Mrs. Richards opened the meeting, and then Melvil Dewey spoke about increasing interest in “home life concerns”. He pointed out that every new movement needs a few concerned individuals to start it and that a small group could be more efficient than a larger one. Dewey said that people are getting interested in sociology (and he noted that H.E. is part of sociology). He tells the group that inspiration is needed (for the cause) as well as information. (Basically he is cheering on the participants, urging them to keep up their spirits for their work in defining H.E.)
Ellen Richards presented the first paper of the conference: “Courses of Study for Grade Schools”. She said that education that will touch all lives should be started in the grade schools. She believed that it is important to develop in the small child empowerment over his environment (including food clothing and shelter).
Marlatt reported on the present state of work for home in the schools. It was not well integrated with other schoolwork. She noted a lack of unity in ideas. (H.E. advocates believed that H.E. should incorporate all other subject matter into their field in an effort to educate the pupil wholly.)
Miss E. Jacobs (Director of Cooking in public schools in Washington, D.C.) gave an outline of a plan used in that city. “Heat and water” was the subject of the first few lessons, and their municipal water system was studied. They looked at the growth and manufacture of foods, incorporating geography into the study. The children were taught the function of different foods in their diets, their costs, and the preparation of a menu. The children did all the cooking sewing and cleaning for their classes.
“Domestic Science in the High School”-a paper by A. Marlett, Manual Training High School Providence, R.I Marlett discusses classes in first aid as H.E. coursework with corollaries to physiology and English. She does the same with cooking and cleaning, associating them with lessons in physics and chemistry. The same with meal planning with chemistry, history and English, then food chemistry and organic chemistry, physiology, English, physics. She says that we can study home and sanitation problems as independent studies using analytical chemistry, physics, botany drawings and English.
There is more discussion about classes and utility. “Scientific theories must be practicable.” The subject of H.E. should be narrowed to get rid of information which is not of great educative value, but widened so that its subjects “hygiene of the home” can be woven into other sciences and it “becomes the foundation for a liberal culture.”
A Minnesota agricultural school is a topic of Mrs. V. Meredith. It is a six month school instead of nine so that children can stay on the farm to work when needed. They have 300 boys and 90 girls. The boys requested the girls be included because the boys wanted the girls to have a “better chance”. The school is trying to give the students an appreciation for farm life. Classes for the very young students (6-9) would be three years: cooking, washing dishes, setting the table and serving, sweeping and dusting, lessons in manners (proper use of utensils and napkins). The idea is to teach for the future not the present (hoping that the students will remember their education as they become older and more affluent, and that this information will become a way of life for them). In the second year of operation, the students were required to bring reports of last week’s work (to be sure that they were paying attention). It is noted that often the mothers get interested in the recipes that the children are using. There is an effort to keep the class setting similar the children’s homes with equipment familiar to them. In the third year of the school, the curriculum is extended so that the students talk about homes and what constitutes “good conditions”. They learn simple hemming and laundry skills. They study food and its origin, and have cooking and nutrition lessons. Miss Meredith says that the “happy ending of year’s work” was an ice cream party. The children made the ice cream in a churn that they could turn themselves. (The point of this talk is that the school is very young and it is changing its curriculum as it learns better methods of teaching).
The committee moved on to discuss a syllabus about H.E. for study clubs. To create this syllabus, it was decided to use an outline of a six-lecture course given under the Albany, N.Y. extension center during the previous winter by E. Richards, and Mrs. Norton. This will be expanded to ten subjects with topics for papers and bibliographies to be ready for the study groups by October. Mrs. Richards and Mrs. Dewey were committee heads for this work. (no description of courses or lectures)
Teacher training was one of the most important subjects discussed according to the proceedings. Framingham Mass. was apparently the only state “normal” school doing H.E. training (Louisa Nicholaas, Director of Dept. of Household Arts, Framingham). Caroline Hunt (Lewis Institute, Chicago) said that the Lewis course was equivalent to high school and two years of college. Lewis is not aiming to train teachers.
Mrs. N.S. Kedzie, (Bradley Polytechnic Institute, Peoria, Ill.) said that it is essential that special training for any of life’s work be proceeded by a well rounded college course. Other speakers on the subject: Isabelle Bevier (University of Illinois), Miss Jacobs (Washington D.C.), Alice Norton (Chicago Institute).
Report of committee on library classification of H.E. Mrs. Melvil Dewey (chair) submitted a tentative classification of H.E. in sociology under “economics of consumption” and subdivided domestic economy according to Dewey Decimal system. A bibliography prepared by a student at a library school was submitted with over 1500 books published after 1850 in English. This was presented to each member of the conference for criticism and suggestions. The committee felt that the list “does not touch hygiene, family ethics, and kindred subject” and is only a beginning list that should include all subjects pertaining to improving the home.
Report from committee on simplified methods of housekeeping by Maria Parloa and Mary Abel. Miss Parloa said that they must have family cooperation to “not disturb the existing order” of the home. Meals need to be simplified, and Miss Abel tells us that homes should be built according to work done in each room. The remark that “architect should serve as butler, cook and chambermaid…(to be) properly trained for his work” was made. Families might greatly benefit by “eating out” one meal a day.
Report on revising dietary plan at state hospital for insane in Ogdensburg, NY by Maria Daniell, who worked with Dr. W.O. Atwater on project gave report and discussed the need for educated women in similar fields.
Committee to report on existing courses of study related in Home Economics in colleges and universities, by Miss Marion Talbot, University of Chicago. Miss Talbot discussed work done by Mary Smith from Stanford University where surveys were sent to several schools asking about their classes in domestic science, personal hygiene, sanitation, nursing, bacteriology, domestic architecture, etc. Out of 89 surveys sent, 58 schools have 1 or more classes in these categories, 13 schools have no classes, 18 send no reply. 12 of those reporting say that they offer domestic science courses, and 4 others say that their courses are being developed.
Alice Norton from Chicago Institute presented the outline of a paper telling college women about opportunities in different areas of Home Economics, and Susannah Usher from Cambridge Mass. compared the entrance exams of different women’s colleges showing an increase in science requirements.
“Suggestions for a Professional School of Home and Social Economics” by Henrietta Goodrich, Director of School of Housekeeping, Boston. Goodrich says that everyone must be united in this purpose to create a general course of study that is probably more than 25 years in the making. There is need for new training in all education to meet changing conditions of living. The question comes up about when to give Home Economics training to students. Response is to teach young children to instill interest for college. A broader college education will help teachers enhance young child’s training. There is a need to teach as soon as possible because more than half leave school before the 5th grade, only 5% reach high school. Therefore training for citizenship and life must start in grade school. Courses to offer: personal hygiene, bacteriology, municipal housekeeping (concerned with public systems- like water treatment plants), history, art as related to clothing and building design, cooking and housework, morality, chemistry, physics, and biology. Students need knowledge of sociology and practical application of home management skills correlated with sciences and application of scientific principles to daily life. Private trade schools needed to train in housework as a trade (the writer is sure there will come a day when this is possible). She says that specialized workers will develop. In college, either general or professional studies should include sciences, economics, sociology, personal hygiene, French and German, followed by graduate work in pure and applied science. Professional schools should be established for teacher training, and schools of “home and social economics” developed for training in various professions which come from applications of H.E. These schools should be concerned with the welfare of home and society, and should include laboratories for research.
Report on attempts to start a course for homemakers. There is a need for large endowments to erect buildings, labs, and libraries. In addition for precise information, there is a need to stir public apathy so that people recognize need for such a field of study. The report discussed 3 years of work in various colleges:55 students in 6 colleges (Vassar, Wellesley, Radcliffe, University of Michigan, Women’s College of Baltimore, and Wesleyan University in Ohio), their plans to expand work and their sense of direction. Generally it is felt that a research lab is very important aspect of professional schools. The report spoke of “righteousness of cause” and a conviction that H.E. is related to social and industrial forces and is inevitable- so success is “already assured”.
Mrs. Melvil Dewey reported on Experiment Station Work. In March 1900, a bill was introduced to New York legislature for the Albany or Eastern New York branch of Association of Collegiate Alumnae, for the establishment of new experimental workstations dealing with agriculture problems. However, it was decided not to push for a second reading because the time was not right- the legislators don’t feel that public money spent for education benefit the masses.
Report on a bill to promote “instruction and research in H.E.” at Cornell University. Need to establish department called “New York State Experiment Station for Home Economics” for research and instruction in science related to H.E. to aid farmers’ wives and other homemakers. The trustees of Cornell would be in full control of the course of study and would appoint faculty members. All money received from state would be kept in separate fund and used exclusively by the station. $10,000 appropriated to Cornell by state for this purpose.
Resolutions by the Committee:
1-Ask National Educational Association to create a department of H.E.
2-Continue to cooperate with the Department of Agriculture and to ask for all government bulletins involved in H.E.
There were 30 attendees at the Second Lake Placid Conference.
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