A New Way of Housekeeping. By Clementine Black. (Collins. 3s.
6d. net.)--Miss Black's scheme is for federated housekeeping. Householders are to form themselves into groups—she suggests fifty as a sound figtire—each with its " domestic Centre " controlled by a committee of the " federationists," which under the manage.
meat of an experienced matron with a staff of trained assistants should do the work of the households. Miss Black's ideal is to abolish entirely the kitchen and scullery, and therefore the labours of the Centre would extend even to the washing of dishes. Wisely recognizing the strength of British reserve, Miss Black, while advocating co-operation, is not for communism. Householders, for example, would have their meals at the Centre restaurant or at home, as they pleased. The weakness of so many of these attempted solutions of the housekeeping and servant problem is on the financial side. Miss Black, with the eagerness of the enthusiast, is very ready to sketch for us the ideal federation, and very attractive is the picture ; but in truth it would be of more use at the moment to have had some estimate rather more detailed than that given of the probable cost to the individual federationist. The present rapid fluctuations of price, we admit, make such estimate very difficult, but some rough calculation should, we think, not have been impossible.
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