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is always taken from the pupils' daily work in the stores, the girls themselves often bringing troublesome problems for class discussion.

All of the pupils have been taught arithmetic in the public schools, but this teaching has apparently made little impression, probably because it was not connected with anything which seemed of interest or importance. When the subject is made to "function from the occupation," it becomes significant and vital. It is no exaggeration to say that the pupils in the school of salesmanship look forward with eagerness to the arithmetic lessons. Many state that they never liked the subject until they came to the school.

Characteristic of the method of teaching all of the subjects is an effort to set standards and to establish habits of personal importance to the pupils. The course in arithmetic leads naturally to discussion of cash accounts, and this topic introduces a series of lessons in elementary economics, or saving and spending, as the course is usually called. In 1916 the minimum wage commission of Massachusetts set $8.50 as the minimum to be paid to saleswomen who are 18 years of age and have had one year's experience. The relation of expenditure to income is discussed on the basis of this wage, which, upon investigation, has been determined as sufficient to meet a saleswoman's absolutely necessary living expenses. A budget is worked out to show the most effectual distribution of this wage by one who aims to be efficient in her work. Other wage amounts are considered and also the changed conditions when a girl lives at home or enters into a cooperative plan with other workers. The wisest use of a salary increase is discussed, and the means of recreation, education, and saving receive a great deal of attention. The application of these lessons is constantly urged by the teachers, who stand ready to advise about the buying of a suit or coat, saving for a vacation, and in general, about the best use of money for any purpose. As a part of the regular work the pupils start cash accounts. With the help of the teachers, expenditures are totaled each week under classified headings. The habit of account-keeping thus formed at the school becomes permanent in many cases.

In establishing a sane point of view toward life these discussions are of great value. A few examples of the good accomplished by this work are here given. They are taken from reports of individual work with the pupils.

The question of annual expenditure for stockings was under discussion. Miss said that she bought a pair of 25-cent imitation silk stockings about once a week. She wore them continuously for a week, and then they were usually so full of holes that she threw them away. The experience of those who paid $1 for three pairs of good cotton stockings, which, frequently washed and mended, would last six months, was entirely foreign to her. To her great surprise she discovered that her outlay for stockings was approximately $13 a year, while those who bought with more intelligence spent but $2.

Mrs.

earning $7.50 a week, had been in the habit of spending her earnings for pin money, sodas, and chocolates every day; on Sunday she usually went to Revere Beach, spending $2 or $3 every time she went. She has now decided to try to save money and help her husband, who has no settled occupation. Before working on the cash account she bought a 60-cent box of candy one night for her dinner, eating it alone. After studying diet and cash accounts, she never did this again. She has decided to open an account in a savings bank.

I found Miss had the habit of buying ice-cream sodas every evening after work. I explained to her how this habit affected her appetite and her purse, and she resolved to stop. I began a cash account with her. She had never thought of doing this and had not needed to, because her aunt, with whom she lived, took no board money and helped her a great deal. When I learned that Miss

was very much interested in music, I suggested that she save money each week toward more advanced musical training. She soon gave up ice-cream sodas and is now saving money for music lessons.

HYGIENE AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

Six lectures by a woman physician, well known for her interest in education, constitute an important part of this course. The lecturer, with a clear understanding of a saleswoman's problems, adapts her simple, forceful talks to meet the needs of this class of workers. The subjects of the six lectures are as follows: 1. The foot and footwear. 2. Digestion and diet. 3. Constipation; menstruation. 4. Nervous control. 5. Reproduction. 6. Reproduction.

These lectures are reviewed and applied in various ways in subsequent lessons conducted by the teacher in charge, who also leads informal discussions concerning the importance of a business woman's appearance, the kind of clothing which should be worn and its care, the desirability of frequent bathing, and other personal topics.

It is the aim of the course in hygiene to give such instruction and training as will promote the physical well-being of the pupils, and thereby add to their comfort, happiness, and success. As with the other courses, the subject is first approached from the standpoint of the special conditions of the industry. One of the most difficult conditions is the necessity of standing all day, and it is patent that if anything can be done to lessen the fatigue thus occasioned, the pupils should know about it. That the style of shoes they wear and their weariness at night may bear any relation to each other has never occurred to most of them, whose choice of footwear is usually governed by the desire for a "pretty" rather than a comfortable shoe. After the anatomy of the foot has been described, with the aid of drawings and photographs, a dozen different styles of shoes, borrowed from an accommodating dealer, are shown. These may vary in style from a French-heeled party slipper to an extreme orthopedic model. The effect of each is carefully explained and the point made that footwear suitably worn with an evening gown is neither suitable nor safe for daytime wear by a girl whose work requires eight hours of standing. Many of the pupils make their

first purchase of hygienically shaped shoes as a result of the simple but convincing talk. One girl who changed from cramping, deforming shoes to a pair built on a hygienic last, said that she "never dreamed that shoes could make such a difference; that she would be so much less tired at night as a result of the change."

In treating the subject of nutrition, the teacher considers the needs of her pupils as saleswomen, but sees in them also the future providers of households. An effort is made to stimulate an interest in wise buying, in economical methods of preparation, in clean, wellcooked, palatable food, and in a varied diet. The question of business honesty is brought up in relation to the choice of food and the circumstances governing its consumption. Every girl knows from her own experience or that of others that a person who is suffering from indigestion or headache or backache finds it difficult, if not impossible, to serve customers properly. Since the best physical condition that a saleswoman can attain is due her employer and her customers, it is clearly her duty to let judgment rather than whim control her choice in the matter of foods. When the assimilation of food is under discussion, the care of the teeth is emphasized, and afterwards the condition of her teeth is talked over with each pupil. If a girl needs the services of a dentist, but can not afford to pay for this attention, arrangements are made for free treatment at one of the dental schools, and she is allowed time out of the school session for the necessary work.

The lesson on the nervous system resolves itself into a discussion of the best way to keep this delicate and indispensable mechanism in a highly efficient state. The value of fresh air, of eight or nine hours' sleep, and of a sufficient amount of the right kind of recreation is brought out. Consideration is next given to the practicability of obtaining the needed air and sleep and to the relative merits of the many forms of recreation indulged in by different members of the class.

The earlier lessons prepare the way for two lectures on reproduction, which is taken up from the broad standpoint of eugenics.

Much good is derived from this practical course in hygiene. When the girls come to the school, many need advice in regard to some physical handicap. Nearly always the feet, and often the teeth or the eyes, are causing much suffering, and there are many troublesome cases of constipation. Although most stores, through their welfare departments, provide free medical advice, many girls hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity, and in a large store it is usually not possible for an official to seek out and investigate individual cases not previously reported. But a teacher of 30 saleswomen soon discovers which ones are physically below par and these girls are grateful for the advice of an older and more experienced person.

Often a girl admits that she had been intending to "do something" about her difficulty, but she might delay to her great harm without the impelling suggestion of some one in whom she feels confidence. It is found that ill health among these girls is nearly always due to ignorance rather than willful neglect or the lack of means for professional advice. They do not know how to live and do not understand the reasons for many precautions which may have been given them. The question "Why?" is put and answered many times in this course as in all the others, for it is intended that the purpose, the use of everything taught at the school shall be clearly understood by both teachers and pupils.

The first three statements quoted below are taken from teachers' reports of individual work with their pupils; the last one is from a pupil's test paper. The extracts are typical examples of ways in which the teaching is applied.

Miss...... suffered from severe headaches. We sent her to the Boston Dispensary for an examination of her eyes, found that she needed glasses very much, and helped her plan to go to the dispensary for the three necessary visits. At the end of this time she obtained her glasses and has worn them with relief ever since. This did not cure the headaches completely, however. It was discovered that her regular luncheon consisted of doughnuts, pie, and coffee. She was persuaded to give up coffee, first, a day at a time, then a week, and finally to give it up altogether. She has also learned to change the character of the food which she selects for her luncheons. Three weeks have gone by with no headaches.

Miss

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came to the school with her teeth in very bad condition. As she had never had them cared for, nearly every tooth was decayed. Immediately after Dr. .'s lecture on the care of the teeth, Miss ... asked me to recommend a dentist. I took her to the Harvard Dental Clinic, where she received treatment free of charge except for the materials used. She has been going there once a week for the last six weeks.

Miss ...... had been eating no breakfast before coming to the school. After the lecture by Dr. ......, we talked over the matter, and the common-sense argument of gain in strength convinced her that she should try to eat something. Every morning after our talk I asked her if she had had any breakfast, and only once had she failed to get this meal.

I have purchased shoes like those the teacher advised, and the change is wonderful. When I used to go home from work at night, I was lame and my head ached, but now, even if my head does ache, my feet never bother me at all. I feel like running or walking all the time.

Allied with the work in hygiene, and having the same general aim, is a course in physical education. For this work the floor of the schoolroom is cleared, and under the direction of an experienced teacher the pupils practice not Swedish gymnastics but certain exercises which may be suitably taken in street clothes and which are applied to the needs of saleswomen. That the occupation of selling is physically fatiguing no one will deny, but few persons know how the physical strain may be lessened by correct standing and breathing and by means of simple exercises which may be taken

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SOME OF THE POINTS EMPHASIZED IN THE TEXTILE COURSE.

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