5o 
HELEN ABBOTT MICHAEL 
me over the house explained that in Berlin the girls had not the 
time to come all day, and some had even other occupations 
which made an all-day attendance impossible. On an average, 
three hours was all that was expected of them. The classes 
held two sessions per day. The second began about four o’clock 
p. m., but with different scholars. The attendant told me they 
took all girls of respectability who applied, but as some pay 
was required, the very poorest could not come. She said they 
did not care much for the lower classes. 
“The institution had none of the earnest atmosphere of the 
Hamburg school, and the spirit of Frau Ree was absent. The 
art work was quite beautifully done. I saw none so beautifully 
done as the Hamburg samples. In the Kunst-Gewerbe Mu¬ 
seum one thing pleased me, and that was the photographs of 
the different pieces of work. Professor Ewald thought that it 
was very important to get a general idea of the effect of any 
work. The cooking department of the Lette-Verein smelt of 
grease and fat. I was there after hours, and the kitchen had 
not yet been cleaned up. The washing-rooms were steamy and 
presided over by two very rough washerwomen. 
“The scholars themselves very seldom do the washing, but 
learn from observation. The ironing is done especially well, 
and the Institution takes it in. The charges are high, the lady 
said, in accordance with the good work done. The house is 
under the especial patronage of the crown princess. Contribu¬ 
tions have been given, and the scholars pay. But the lady com¬ 
plained of every one in Prussia being poor.” 
Her experiences in Berlin led her to make the following ob¬ 
servations : — 
“The position of German women, I think, is unenviable. 
The broader avenues are shut to even the few who could claim 
them. The domestic training of the women to become good 
housekeepers and economical is excellent, and might well be 
copied more by us. The thoroughness, too, of what education 
they have is also where they seem ahead of our women, but in 
comparing only the more highly cultivated here and our own 
highly cultivated, the American of to-day is doubly ahead in 
many ways. We do things, perhaps, too quickly, and it may 
