In North Dakota Miss Mildred Veitch was appointed field woman of the Better Farming Section of the Agricultural Experiment Station in 1913, with the plan of giving attention to home betterment by aiding individual homes in the organization of the kitchen and the installation of modern equipment. Her field is the State, and her work has begun with great promise.

The Indiana law of 1913, in providing for county agents, states that they shall

under the supervision of Purdue University, cooperate with farmers' institutes, farmers' clubs, and other organizations, conduct practical farm demonstrations, boys' and girls' clubs, and contest work and other movements for the advancement of agriculture and country life, and give advice to farmers on practical farm problems and aid the county superintendent of schools and the teachers in giving practical education in agriculture and domestic science.

Thus, the Indiana plan for aiding the home through the county agent is restricted to school and club work in domestic science, but it is a hopeful beginning.

The Massachusetts Agricultural College has been consulted as to a county home economics worker, in cooperation with the Hampden County Improvement League, which supports the county agricultural demonstration work in the County of Hampden, Mass. Funds for the agricultural work were provided by the subscriptions of business men, and the addition of home economics work seems probable. The plan will be to appoint a worker who will have as headquarters "a small house centrally located * * * simply and artistically furnished to show what can be done with limited means, and immaculately kept." She will depend more, however, upon going about among the people, reaching them through the schools, the granges, farmers' institutes, the tomato and other clubs, and especially

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going into the individual homes of the county and becoming thoroughly acquainted with the women and girls of those homes who, it is expected, will welcome her in the same manner that the men welcome the county agents. The woman worker needs to be possessed of much tact, having the most kindly feeling toward the inefficient home maker; one who can lead without offending; and one whose ideals are very high, so that no matter what conditions may be found in the neighborhood, she will not become discouraged.

Prof. Laura Comstock, of the Massachusetts College, has outlined the possible services of such a county home economic worker to include: The presentation to women and girls of the subject matter of home economics, including food, the house, home management, modern appliances, house sanitation, and first aid; educational work with boys' and girls' clubs, and efforts to secure the introduction of regular teaching into rural schools; meetings with women's

clubs and similar organizations; the supervision of volunteer workers for home betterment.

The possibility of visiting instruction in rural homes has been under consideration at Cornell University for some time, and the directors of the department of home economics did some experimental work two years ago.

While "county household demonstrators" are not yet actually at work in the campaign for rural betterment, they probably soon will be. The method of such work, it should be noted, has already developed in the case of the visiting housekeeper or domestic teacher, who has been operating for several years in various cities under social-betterment societies. To cite another parallel, the visiting nurse who makes calls on order for a small fee is already in many communities helping the family to meet the emergencies of sickness. Such a service may gradually be extended as regards all housekeeping problems, and a type of household consultant be provided who will aid the individual housekeeper in her individual problem. One principle discovered in agricultural demonstration is that the place for a demonstration is the farmer's own farm, not on some county demonstration farm. This principle, applied to the household, means that the county household expert must get into the individual home and show how to do better with what is there and then how in time to secure better. The "getting in " looks like the nub of the problem, but experience will point a way. Perhaps Ambassador Walter II. Page's phrase about the tomato club work in the South, that "the tomato was the key that unlocked the kitchen door to the trained worker," points a method of wide application.

Section 4. YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

The Young Women's Christian Association maintains educational work in the local associations, supplementary to its central religious work, and this educational work commonly includes classes related to the home. In 1913, 151 associations reported an enrollment of 18,862 students in domestic-arts courses, and 117 associations an enrollment of 9,343 students in domestic science, a total of 28,205 students. In 1913, 80 domestic-science directors and 91 domestic-art directors were employed, giving full time to teaching. The registration figures quoted do not include work done with club girls who have some instruction in home economics, nor does it include the kitchen garden work, which is sometimes done with the junior girls. The range of courses offered in associations, according to a statement furnished by the education secretary, is about as follows, though not all of this would necessarily be given, especially in the smaller cities where a 60439°-15-11

teacher would be employed by the hour or where volunteer service might be used:

First. Domestic-science courses for those young women who are expecting to be married or for women in their homes.

Second. Cooking courses for business women similar to the above, but with less expensive materials. This is the type of course most often given and is patronized by wage earners and women of moderate circumstances in their homes.

Third. There are occasionally courses for maids, for which mistresses may pay the necessary fee.

Fourth. The courses for industrial girls. Sometimes these are supper classes for which the girls make partial preparation of the simple supper, or they may be menu classes in which the girls are instructed to prepare breakfasts, lunches, and dinners at a minimum cost per person.

In addition to the above domestic-science teachers sometimes give courses away from the building, such as demonstrations in factories, providing the girls with copies of the recipes used; courses with homemakers in their own kitchens or courses in the kitchen of a church, or some institution, adapted to the needs of any group of girls who can be collected.

The courses in domestic arts include courses in trade dressmaking, in a few instances in home dressmaking, in the making of undergarments, in making over and repairing and elementary work for members; millinery classes, which are among the most popular of all; basketry; crocheting; embroidering; and almost any sort of work which may interest a particular group.

The household-arts commission, composed of domestic science and art directors, in 1913 drew up certain standard courses for the associations, which will doubtless assist in improving the work given. Two courses in cookery, each providing 15 lessons of two or two and one-half hours, are recommended for classes of actual and prospective homemakers and for business women; and two courses in sewing, each of 15 two-hour lessons, which include the making of underwear and a shirt waist.

Certain associations, notably Boston and St. Louis, undertake more ambitious educational work in this field. The women's training school of the St. Louis Young Women's Christian Association has two household-arts departments, domestic science and domestic art. The former (1) offers a two-year normal curriculum in preparation for teaching domestic science, with some work in domestic art, which requires in addition to household-arts subjects, educational courses, including practice teaching; (2) opportunity for registration in individual courses is given for "all classes of women, homemakers and business girls, mistresses and maids, for prospective teachers, and even children." The following domestic-science subjects are offered: Theory of domestic science (four courses); cookery, plain and advanced (four courses); homemakers' course; supper courses ("preparing, serving, and eating simple meals; each pupil in turn acting as hostess, as waitress, and as guest; efficient preparation of meals, with a jolly good time "); luncheon course; dietetics and