Home Efficiency by Mrs. C. C. Lewis

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 29, 1915

Home Efficiency

By Mrs. C. C. Lewis

MRS. C. C. LEWIS

An article from the pen of Edward Earle Purinton, in a recent number of the Independent, contains some timely suggestions on this subject, which is of vital interest to all our readers:—

“Efficiency is the keynote to success in any line of activity, and efficiency depends upon our home life. Energy is perhaps the most important bodily factor in efficiency. Energy is a product of pure, wholesome, abundant food, properly chosen, combined, and prepared; of sound, refreshing sleep in a quiet, clean, airy, restful room; of comfortable, hygienic clothing made of the right materials in a manner that becomes the individual; of daily bath and exercise; of rest and relaxation in the evening, away from business and in the company of those you love. These things must be had from the home.

“At least forty per cent of man’s efficiency lies in the hands of women. . . . The most valuable mental trait in efficiency is probably enthusiasm—a blend of courage, optimism, kindliness, and alertness. These qualities are manufactured daily as by-products of a normal household. . . . Home is the great power house of human electricity. Our nerves are the wires, our emotions the currents, our actions the manifestations of light, energy, and influence carried from home. . . . In a power house we employ the highest-priced electrical engineers, to handle the machinery with faultless care. But in a kitchen we hire cheap maids totally ignorant of the digestive machinery, the science of marketing, the principles of household economy, hygiene, sanitation, organization.

“Certain articles for home use cost less from mail-order houses, others cost less from local dealers. Which are they, in each list? At certain seasons of the year, bargains may be had regularly, in clothing, furnishings, foods, and so forth. Do you buy accordingly? In the kitchen, there is a science of utilizing ‘scraps,’ and leftovers. Have you learned it? A pound of beans, of whole-wheat grains, or of nuts contains from two to three times as much pure nourishment as a pound of best steak, and costs perhaps half as much. Do you consult modern tables of food values in ordering the daily meals?

“In this violently practical age, when even schools and churches are made for utilitarian purposes, the home is the only place where we can satisfy our souls with grace of line, symmetry of form, harmony of color, beauty of texture, poetry of symbolism. . . . A cottage costing $3,000, planned by an artist for the needs and the tastes of the members of the family, is a better investment than a $30,000 mansion void of the magic touch of refinement and affection.

“Hurry is the chief cause of worry, and a home is the haven of rest where we can smile at our haste, and watch the world go by. . . . One of the sure tests of a real home is that the very thought of it relaxes our nerves, mind, muscles, and gently and firmly restores our peace and faith in the goodness of God’s great plan.

“Real education starts with inspiration, leads to action, and ends in satisfaction of teacher and taught. The inspiration comes from a mother’s heart, the action must be guided by a father’s strength and skill.

“By hospitality I . . . mean the outflow of heart and overflow of spirit which moves you to give a feast to the poor, to search out and hearten up the victims of a ‘hall room’ desolation, to throw your doors wide open to the waifs in the street. A home is not a home until it shelters the homeless. The reason is a secret; you must find it out for yourself.

“One of the first duties of a mother is to make her children proud to wait on her. But, alas, few mothers learn this until they are too old to begin and too tired to care. Each member of a family has certain duties and responsibilities to every other member. These are usually ignored, and often violated. . . . When ‘family pride’ is changed into community feeling, and community feeling grows to be race fellowship, we shall have made the home what it should be—a starting point for service.”