1454 The Cornell Reading-Courses 



under the general head of home economics are their special field and 

 sphere. On the other hand, I do not want to limit the attendance of men 

 in courses of home economics; in fact, I think it will be found that an 

 increasing number of men desire to take these subjects as the work develops, 

 and this will be best for society in general. 



Furthermore, I do not conceive it to be essential that all the teachers 

 in home economics subjects shall be women; nor, on the other hand, do 

 I think it is essential that all teachers in the other series of departments 

 shall be men. The person who is best qualified to teach the subject should 

 be the one who teaches it. 



My attitude, therefore, is that home-making subjects are just as essen- 

 tial a part of a college of agriculture as any other subject whatever, and 

 that we cannot expect to make much progress in the redirecting of country 

 life until these subjects are as well developed as the technical agricultural 

 subjects. There is no longer any necessity of explaining why home- 

 making subjects are necessary in this institution. The number of young 

 women is increasing. The work is recognized as of equal value and stand- 

 ing with other work. It will grow and will take care of itself. I hope for 

 the time when there will be as many women in the College of Agriculture 

 as there are men. 



HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOME ECONOMICS IN THE COLLEGE OF 



AGRICULTURE 



Home economics at Cornell University began in a modest way. In 

 1900, L. H. Bailey, then a professor in the College of Agriculture, recom- 

 mended that a series of pamphlets be sent to farmers' wives comparable 

 with the reading-course that for several years had been in circulation among 

 farmers. Subjects of interest in the daily round of the household 

 duties of the farmer's wife were considered worthy of special study. At 

 that time 6,000 farmers of the State of New York were enrolled in a reading- 

 course for the farm. A circular letter to farm women was sent out with 

 each of the 6,000 farm bulletins, as it was assumed that the farmers all 

 had wives and that their wives would be interested in the letter. Two 

 thousand replies were returned, with a request to be enrolled in the new 

 course for farm women. The text of the letter was as follows: 



Ithaca, New York, January, 1900. 

 To the Farmer's Wife: 



Ever im e the inauguration of our Farmers' Reading-Course, it has been our plan 

 to make it a partnership course between you and your husband. In all the vocations 

 of life, there are none in which success depends so much upon the wife as in farming, 

 and we never think of an unmarried farmer. Of a hundred widows with a family of 

 children and a farm, we are sure a larger percentage will make a success in the single- 

 handed struggle than would the same number of widowers in the same conditions. 

 Since you are such an important factor, we do not intend that you shall be left out of 

 our plans for helping the farmer. 



