Washington Night High School - Annual Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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HOME EFFICIENCY e Continued but given the Chance, fetterecl socially, intellectually and morally, all because of the lack of intelligence and understanding on the part Of those who preside over the home? The home may be made a community complete in itself. Father and mother and children form a circle in which conven sation, reading. work, and various diversions may all have their part. The childrem. in whom there is a natural and free mental unfolding. with no suppression of life in most cases are those whose fathers are companions of the buys and the mothers of the girls and both parents jointly of the family. What unfold- ing life needs most of all are not rules and regulations which in many homes are arbitrarily laid clown, but the right sort of suggestion and inspiration which a WE'lleOHlETEd domestic activity furnishee, thy show more sense in training the family parrot than in rearing our future parents, teachers. preachers and statesmen? That there are many parents who, by the lack of means, are so hampered that they cannot give their children a square deal. a little investigation would make evident; and it is to be hoped that the clay will come when our whole economic system will have been so adjusted that every worthy family may have the means to live in a tit dwelling and every mother will be in a position to employ help in her home when it is necessary. so that she may give proper attention to the lives entrusted to her care. When that day comes; home efficiency will not be uncommon; and where it is lacking. society will not be to blame. But the very fact that under present conditions there are so many disadvantages with which to cope, necessitates a more assiduous application of the parents to the home efficiency problem. Under no circumstances ought the intellectual and moral and spiritual life of the home be made second to any consideration. liy natural and moral and divine right human life should always have first place. Here, then, is the burden of this essay. The function of the home is the developing of strong character out of the raw material. Entering into this process are work, play. reading. social life, church attendance, the system that all this demands, and the example and companionship 0f the parents. Each one of these separately and all of them collectively must be considered as they bear upon the character of the members of the family. Norma lVet'ss.

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HOME EFFICIENCY - Continued the housewife ought to know about how much is required to provide for the material side of the home in a week 01- month 01' year. However, a healthful home atmosphere with intelligent parents presiding, is what chiefly challenges our attention just now. able attention to this aspect of the question and have doubtless Our schools and mother's societieS have given consider- done much good. XYise mothers are in these days utilizing their- opportunities for securing such information as makea possihle a more intelligent conduct of the domestic life. But right here thei'e is a danger. It seems difficult to center one's activities mlnewliere near the golden mean. Friom the old fashioned practice of always staying at home and living the life of a recluse. some women have swung all the way over to the Other extreme of scarcely ever being at home. Between alwaya' being in or always being out there is but little choice. When motherls societies and women's clubs occupy so much of the mother's time that She has none to spare for her children. she allows those organizations to defeat the very purpose for which they were instituted. It is very well for the soldier to study his manual of arms, but if he should thus devote all Of his time he is not likely to aseist much in the winning of battles. The mother who gives the major portion of her time to the mere getting of information must not be surprised if her children get farther and farther away from her, in spite of the fact that She knows better how to hold them than ever. But do not mistake the thought here. There is no desire to disparage mothers' societies and Wonieuls clubs as such; on the contrary we believe in them and helieve their advent marks the dawning of a better day. The thing feared is. that the real object of thee organizations will be so far forgotten that weIl-meaning mothers will devote so much time to them a: to 40 gradually cause an extinction of the domestic life; this, of course. would he a calamity to society. Mothers need expert training and carefully wrought-out information for theirs is a task that requires tact and skill of a brand that no other work demands. But the getting of these aids should be limited to certain days so that ample time may be had to practically apply the principles acquired. Parents ought to make it their aim to be their Children's companions. and in order to do this they must at least keep up with them in their progress, if not ahead. That in many instances parents have lost control of their children is not in the. least surprising, Children cannot be controlled by parents whom they do not respect. and they cannot respect tlehcient or unreasonable parents or those whose inconsistency of conduct resolves them into a farce in the presence of sagaeious childhood whose eyes quickly penetrate any veneerng of sham 0r pretense. Parents cannot exact respect that their own conduct does not merit. The ease of the boy who, when he was reproved for certain conduct simply replied. Papa. does it, illustrates the point. It always strikes one rather strangely when he sees a parent so very careful about the conduct of her Child and so careless about her own. Children are naturally imi- tative. and will more readily do what the parent does than what is merely asked to be done. It is more effective to set the proper example and say nothing them to give explicit directions and do nothing. Respect is not inspired by law but by merit A pErROH with some mentality and moral excellence does not have to demand respect: he has it. Perhaps it seems rather harsh to say so, but doubtless it is fortunate for some children that they do not obey their parents for by them they would simply he hampered. Does it not seem a real tragedy to see bright children who would make a mark in the world if they were

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OUR SCHOOL Here's to our School of Washington, In whose broad yard great men have run. Here's to our school-house, hrfn may she stand, Herets to her Flag, majestic and grand. Happy are they who have learned in her halls, Great men of today, long ago heard her cans. And on through the ages, each year from her doom Men noble shall exit, as always of yore. The Class of t' ,l-PJ shall never forget, The fme times that within her walls they have spent; And when their thoughts roam they will um er regret, That once der her desks at their lessons they bent. And they'll remembcr in years gone by, All that happened at our Night High; And they were the first to finishiwell done In those good old days at W'ashington. ERNEST W. Smcmmuzn, '14;