440 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



to express by means of the ballot their opinions upon matters which 

 vitally concern their own welfare, and that of those for whom they 

 are responsible, is a move toward the solution of the domestic labor 

 problem. 



Experiments in adjustment may inconvenience some women 

 very much, particularly those from whom a happy fate has warded 

 off difficulties in domestic service. For this reason the present 

 situation would seem to call for a new kind of unselfishness. We 

 have all known of women who apparently grew in grace and in 

 beauty of character through the acceptance and cheerful perform- 

 ance of homely, monotonous tasks. But if we analyze the situation, 

 we discover that the acceptance of such work was simply an evi- 

 dence of intelligence, and was due to the fact that the women saw 

 some very important ends which they could gain only in this way. 

 We see also that their growth in grace was due to the discipline 

 which comes from a cheerful acceptance of the inevitable. The 

 homeliness and the monotony of work were not in themselves fact- 

 ors in the development of character. If better conditions of living 

 for all wait at present, not so much upon the acceptance of drudg- 

 ery as upon the willingness to enter upon untried ways, it may be 

 that the latter will be a road to real unselfishness. 



Successful attempts by individual women or by communities 

 to make use of labor-saving appliances should be speedily brought 

 to the attention of all women and all communities. For this pur- 

 pose there must be a perfect system of inter-communication among 

 those most interested. It happens that almost by accident women 

 have worked out a nearly perfect plan for intercourse among them- 

 selves. Individual members of clubs, the clubs themselves, dis- 

 trict and State federations, and the national organization form a 

 perfect network through which information may be sent either out 

 from the center to individual members or from individual members 

 to the center. This means of communication is being used very 

 largely at present, particularly by those who are interested in 

 social reform. It is strange that it is not more frequently employed 

 by women for the accomplishment of work which is peculiarly 

 theirs. There is certainly no reason why if one woman discovers 

 a helpful device she should not have a chance to make her good 

 fortune known to all; why if the women of one town succeed in 

 doing co-operatively a work which benefits the entire community; 

 if they succeed, for example, in working out a satisfactory method 

 for delivering cooked food to private houses or of conducting a 



