THE TYRANNY OF THE KITCHEN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 647, 26 October 1909, Page 3

THE TYRANNY OF THE KITCHEN.

■ The ;kitclien, : with all'.its .accessories, is tie . great source of the. housewife's labour _and; heavy burdens. Take the kitohen out of'-'the-' home, : and- two-thirds ; of the domestio problem .would be solved. ::No-preparing -of food, ~and. cooking,' no - cleaning .'of saucepans and . frying pan's; no'.washing, of constantly succeeding-sets' of dishes—and home would be a pleasant place indeed.' Berlin-has been experimenting along this line, and -in'."The' International" Dr. Hermann' Beck' gives .'an account of .'the, method adopted.: He shows' how the- tyranny-of 'the: kitcnen'riiay be avoided by the construction of blocks'of buildings with private sets of rooms' for 'each'family, out with a common -kitchen from j whence food may be-supplied well cooked,; and; to the ipdividu&l order - of. each family. ■ . 1 ." Cookery by !-the - retail . method' suffers • from the, lack ■: of-.'- labour-saving .appliances.; How much : better'can many dishes be prepared in large utensils?, . What a lavish .expenditure of firing! - To ,-this'add .the extrajcbst of-purchas-ing the -materials' for -cooking.',: .Everything, -is fetched in., the;very smallest.-quantities,-, and: naturally- at much -greater. cost. Every .-'woman; will' appreciate/ the /waste"'of «'.timo caused:bvdaily marketing. Moreover,' the ability; to 1 cook is .-partly, an*; art that • cannot be : learnt; but a natural talent given -to'-the. fullest .extent Only -, to a small number .of-girls and '.women.' The system of individual household ■ cookery, rests, however,'? on - the . .that every: woman'is capable -of cooking.' .The indifferent feeding-,of the .family; and-perhaps'even ; an un-. happy .marjriage, ;may often be the' consequents df-thiS; false.; : assumption-:,and. - coinpul^ry-; ar- ; ; rarigement. ' •• ' ' ■ In-.the; single-kitchen, house more- regard penhe: paid f to .the wishes, of -the,-individual^ than in.Vthesingle;-household,, because: a r choice ,is ■ possible;.'for. each- member i of-'the : famijy,. 'and,, eat food.: ?.But H ;.atr.the. .same time,, the.'mcai -is.,'taken in one's:own -house, .in; the' intimacy of -the family; cirole-or- with..friends.. The''dishes :are taken hour fronS'the dinner lift; and-'everyone sits.'down to • the- meal; 1 , the' lady of'thevh'ouse in "particular;' ' •with jji far better.appetite - than if. she. had spent the , whole forenoon in the-kitchen. '■ .': -'She';centralisation of the house cleaning,.is. ■ very : closely .'.connected. ..with,. the ..principle;. Of the oentral- kitchen. The lighter'work-can;be' ' undertaken .by, everyone .without exertion; as tliefe 'is'ah> attachment in every, room to the central vacuum "cleaning..,apparatus., - But the domestic management,' if V desired,,- undertakes, all'., the honsr cleaning, ' whioh the 1 individual does.not, wish, to do .for. himsolf..' .Special ar ; rahgements,. however, enable clothes and boots, to. W fetched away daily ,for cleaning aild brought hack without disturbing-..the.' inmates. The-soiled linen can also, be'entrusted to, the domestic management: it heed hardly be particularly : mentioned that-the' one-kitphen.resi-dence -has central,Keating; ahd/oentral warm water supply, etc. '. . - : '"v The next consequence is that. domestio -. servants' beconie.unnecessary in .those circles which at'.the vpresent' day-are-fprced ~to employ theiii, '-.-• ■ , j -Hitherto ■ a married ■ woman had, as-a .rule, oouhtless : matters, and arrangements to. attend to simultaneously.'' She 1 was- mother, - nurse, and, perhaps, ' alsoi teacher _of her children; sweetheart,. companion, and helpmeet' of - her husband!-,alike- supreme in 'the drawingroom and -housekeeper's .department; c00k,./seammaid. etc., with perhaps sonie commercial-, or. artistic occupation - oflher, ownr* the^whole comprised in-one individual.. -.•'••Amid .•.all'.;: this. 'versatility: was .she 'not ■ fre- . quehtly condemned-.to remain .an .amateur; ui many, of these bran'ches?' 'Was it not/conceivable: that : she was forced to neglect- even ; the first-mehtionedjduties •>. towards: children, and ; husband, -quite,, apaft from--the execution,, of dny.;,professional duties?• -.The -on-s-lutcheii house,' however,' relieves' the- married..woman from just-that portion ,of her previous labours which.can be: most .easily and in-many cases,, as iwe have said, even-,, better performed by otli'ersjn the 'course of their regular .employ'..The new, principle offers .'possibilities only to that woman who wishes to be free for some other activity, of. whatever, nature it_may. be. But i a ' new- and fresh- race, of ■ mothers can crow, up from such women, -who ma; >bo more than : they-- have i'been ■ hitherto ;.to. their childreii and .husbands'. - •