The Old Order Changeth

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 54, 25 July 1930, Page 36

The Old Order Changeth

HE old order is changing, and it is electricity that is doing it. Not so very long ago the housewife had to do all the heavy work that keeping a home entails, or was faced with: the domestic help problem. Which was the worse? Probably having the work to do,. but there was not a great margin of difference. So many wives.and mothers complain that domestic help, in numerous instances, is hopelessly ‘inefficient and really causes more trouble, than it remedies. : a a aa Who but the housewife can realise the immense amount of work involved in making a home for a husband and children? ’Tis said that Man’s work ends with the day, but Woman's. work is never done. And what could be truer, at least under the old order of things? The modern wife must have leisure-no, she is not lasy-because she has to live a fuller and more complete life than her predecessor. . And it is electricity that. gives leisure, and leisure without the constant anxiety that other help brings with it. teeth ya bot

ARTICULARLY at this timie of the year when there is simply no drying in the air, the washing is a task that is a constant bugbear. Frequently it extends over several days; but not with the electric washing machine. It makes laundrying one of the problems most easily solved. Hand power cannot compete with electricity in turning out well-laundered clothes. And that, in a quarter of the time. dry enough for ironing, if desired. Nor need one leave the kitchen to do it. Neat and compact, the machine will work from a heating-point in any corner of the kitchen while a meal is being prepared or a piece of sewing finished. Electricity, too, will automatically supply a constant service of hot water, and this is a boon in any home. There are many systems’ suited to different purposes; all are efficient and economical, provided one installs the system that his needs demand. leone done electrically becomes a pastime compared with the old trying, over-heating methods. There is no fire to make up, no heavy irons to lift and carry to and fro, but just a plug to insert. Any odd half-hour can be used to get the ironing out of the way. Where there is much to do, an ironing-machine makes matters easy. The clothes are passed between electrically-heated rollers, while one just sits

down and watches the clothes iron themselves. The machine tucks away into a neat little table when not in use. Then, there is the cooking. That is trying, and is likely to make one a little topsy-turvy when working against time. Let electricity do it. In the new way one prepares the food, places it on the range or oven with no more trouble than putting a dish on a shelf or in a cupboard. The electric range is always ready, always reliable; there is no dirt, no fumes, no fire to light, no stoking, and, best of all, no grate to clean up afterwards. For the efficient and economical running of a house, a refrigerator should not be looked upon as a summer-time luxury. Where time must be saved and waste avoided, it becomes a necessity. It enables the house-

wife to store perishable goods safely, to prepare. food:in advance, and to make use ofall those odds.and ends that, would otherwise be thrown away. Meat, butter, fruits and: vegetables | can be kept in perfect condition: for days. ° Consequently, they can be bought more cheaply. in. quantities. . ‘Crianine, with the. 1 stooping, scrubbing and rubbing it ‘entails, ° is hard’ work.’ It soon wants doing again, too, and in , many. | instances we feel that the place is never, really. clean... . There. wasn’t’ time to go into. all the nooks and. crannies, the cornices, and behind the heavy furniture. ' too, hold the dust. The electric vacuum cleaner, however, with a minimum of effort, does all the cleaning thoroughly. Upholstery and carpets can be really cleaned, not just the top dirt removed, so that a cloud of dust: arid ' germs are disseminated every time they are touched. The: dirt. is ‘removed entirely, and carried away without coming into’ contact ‘with the inmates of the house, furnishings or foodstuffs... Polishing attachments enable floors to be’ kept ‘in’ a ‘condition of perfection, attainable in no other way. Little or no labour is involved, for it is necessary only to guide the cleaner over the surtace.

_ And don’t -fires make work? Much of the pleasure of sitting over a good fire at, night is spoilt by the vision of next morning’s . black empty grate, and the cinders, dust and ashes to be removed. ' Electric radiators will give you equal. warmth, comfort and pleasure. ‘There is no wood or coal to carry. no smoke to soil decorations and curtains, and no waiting for the fire to burn up. The ‘portable ones are light and easily moved from room to room, but there.are some handsome’. permanent types.. Some of the electric dog-grates make a striking feature for any lounge or living-room, accord (Contd. page 40.)

ate Modern Help (€ontimuied froin paye 36.) with ° ‘any- period ° of . decoration, and satisfy. the .most exacting luxurylovers: ‘With their illusion to real fuel, ‘their flickering glow and steady warmth, they leave nothing to be .desired. Blectrie lighting is ever so much more efficient and clean than either the: old-time . kerosene lamp . or gas. Again, no dirt, no harmful fumes, no wo. entailed-not even the striking of: a match. ‘Of minor appliances, to add to the efficiency and comfort of the home, ot course, there are many. The tumbler water-heater, so handy: for bedroom ‘or diningroom; the electric: kettle, the toaster, the griller, the waf-. fle iron, the ‘warming pad, and the coffee-percolator. -In no other way can such perfect service be attained... What household task is there.that electricity will not do: cheaply and well? The electrically-run house is the acme of: efficiency and comfort.