suppose, for instance, the goal to be reached by every girl in getting an education is how to prepare for doing a wife's and mother's work well and faithfully, and that every school should say, as the Kansas trustees declare with regard to their Agricultural College: “Prominence shall here be given to such branches of learning as relate to home culture and the household arts; according to the directness and value of such relation," would we not, in all human probability, work a speedy change in the results ? Again, every student in the Cornell University, whatever his aim, and to whatever college he belongs, is required to hear one full course of lectures on agriculture, on the ground of the importance of its relations to national and individual welfare. Now, suppose every school thus recognized the value of the domestic arts, and every young woman was obliged to pursue the studies bearing upon these, up to a certain point, would not this be justified by the universality of the application and use of such studies? We are aware that a mountain of prejudice must be overcome before these improvements upon our present system can be effected. A beginning has already been made. There are now five or six institutions of great merit, which have for their object the training of women as industrialists, in which everything relating to the home and family are made prominent subjects of study. These institutions, like tue one in Needham, Mass., recently endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Durant, by the gift of a million of dollars, are for special training of housekeepers, telegraph operators, engravers, pattern-makers, accountants, etc. They are intended to cover very different ground from the colleges and seminaries; to brighten the pale faces hurrying from attic to workshop in our large cities, with better wages for better work. But there are others still, which occupy middle ground, where those who make the loaf and those who eat it, are benefited alike. One of them, in the city of Gotha, Germany, enjoys the highest reputation on the continent of Europe, and draws pupils from Greece, Russia, Italy, and England. Among other things its accomplished principal, Dr. Kohler, gives a series of what are called lecture conversations upon the science of domestic economy. We daily witness events where men, supposed to be worth millions of dollars, are stricken with bankruptcy as with the palsy, and reduced to poverty; and the evil results of such a calamity are often needlessly increased by an utter ignorance on the part of wives and daughters of the purchasing value of money and its uses as applied to household affairs. An American educator says: We were present in the Kohler School, at Gotha, at several of these interesting lectures, in which the professor discussed with his pupils every phase of domestic economy. For the purpose of affording to American teachers the opportunity of fathoming its scope, and simply as an illustration of method, and not for the absolute value of the suggestions, we shall quote one of the lectures in detail: · Young ladies,” says the professor, suppose that had to keep house, either as a wife or as a daughter, and that the family consisted of two grown members and three children, and that the income was twelve hundred dollars a year, how would you spend it to the greatest advantage and comfort ? If you had to reside in a rented dwelling, what kind of a house could you afford to lease ? What proportion of this twelve hundred dollars, in justice to all other necessities and requirements, should be expended for rent? What number of rooms are essential ? Would a garden be an advantage; and, if so, how large? What are the prices of house rent in the city of Gotha ?” This field of inquiry seemed to be entirely new, and few pupils were prepared to answer. The professor then said: - Make inquiries; let us know how many rooms a family so circumstanced could afford, so as not to entrench too largely upon other necessary expenditures.' The next inquiry of importance is the question of nourishment. The professor said: “Ladies, for to-day's dinner,"—many of the pupils being boarders," as you know, we had rice soup, beef, and vegetables, for the first course; sausage and potatoes for the second; and pudding for dessert; can you tell me what was the cost of that dinner per person ?" They could not. “ What is the price of beef ? What is the price of potatoes?” They did not know. “For to-day I will excuse you; but when we take up this subject again, you must be better informed. Inquire of your mothers or friends, for it is of importance to you to know the values of the necessities of life.” Coming back to the initial point, the annual income, the conversational lecture involved a thorough sifting of the details. Its chief value lay in its minute examination, so that every pupil could make either an additional inquiry or relevant suggestion. After a thorough canvass of the house-rent question, the conclusion was reached that a family, with the income specified, could afford one hundred and fifty dollars per annum for house-rent in that city. In other words, after surveying the whole field, the conclusion was reached that one hundred and fifty dollars house-rent would be a proper proportion of the whole expenditure, and that any considerable increase in that direction would tend to diminish the comfort of the family in matters equally essential. The discussions of the questions of proper nourishment and its relations to price, health, and comfort, were continued through a number of sessions. Not merely were the prices brought forward, but the questions: What kinds of food contain the most nourishment? How to secure a reasonable variety consistently with economy? and how various dishes can be prepared and waste prevented ? were treated in the same suggestive and familiar manner. In fact, these conversations were so genial, and withal so dignified, so pleasant, and, for girls, so interesting, that the pupils looked forward to them with anticipations of both pleasure and profit. Questions were submitted by pupils, and the zest with which the discussion was followed up, showed that not merely was the topic in itself congenial, but that they appreciated its important relations to their future welfare. After a final and exhaustive review, it was determined that, with the existing prices of food in the city of Gotha, a family, with the income stated, could afford to spend three hundred dollars a year for food. The next great question was the one of clothing. How shall we be clothed ? The consideration of what are the chief requisites for clothing? brought out a number of answers. The first one-Germany being a cold country-was, quite naturally, that it should afford the requisite warmth and protection in winter. This was followed by the suggestions that it should be suited to the season; that it should be handsome in appearance; unchangeable in color, of firm and durable texture. The wearing apparel of the grown members of the household was first considered, and the cost of silk, woolen, linen, cotton, broadcloth, and cassimere was discussed. The relations of colors to each other, and their correspondence with ECONOMIES AND EXPENDITURES. 389 a the complexion of the wearer, were also discussed; and in this field the ladies were able to contribute many interesting observations. It was finally concluded, after a number of conversations, carried on twice a week, that $300 a year would clothe the family in a neat and respectable manner. Incidentally the question of making over garments was brought up, and strange as it may seem to us, that part of the question which treated of the limits to which re-making or turning can be carried with advantage was brought prominently forward; for in that country careful women often go to the extreme of repairing and making over garments when they no longer pay for the labor expended on them. One feature upon which the professor dwelt most emphatically was the ever-recurring incidental or extraordinary expenses of the family; and this is a matter of importance to both sexes and to all classes. The breaking of a pitcher does not happen every day, but in the aggregate there is an ever-recurring wear and tear of furniture and household goods, which, as these articles must be replaced at irregular periods, constitute what is called incidental or extraordinary expenses, though they are as truly ordinary expenses as any other. The keeping in repair of furniture and other household necessaries requires an average expenditure of $100 per annum, and $50 more may well be kept in reserve to meet the demand for literary and religious expenditures, and to provide for sickness, family presents, amusements, etc. In a growing family, $50 must be set apart for educational purposes; and the father may be considered an economic man if $50 suffices for his incidental expenses, particularly if-as in the case with most Germans-he is addicted to the use of wine and tobacco. $50 are also needed for fuel, the economic use of which, and the various kinds to be used, forms an interesting and profitable topic. Finally, the expenditures foot up as follows: For house-rent $150 00 300 00 300 00 100 00 50 00 50 00 50 00 50 00 Total .. $1,050 00 This leaves about $150 as a savings-fund, and is as little as ought to be saved in times of prosperity; for as children grow larger, and it may be desirable to send a son to the University, and as the family may increase and times may change, no man ought to spend regularly a larger portion of his income than is here set forth. But many men in Germany have not an income of $1,200. The great majority must live on $800, and even less. Let us, then, consider the question how a similar family can live on $800, remain out of debt, and be comfortable and respectable. The first question is, “Where can we retrench ?” We must at once |