SCIENCE OF HOME.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 533, 19 June 1909, Page 11

SCIENCE OF HOME.

It has ,taken oven the most progressive nabicma a long time to find out that home is not built in a day, but at last they aro waking to the fact that the building of desirable hamea, tho oomfortable service of tho family, is not an instinct l with the modern woman. She haa to learn how to do things. In order to further tie sefceme whicih has boem undertaken at King's Cbßege for tihe scientific education of women in tihe principles underlying the whole organisation of homo life, an influential drawing-room meeting. was held at Grosvenor House recently. Among those present were Princess Louise and'the Duke of Argyll. Sir Arthur Rucker,-. who presided, Baid the movement, they- ware considering, although chiefly ai: woman's movement, wits not necessarily oonfined to women only. The scientific teaching in these classes would be throughout of-University'standard, and' the education would bointelloctual as well as practioal. He a gift'of £1000 from the, Goldsmiths' Company. -■> ' : { lord Lytton ranked the problem of women's higher- education as the greatest and most.difficult 'one of the day. After ,-the' early' Staged in a : . girl's, life her whole future destiny depended on her marriage, her" homo life;- and .whatever toy would determine. Those who wpre against.'the .enfranchisement of women were bo., -because they felt the im-. portanco of home life!'; He thought that, when the results of,tho,course at King's College llecime'..kinown, : the, idea prevalent that matters; connected with .the" home, could 'be" foniid - out' by instinct, would' be - got 'rid-'of.. ' 11. -the asked me to speak, as a warning,", said'.'Mrs/ Alfred Lyfctelton, who followed, "because I am totally ignorant of ; hrtisfikcepiaic;''.'., -: She'-thought that •women had almost always "done only, the work which -had claimed' from - them';• Now they were tfbihg'not'only what was expected of-.tihem, 'Ijut. were 'doing what'was -not' ex-, pected of:'them'. (Laughter.) -If .thov were, going to do any work at all, 'a "soien'tific\train--mg; was' necessary. She hail ; often': wondered how moil were able to-do the verj dullest of work '; with enthusiasm." (Laughter*) She ;.thoiight ■ it, : was 1 'because';- they • had' had a scientific 1 professional training.- '; / 'An American; p'o'ok oii the' suffrage 'had sug-gested-that-womenl should be paid for the Work' they,' did in the home. ' If -the'mistress of the liouse wero not .an- excellent housewife she would receive less than; the wife of a' mah ! ;in. a fai 1 lower position. \ (Laughter.) It' was a,great; nuisance' to feel• a'-fool;before• ;tihe 'oopk-.ori as')ptitty*^-ill.-tlie-'-^hands'-of the plumber..; (Laughter.)'.-,';'."';■ ■ Mr. 'H. J. Mackindor, director of the London School of-'Kconomics,'said that, if it were' possible tovoalculate : the-saying:in; domestic expenditure which; would, result from, scieh-'' tific. nipthods, in. the home, it would, be : proved to -bei'such a l ' sum- asi-wpuld'.piit' a istop to all troubles in' -tho preparatibn of - the' national'! Budget.. .: ...

; In his area, which extended/from Textile Bar to 'Windsor, said the Bishop of Keniiing-'; ton,, home life was . disapceanAi;—at ~the lower end because tho unemployment of men was forcing .woibon to be tie brfcad-wwneirs, and at the other end b&cause tho home of a krgo number .of Wost End ' people was • nothing .more .t&an a dormitory- and a restaurant. .. |: The Dnko of Argyll-Kud he hoped the example of King's College would &e-followed i by other educational, institutions all over tiio oountry. ...' .