[108] “School Laws of Massachusetts. Supplement to the Edition of 1883, containing the Additional Legislation to the Close of the Legislative Session of 1885; issued by the State Board of Education.”
The Legislature of Connecticut adopted a similar statute last year (1884).
The Iowa Agricultural College is the first educational institution in the country to recognize the importance of instruction in the arts of home life. In this college domestic economy has been elevated to the dignity of a department called the “School of Domestic Economy,” with the following “special faculty:”
| The President, Mrs. Emma P. Ewing, Dean. | Domestic Economy. |
| J. L. Budd | Horticulture and Gardening. |
| A. A. Bennett | Chemistry. |
| B. D. Halsted | Botany. |
| D. S. Fairchild | Hygiene and Physiology. |
| Laura M. Saunderson | Elocution. |
The course of study is as follows:
| FIRST YEAR. | |
|---|---|
| First Term. | Second Term. |
| Domestic Economy. | Domestic Economy. |
| Botany. | Physiology and Hygiene. |
| Physical Training. | Dress-fitting and Millinery. |
| Household Accounts. | Essays. |
| SECOND YEAR. | |
| First Term. | Second Term. |
| Domestic Economy. | Domestic Economy. |
| Chemistry. | Home Architecture. |
| Duties of the Nurse. | Home Sanitation. |
| Designing and Free-hand Drawing. | Home Æsthetics and Decorative Art. |
| Landscape and Floral Gardening. | Essays and Graduating Thesis. |
Mrs. Ewing, dean of the school, thus states, clearly and powerfully, the reasons for its establishment and its purposes:
“This school is based upon the assumption that no industry is more important to human happiness than that which makes the home; and that a pleasant home is an essential element of broad culture, and one of the surest safeguards of morality and virtue. It was organized to meet the wants of pupils who desire a knowledge of the principles that underlie domestic economy, and the course of study is especially arranged to furnish women instruction in applied house-keeping and the arts and sciences relating thereto—to incite them to a faithful performance of the every-day duties of life, and to inspire them with a belief in the nobleness and dignity of a true womanhood.
“No calling requires for its perfect mastery a greater amount of practice and theory combined than that of domestic economy, and students, in addition to recitations and lectures on the various topics of the course, receive practical training in all branches of house-work, in the purchase and care of family supplies, and in general household management. They are not, however, required to perform a greater amount of labor than is necessary for the desired instruction.
“The course of study is for graduates of colleges and universities. It extends through two years, and leads to the degree of Master of Domestic Economy.”[109]