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Show The Farm Kitchen "Tho men ot tho world build houses, but tho women mako tho homo." Tho words of tho old poem I had heard In my childhood kept running through my mind as I watch- od a busy frontier woman trying to cook a dlunor in a man mado liouso. Tho kitchen, a small room attached attach-ed to tho main part ot tho house, could havo been a pleasant room It tho builder had given careful thought to tho comfort and convenience of tho homo maker who was to spond many hours each day working in It, but tho houso had been built to suit tho convenience of tho builder not tho homo maker. Little thought had been given to tho vontllatlon or light. Tho only window was small nnd placed at ono ond of tho kitchen. Even In tho day tlmo tho woman found it necessary to light a candlo to sco tho cake in tho oven. Tho bread she must lift from tho ovon nnd carry to tho window win-dow for inspection. Hark green paint on walls and celling absorbed somo light and gave tho room a dreary, dingy look. Tho colling was low, nnd no means of escape for odors od-ors and steam had been provided. Tho vontllatlon was Poor and when tho room becanio too warm the door had to bo opened and a draft was unavoidable. Tho kltchon step had thrco high stops ovor which had to bo carried all water that was used In tho house. Tho well was twenty-seven twenty-seven feet from tho houso and was rupplled with a pump that roqulrod u great expenditure of strength. Tho collar could bo approached only by an outsldo cntranco or through tho dining room and tho bed room nnd down dark, narrow stairs. Tho woman who has been doing tho work in this kltchon for ten years has walkod many unnecessary miles and hag spent months, If not yonrs, In wasted stops. Much of tho woman's strength could have been saved by putting two moro "vlndows Into tho kitchen, hy changing tho collar door nnd stairway and hy bup plying tho kitchen with running water, wa-ter, sink, nnd drain. The walls could havo been painted with eomo' light colored paint that would lmo added cheer and neatness to tho room. Tho chqngcs needed wero simple and could have been made with a Uttlo expenditure of tlmo end money, 1 n i One of the strnngo things about tho situation was that tho woman accepted ac-cepted tho conditions as a matter of courso. Sho bad becomo used to it and did not reallzo that sho was using us-ing strength and tlmo unwisely nrd was failing to bo a champion to her husband and children, all becauso soma unwiso bulldnr hnH fnllnil in plan a farm kitchen conveniently. Henrietta Kolshom in Utah Farmer. |
