Chapter I: Part 1

BETTER HOMES IN AMERICA

Plan Book

_for Demonstration Week October 9 to 14, 1922_

THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON

July 21, 1922.

My dear Mrs. Meloney:

I am directed by the President to assure you of his earnest endorsement of the Better Homes Campaign which has been launched by the Advisory Council and is being carried on by representative women of America. He regards the campaign as of particular importance, because it places emphasis not only upon home ownership, which he regards as absolutely elemental in the development of the best citizenship, but upon furnishing, sanitation and equipment of the home.

The President feels that as many millions of dollars and the best minds of this generation have been devoted to improve factory conditions, the home is deserving of its share of the same intensive consideration. There are twenty millions of house-keepers in America. For them, the home is their industrial center as well as their place of abode, and it is felt that altogether too little attention has been paid to lightening the labors and bettering the working conditions of these women.

The President feels that the women, who are so successfully conducting this campaign are entitled to all consideration and recognition, and he hopes that every community in America will exhibit a model home.

Your sincerely,

Secretary to the President.

Mrs. W. B. Meloney, Sec'y., Advisory Council for Better Homes Campaign, 223 Spring Street, New York City, N. Y.

BETTER HOMES DEMONSTRATION WEEK

Advisory Council

CALVIN COOLIDGE _Vice-President of the United States_

HERBERT HOOVER _Secretary of Commerce_

HENRY C. WALLACE _Secretary of Agriculture_

JAMES JOHN DAVIS _Secretary of Labor_

Dr. HUGH S. CUMMING _Surgeon-General United States Public Health Service_

Dr. JOHN JAMES TIGERT _U. S. Commissioner of Education_

C. W. PUGSLEY _Assistant Secretary of Agriculture_

JOHN M. GRIES _Director Division of Building and Housing, Dept. of Commerce_

JULIUS H. BARNES _President Chamber of Commerce of the United States_

JOHN IHLDER _Director Housing Conditions, Chamber of Commerce of the United States_

DONN BARBER _Fellow American Institute of Architects_

JOHN BARTON PAYNE _Chairman Central Committee American Red Cross_

LIVINGSTON FARRAND _Chairman National Health Council_

Mrs. THOMAS G. WINTER _President General Federation of Women's Clubs_

MRS. LENA LAKE FORREST _President National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs_

* * * * *

Bureau of Information, THE DELINEATOR, 223 Spring Street

IN AMERICA--October Ninth to Fourteenth

Co-operating Governors

ALASKA SCOTT C. BONE, _Governor_
ARIZONA THOS. E. CAMPBELL, _Governor_
ARKANSAS T. C. McRAE, _Governor_
COLORADO O. H. SHOUP, _Governor_
FLORIDA CARY A. HARDEE, _Governor_
IDAHO D. W. DAVIS, _Governor_
INDIANA W. T. McCRAY, _Governor_
KANSAS HENRY J. ALLEN, _Governor_
KENTUCKY E. P. MORROW, _Governor_
MARYLAND A. C. RITCHIE, _Governor_
MASSACHUSETTS C. H. COX, _Governor_
MISSISSIPPI LEE M. RUSSELL, _Governor_
MISSOURI A. M. HYDE, _Governor_
NEBRASKA S. R. McKELVlE, _Governor_
NEVADA E. D. BOYLE, _Governor_
OHIO H. L. DAVIS, _Governor_
OREGON B. W. OLCOTT, _Governor_
PENNSYLVANIA W. C. SPROUL, _Governor_
SOUTH CAROLINA WILSON G. HARVEY, _Governor_
SOUTH DAKOTA W. H. McMASTER, _Governor_
TENNESSEE ALFRED A. TAYLOR, _Governor_
UTAH CHAS. R. MABEY, _Governor_
VERMONT JAMES HARTNESS, _Governor_
VIRGINIA E. L. TRINKLE, _Governor_
WYOMING ROBERT D. CAREY, _Governor_

* * * * *

New York City Secretary, Mrs. William Brown Meloney

_Better Homes_

_By_ CALVIN COOLIDGE

We spend too much time in longing for the things that are far off and too little in the enjoyment of the things that are near at hand. We live too much in dreams and too little in realities. We cherish too many impossible projects of setting worlds in order, which are bound to fail. We consider too little plans for putting our own households in order, which might easily be made to succeed. A large part of our seeming ills would be dispelled if we could but turn from the visionary to the practical. We need the influence of vision, we need the inspiring power of ideals, but all these are worthless unless they can be translated into positive actions.

The world has been through a great spiritual and moral awakening in these last few years. There are those who fear that this may all be dissipated. It will be unless it can be turned into something actual. In our own country conditions have developed which make this more than ever easy of accomplishment. It ought to be expressed not merely in official and public deeds, but in personal and private actions. It must come through a realization that the great things of life are not reserved for the enjoyment of a few, but are within the reach of all.

There are two shrines at which mankind has always worshipped, must always worship: the altar which represents religion, and the hearthstone which represents the home.

These are the product of fixed beliefs and fixed modes of living. They have not grown up by accident; they are the means, deliberate, mature, sanctified, by which the human race, in harmony with its own great nature, is developed and perfected. They are at once the source and the result of the inborn longing for what is completed, for what has that finality and security required to give to society the necessary element of stability.

The genius of America has long been directed to the construction of great highways and railroads, the erection of massive buildings for the promotion of trade and the transaction of public business. It has supplied hospitals, institutions of learning and places of religious worship. All of these are worthy of the great effort and the sustained purpose which alone has made them possible. They contribute to the general welfare of all the people, but they are all too detached, too remote; they do not make the necessary contribution of a feeling of proprietorship and ownership. They do not complete the circuit. They are for the people, but not of the people. They do not satisfy that longing which exists in every human breast to be able to say: "This is mine."

We believe in American institutions. We believe that they are justified by the light of reason, and by the result of experience. We believe in the right of self-government. We believe in the protection of the personal rights of life and liberty and the enjoyment of the rewards of industry. We believe in the right to acquire, to hold, and transmit property. We believe in all that which is represented under the general designation of a republic.

But while we hold that these principles are sound we do not claim that they have yet become fully established. We do not claim that our institutions are yet perfected.

It is of little avail to assert that there is an inherent right to own property unless there is an open opportunity that this right may be enjoyed in a fair degree by all. That which is referred to in such critical terms as capitalism cannot prevail unless it is adapted to the general requirements. Unless it be of the people it will cease to have a place under our institutions, even as slavery ceased.

It is time to demonstrate more effectively that property is of the people. It is time to transfer some of the approbation and effort that has gone into the building of public works to the building, ornamenting, and owning of private homes by the people at large--attractive, worthy, permanent homes.

Society rests on the home. It is the foundation of our institutions. Around it are gathered all the cherished memories of childhood, the accomplishments of maturity, and the consolations of age. So long as a people hold the home sacred they will be in the possession of a strength of character which it will be impossible to destroy.

Apparently the world at large, certainly our own country, is turning more and more for guidance to that wisdom born of affection which we call the intuition of woman. Her first thought is always of the home. Her first care is for its provision. As our laws and customs are improved by her influence, it is likely to be first in the direction of greater facility for acquiring, and greater security in holding a home.

Some of the fine enthusiasm which was developed by the required sacrifices of war may well find a new expression in turning towards the making of the home. It is the final answer to every challenge of the soundness of the fundamental principles of our institutions. It holds the assurance and prospect of contentment and of satisfaction.

Under present conditions any ambition of America to become a nation of home owners would be by no means impossible of fulfillment. The land is available, the materials are at hand, the necessary accumulation of credit exists, the courage, the endurance and the sacrifice of the people are not wanting. Let them begin, however slender their means, the building and perfecting of the national character by the building and adorning of a home which shall be worthy of the habitation of an American family, calm in the assurance that "the gods send thread for a web begun."

Here will be found that satisfaction which comes from possession and achievement. Here is the opportunity to express the soul in art. Here is the Sacred influence, here in the earth at our feet, around the hearthstone, which raises man to his true estate.

(Signed) Calvin Coolidge

THE HOME AS AN INVESTMENT

By HERBERT HOOVER

One can always safely judge of the character of a nation by its homes. For it is mainly through the hope of enjoying the ownership of a home that the latent energy of any citizenry is called forth. This universal yearning for better homes and the larger security, independence and freedom that they imply, was the aspiration that carried our pioneers westward. Since the preemption acts passed early in the last century, the United States, in its land laws, has recognized and put a premium upon this great incentive. It has stimulated the building of rural homes through the wide distribution of land under the Homestead Acts and by the distribution of credit through the Farm Loan Banks. Indeed, this desire for home ownership has, without question, stimulated more people to purposeful saving than any other factor. Saving, in the abstract, is, of course, a perfunctory process as compared with purposeful saving for a home, the possession of which may change the very physical, mental, and moral fibre of one's own children.

Now, in the main because of the diversion of our economic strength from permanent construction to manufacturing of consumable commodities during and after the war, we are short about a million homes. In cities such a shortage implies the challenge of congestion. It means that in practically every American city of more than 200,000, from 20 to 30 per cent, of the population is adversely affected, and that thousands of families are forced into unsanitary and dangerous quarters. This condition, in turn, means a large increase in rents, a throw-back in human efficiency and that unrest which inevitably results from inhibition of the primal instinct in us all for home ownership. It makes for nomads and vagrants. In rural areas it means aggravation and increase of farm tenantry on one hand, an increase of landlordism on the other hand, and general disturbance to the prosperity and contentment of rural life.

There is no incentive to thrift like the ownership of property. The man who owns his own home has a happy sense of security. He will invest his hard earned savings to improve the house he owns. He will develop it and defend it. No man ever worked for, or fought for a boarding-house.

But the appalling anomaly of a nation as prosperous as ours thwarted largely in its common yearning for better homes, is now giving way to the gratifying revival of home construction. Accordingly the time is ripe for this revival to afford an opportunity to our people to look to more homes and better ones, to better, more economical and more uniform building codes, and to universal establishment and application of zoning rules that make for the development of better towns and cities. We have the productive capacity wasted annually in the United States sufficient to raise in large measure the housing conditions of our entire people to the level that only fifty per cent, of them now enjoy. We have wastes in the building industry itself which, if constructively applied, would go a long way toward supplying better homes, so that what is needed imperatively is organized intelligence and direction. For the problem is essentially one of ways and means.

And, finally, while we are about Better Homes for America and are lending such indirect support to the movement as the Government, States, counties, communities, and patriotic individuals and organizations can rightfully give, let us have in mind not houses merely, but homes! There is a large distinction. It may have been a typesetter who confounded the two words. For, curiously, with all our American ingenuity and resourcefulness, we have overlooked the laundry and the kitchen, and thrown the bulk of our efforts in directions other than those designed to make better homes by adding to the facilities of our very habitations. If, in other words, the family is the unit of modern civilization, the home, its shelter and gathering-point, should, it would seem, warrant in its design and furnishing quite as large a share of attention as the power plant or the factory.

We believe, therefore, that in every community in which it is possible a "_Better Homes in America_" Demonstration should be planned and carried through during the week of October 9th to 14th, 1922.

(Signed) Herbert Hoover

THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE

WASHINGTON

July 24, 1922.

Dear Mrs. Meloney:

Naturally I am interested in the "Better Homes in America" movement. When we consider the all powerful influence of home conditions and home atmosphere on the lives and character of our people, both young and old, surely every proper effort to improve those conditions should have the support of all good citizens.

Our people in the Department of Agriculture will be glad to advise with your committee chairmen on any matters in which they can lend assistance. Our home demonstration agents in different sections of the country can no doubt be helpful in advising as to the setting up of demonstration kitchens.

You seem to have gathered to your help the cooperation of a large number of state governors and also a number of other gentlemen who, because of their public work, can possibly contribute to the success of the campaign.

With very best wishes, I am

Sincerely yours,

[Signature]

Mrs. William Brown Meloney,
Secretary to the Advisory Council
for the "Better Homes" Campaign,
223 Spring Street,
New York City.

A PLAN for COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION of BETTER HOMES IN AMERICA

_Demonstration Week October 9th to 14th, 1922_

_The future history of America will be shaped in large measure by the character of its homes. If we continue to be a home-loving people we shall have the strength that comes only from a virile family life. This means that our homes must be attractive, comfortable, convenient, wholesome. They must keep pace with the progress made outside the home. Realization of this has crystallized into a national civic campaign for Better Homes in America endorsed and encouraged by Federal and State officials and by prominent men in public life as set forth in this Plan Book._

The following plan has been prepared to give practical help to citizens of any community organizing for a _Better Homes in America_ Demonstration Week, October 9th to 14th, 1922.

The Campaign in each community centers about a _Better Home_--completely equipped, furnished and decorated, in accordance with approved modern practice, and placed on exhibition during Demonstration Week.

Better Homes exhibitions have already been held, but now for the first time a national organization, endorsed and supported by the President of the United States and other Federal and State officials, is prepared to give practical help to every community wishing to share in the _Better Homes in America_ movement.

The community which exhibits a _Better Home_ during Demonstration Week will be given a powerful impetus for good. Every civic interest, every business and industry will be favorably affected. A _Better Homes_ demonstration is a stimulus to better living, civic pride and community morale. It encourages thrift and industry. It develops a higher standard of taste. It means a better community in every way. This has been proved by the experience of many communities which have held successful exhibitions. They have ranged from cities as large as Cleveland, Milwaukee, Columbus, Kansas City and Dayton to villages of a few hundred population. In every case where the demonstration has been properly organized lasting benefits have followed.

_Follow the Plan_

The National Advisory Council of _Better Homes in America_, through its Bureau of Information, has made a thorough investigation of previous exhibitions of this character.

This investigation has shown clearly that when the local organizations proceed in the right way a _Better Homes_ demonstration may easily be made a great success. Causes of trouble as well as of success have been analyzed to bring out the methods that should be avoided. The Advisory Council, therefore, is in a position to recommend plans that have stood the test of practical experience.

With Federal and State governments endorsing and encouraging this Plan of educating the people to _Better Homes in America_, the conduct of local demonstrations is given tremendous impetus and support. And with the suggestions and the Plan for conducting such demonstrations herewith presented, any community may confidently undertake the production of a _Better Homes_ Exhibition during Demonstration Week, October 9th to 14th, 1922.

A comparatively few energetic and capable women, with the support of local civic organizations, can effectively put into practice the ideas and plans with which they will be supplied by the Bureau of Information. The expense of a _Better Home_ demonstration need not be great; in some communities it may be kept as low as $25.00. Builders, merchants and prominent citizens will combine to supply the Model _Better Home_, and to furnish it. Civic organizations and newspapers will cooperate to interest the public.

The most successful demonstrations have been so managed as to impress upon visitors that they were not selfish enterprises, intended to help special interests, particular firms or individuals. They have been so conducted as to benefit every line of business and to help the community as a whole. Neither the name of the builder or owner of the home exhibited, nor the name of any person or business firm furnishing any portion of the exhibit, is permitted to be displayed.

The motive behind the demonstration is primarily educational.

_How to Form a General Committee for Better Homes Demonstration Week_

A Better Homes Demonstration should be organized and directed by a disinterested group of prominent women, working from motives of public service. This group should be formed of a Chairman and a General Committee of from four to seven members, depending upon the size of the community.

Each member of the General Committee is Chairman of one or more sub-committees as outlined later in this Plan.

The Chairman of the General Committee is appointed through the National Advisory Council of _Better Homes in America_. She appoints the members of the local General Committee. They in turn appoint the members of the Sub-committees. In the case of the Sub-committees it is particularly important that appointments should be made with the knowledge and approval of the local civic and commercial interests whose co-operation is desired. Detailed suggestions for procedure are outlined later.

The duties of the members of the General Committee fit naturally into the following arrangement of Sub-committees with a member of the General Committee as Chairman of each Sub-committee:

(1) Sub-committee on Advertising and Publicity.
(2) Sub-committee on Selection of Demonstration Home.
(3) Sub-committee on Equipment of Demonstration Home.
(4) Sub-committee on Furnishing and Decorating.
(5) Sub-committee on Reception of Visitors and Management of Home.
(6) Sub-committee on Program of Events.
(7) Sub-committee on Budget for Demonstration Week.

Where the size of the community makes it desirable to have a General Committee of only four members, some such distribution of the Sub-committees as this is recommended:

(1) Chairman (a member of the General Committee) heading
(a) Sub-committee on Advertising and Publicity; and
(b) Sub-committee on Progress of Events.
(2) Chairman (a member of the General Committee) heading
(a) Sub-committee on Equipment of Demonstration Home; and
(b) Sub-committee on Furnishing and Decorating.
(3) Chairman (a member of the General Committee) heading
(a) Sub-committee on Selection of Demonstration Home; and
(b) Sub-committee on Reception of Visitors and Management of Home.
(4) Chairman (a member of the General Committee) heading
(a) Sub-committee on Budget for Demonstration Week.

_How To Secure Patrons for Better Homes Demonstration; Full Cooperation of All Local Interests Essential_

Following the organization of the General Committee, the first duty of its Chairman should be the arrangement for meetings of the Committee--or its individual members--with the various City Officials, and Civic and Commercial Organizations in the community, to explain the Plan for a _Better Homes_ Demonstration and to secure their endorsement and active support.

Those endorsing and supporting the Demonstration may be known as Patrons and should comprise the following:

The Mayor Commissioner of Education (or Superintendent of Public School)
Publishers or Owners of Local Newspapers
Presidents of Important Women's Clubs
President of Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Home Bureau, etc.
President of Real Estate Board
President of Rotary Club
President of Kiwanis Club
Presidents of Building & Loan Associations
Presidents of other Business or Trade Associations related to the
Home Building and Furnishing Industries.

Churches should also be asked to support the movement.

Additional Patrons may properly be selected from prominent citizens of the community, who are noted for their public spirit and are not included in the above list.

The two essentials for a successful _Better Homes in America_ Demonstration are genuine co-operation from all local civic, financial, commercial and educational interests, and full and extensive publicity through the local newspapers. From the youngest boy or girl scout to bank president, business man, school teacher, minister, manufacturer and city official, everybody in a community should have a real personal interest in the Demonstration. When the benefits of a successful _Better Homes_ Demonstration are once understood this interest is readily aroused.

Investigation of successful exhibitions in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Cleveland and elsewhere proved conclusively that the cooperation of all local interests was the biggest single factor of success.

_How to Form Sub-Committees_

It is important to appoint as Chairman of each Sub-committee a member of the General Committee who is particularly fitted to the specific work assigned to her Sub-committee. The special abilities of the members of the General Committee should be taken into careful consideration and so used in the arrangement of the Sub-committees as to secure the best and quickest results.

The formation of Sub-committees is necessary not only to divide the work effectively, but also to arouse the interest and cooperation of the various local interests directly affected by home building and home betterment. All the local business groups--furniture dealers, hardware dealers, wall-paper and paint dealers, electrical dealers, real estate dealers, etc.--should be interviewed and asked to nominate a representative from each group to serve on the appropriate Sub-committee. In this way the appearance of favoring special interests will be avoided and the fullest co-operation secured.

It may be well to stress here that the Chairman of the General Committee should not become immersed in the details of the Sub-committees' work. She establishes a point of contact and a clearing house for _all_ Sub-committees and directs the _Better Homes_ Demonstration as a whole, but not in detail. Neither should the Chairman of a Sub-committee attempt to enter into details of the work of other Sub-committees not under her direction. The Chairman of each Sub-committee is responsible to the Chairman of the General Committee, and to her alone.

Suggestions for the formation and activities of the various Sub-committees are given in the following:

_I--How to Form Sub-Committee on Budget for Demonstration Week_

A member of the General Committee is the Chairman.

This Sub-committee should be made up of prominent citizens, representing both the financial and mercantile interests of the community. It would be appropriate to secure a Bank Cashier, who is accustomed to keeping accurate records of receipts and expenses, to act as Vice-chairman of the Sub-Committee. He may also act as Treasurer of the General Committee. This committee should have charge not only of the securing of the modest expense fund necessary for Demonstration Week, but also of the recording of facts and figures regarding the operation of the Demonstration Home, and the results obtained. Such a record will be exceedingly useful to the local General Committee as well as the National Advisory Council. Accurate figures on the local _Better Homes_ Demonstrations will be invaluable in continuing the _Better Homes_ in America Campaign, and arrangements have been made for prizes to be given to those Committees submitting the best reports and records of successful demonstrations.

_Suggestions for the Sub-Committee_

There will be certain general expenses incurred in conducting a _Better Homes_ Demonstration. These general expenses may range from $25 to $500 or more, depending upon the size of the committee and the extensiveness and completeness of the Demonstration.

Some of the items of expense which may be incurred are: insurance of borrowed property; special advertising in the form of street signs, window cards and posters; printing; prizes for contests; lecturers, and, possibly, special forms of entertainment.

In many communities where Demonstrations have been held, the small contributions necessary have been readily volunteered by the various organizations, business firms or individuals directly interested in the financing and furnishing of homes. Contributions may be secured from bankers, stores, public utilities, real estate dealers, building material dealers, insurance men, etc. The amounts contributed by the various interests should be carefully apportioned and only a sufficient sum collected to pay the actual expenses of the Demonstration.

In Dayton and other cities it was found that volunteer contributions were readily made by manufacturers of, or dealers in, trade-marked articles, such as pianos, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, electrical equipment, etc. As these articles, because of the trade name affixed, received special advertising in the Demonstration Home, it was considered proper to accept contributions from the dealers. The selection of trade-marked articles which may be shown in a Demonstration Home should be made in a disinterested manner by the Subcommittee on Equipment.

_2--How to Form Sub-Committee on Advertising and Publicity_

A member of the General Committee is Chairman.

The success of the Demonstration rests largely upon the thoroughness with which this Committee does its work. It should, therefore, be composed of all of the Publishers or Advertising Managers of local Newspapers, and the Advertising Managers of Department Stores and other large business houses. The fullest co-operation should be secured from all the local publishing and advertising interests.

Local newspapers will gladly aid a _Better Homes_ Demonstration, for such an exhibition presents unusual opportunities for selling advertising space to local merchants. In some of the cities where Demonstrations have been held, the newspapers have brought out large special editions carrying a great amount of local advertising, and filled with interesting and instructive reading matter regarding home building and home betterment.

_Suggestions for the Sub-Committee_

The campaign publicity should commence with an announcement of the organization of the General Committee and the selection of Patrons. It should be continued, in advance of the opening of the Demonstration Home, by the use of reading matter descriptive of home planning, furnishing, decoration and equipment.

The local newspapers should co-operate with the Sub-committee in seeing that advertisements of exhibitors during the demonstration week do not mention the fact that the advertiser is an exhibitor. This, of course, should not preclude the general advertising of goods suitable for the equipment or furnishing of _Better Homes_. This regulation is in line with the non-commercial policy of the campaign, and merchants will readily understand its fairness.

This Sub-committee should provide painted signs announcing the location of the Exhibition Home. These signs should be placed at neighboring street intersections. Signs in the form of arrow pointers should be tacked on telephone poles in all parts of the city pointing in the direction of the Demonstration Home and announcing its exact location.

Automobile Posters or Banners for the cars of the members of the Committee may be furnished by local sign painters or printers.

The Committee should also see that show cards advertising the Demonstration are properly distributed and displayed in store windows and that posters are put up in suitable public places.

Show cards, posters and stickers bearing the imprint of the _Better Homes in America_ campaign, with space left for local announcements, may be obtained by application to the Bureau of Information, _The Delineator_, 223 Spring Street, New York City, Secretary, Mrs. William Brown Meloney.

A circular descriptive of the show cards, posters and stickers may also be obtained through the Bureau of Information, which has arranged to have this advertising display matter prepared for the use of local Committees. It is strongly recommended that these posters and cards be used in order to standardize the various local Demonstrations.

The stickers should be widely distributed among local merchants for use on city mail during the week preceding and the week of the campaign.

Small electrotypes of the _Better Homes in America_ campaign insignia, or trade-mark, may be obtained through the Bureau of Information for use on printed matter and in newspapers. They are shown in the circular descriptive of the advertising display material.

_3--How to Form Sub-Committee on Selection of Demonstration Home_

A member of the General Committee is Chairman.

The selection of the home to be used for the Demonstration should be made by a _disinterested_ committee. Experience has shown that this is the only satisfactory method, as all personal interests are thus eliminated and criticism avoided.

Previous experience also indicates that this Sub-committee, with a member of the General Committee as Chairman, of course, should be composed of the President of the local Real Estate Board (if there is one in the community), a representative of the Chamber of Commerce or Merchants Association, a representative architect, and a representative of the Building Material Dealers. Here again is illustrated the importance of securing the full co-operation of the various groups of business men directly affected by home building and owning. These groups should be interviewed and each group asked to appoint its representative on this committee. When the National campaign for _Better Homes in America_, and the Plan as outlined here, have been clearly explained to these interests, a Sub-committee for selecting the Demonstration Home may be organized, which will act disinterestedly and effectively.

_Suggestions for the Sub-Committee_

The three cardinal principles to be observed in the selection of a Demonstration Home are: first, situation with respect to accessibility and nearness to street car lines; second, type of architecture; and third, cost.

A Demonstration Home should be situated within a reasonable distance of the business section of a community, and it should not be more than four blocks from the nearest street car line. In a city where the Demonstration Home was selected some eight blocks from the car line and upon a hill, the attendance was disappointingly small. The Demonstration Home should not be situated in the outskirts of a community. This was found to be a disadvantage in a city where a Demonstration Home was selected in a new, partially developed suburb, some distance from the city limits.

An extreme type of architecture should be avoided in a Demonstration Home.

With respect to the cost of the home selected, it has been shown in a number of cities that a house priced slightly above the average cost of homes in the community attracted the larger number of visitors. The public apparently likes to visit a home costing more than the average, because of a desire to see and admire better things. Demonstration Homes, therefore, may range in price from $5,000 to $15,000, including the land, but not including the furnishings and equipment.

Other essentials of an ideal home for demonstration purposes are fully outlined in an article prepared by direction of Secretary of Commerce Hoover and included in this Plan Book on pages 7 and 8. The builder or owner of the Home selected should be willing to loan it to the General Committee for the Demonstration Week, without charge. He should also be willing to landscape the grounds, decorate the walls and carry all insurance and damage risks. This has been gladly done by builders in Syracuse, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Kansas City and elsewhere. There is no better selling method for homes than that of putting on display a completely furnished and equipped home.

If the entire plan of campaign is explained to the builder or owner of a suitable home, and the advantages of indirect selling methods are pointed out to him, his co-operation will be readily secured.

The name of the builder or owner is not to be displayed on the Demonstration Home in any manner, shape or form, nor is his name to be carried in any of the advertising during the campaign.

This will do away with all appearance of favoritism in the choice of the house to be used. It is proper, however, to insert a reading notice in the newspapers announcing the selection of the Demonstration Home and giving the name of the owner or builder. No further reference should be made to him in any of the advertising matter during Demonstration Week, though the attendants in the home may properly give his name to any person inquiring for it.

_4--How to Form Sub-Committee on Equipment of Demonstration Home_

A member of the General Committee is Chairman.

The selection and installation of all practicable labor-saving devices and appliances in the Demonstration Home is left to this Sub-committee. It should be composed of representatives of dealers in home equipment, architects, builders, and, if possible, a Home Demonstration agent of the Agricultural Department. (See announcement of special co-operation of Department of Agriculture by Secretary Wallace on page 9).

_Suggestions for Sub-Committee_

On pages 47-49 will be found a statement of the best modern practise in the equipment of a home permitting the most efficient and economical housekeeping.

It is probable that many communities will be unable to equip the Demonstration Home completely, in accordance with the standards laid down. So far as practicable these suggestions should be followed, but local conditions and the stock of equipment carried by local dealers may require some modifications in detail.

_5--How to Form Sub-Committee on Furnishing and Decorating_

A member of the General Committee is Chairman. In the selection of this Sub-committee the greatest care must be taken to secure the cooperation of all the business firms and individuals concerned in the furnishing and decorating of homes. Each group--furniture dealers, hardware dealers, paint and wallpaper dealers, department stores (if any), decorators (if any), art and book stores--should be interviewed on this important subject and asked to appoint representatives to serve on this Subcommittee.

_Suggestions for Sub-Committee_

In order to maintain the non-commercial aspect of Demonstration Week, no exhibitor's name should be displayed on any article shown in the Demonstration Home. No price tags should be permitted on any article. In this way all appearance of commercialism is avoided. This feature will appeal to the fair and broad-minded merchant and will secure the enthusiastic support of all the merchants in the community, no matter how small their business may be.

The attendants at the Home, in response to inquiries as to where certain articles may be secured, should be instructed to reply that they may be had from the inquirer's own dealer or from any dealer in the city.

In Dayton this non-commercial plan was wonderfully successful.

In communities where suitable furnishings and decorations are not obtainable from the local stores they may be borrowed from public spirited citizens, who have such articles as are adapted to the scheme of decoration and furnishing. For the guidance of the Sub-committee, which may not include expert decorators or furnishers as members, practical suggestions on good furnishing and decorating have been set forth on pages 30-42 of this Plan Book. These suggestions will undoubtedly prove helpful in assembling the furnishings and decorations for a Demonstration Home. If more detailed information is required, write to the Bureau of Information, _The Delineator_, 223 Spring Street, New York City, Secretary, Mrs. William Brown Meloney.

In all cases the basement of the Demonstration Home should be very carefully arranged, equipped and prepared for exhibition.

The furnishing of the Demonstration Home should include well-selected, standard home literature and reference books, properly arranged in book-cases or on shelves. A printed list of this selected library may be supplied for distribution to the visitors.

_6--How to Form Sub-Committee on Management and Reception_

A member of the General Committee is Chairman.

The members of this Sub-committee should be selected for their ability to manage the Demonstration Home and to receive and care for the visitors. It may be composed of representatives of the various women's organizations in the city.

In order to insure the keeping of accurate records of attendance, one or more bank tellers should be members of the Sub-committee.

This Sub-committee is to provide the attendants at the Demonstration Home and to handle the visitors in such a way as to avoid confusion and damage. It should also keep an accurate record of attendance, of interesting inquiries and the general results. It should report in detail to the Budget Committee, so that the General Committee may have an opportunity to compete for the prizes offered for the best report of a successful Demonstration.

_Suggestions for the Sub-Committee_

During the hours of exhibition the Demonstration Home should be in charge of a capable woman of suitable personality. This may be a volunteer, or a paid worker, for the entire week, or several volunteer workers may undertake the management of the Home, having definite days of attendance assigned to them.

The hours of exhibition should be from 1:00 to 10:00 p.m. continuously. It has been found in exhibitions that the home need not be kept open during the morning hours. During this period it may be cleaned and placed in readiness for visitors.

An attendant for the bedrooms and two attendants for the first floor--one in the hall or living room and the other in the dining room and kitchen--will be required to direct and control the visitors and to keep the house in perfect order during the exhibition hours. These attendants may be club or committee members who volunteer their services for certain days in the week.

It has been noted in several exhibitions that visitors usually congregate at certain hours in the afternoon and evening, and frequently overcrowd upon the lawns. It is necessary, therefore, to erect light guard rails along the sidewalk leading from the street to the house. And it may sometimes be necessary to have an outside attendant who will keep the visitors in an orderly line of entrance. This is work that may very well be performed by Boy Scouts.

During times of congestion visitors should be taken through the house in groups not to exceed fifteen in number. They should be conducted through the rooms in an orderly manner by the attendants. In some cases it has been found advisable to send the visitors to the second floor first, so that they may depart through the kitchen after inspecting the first floor and basement. Girl Scouts may be used for conducting the visitors through the home.

A careful check on the attendance at the Demonstration Home should be kept. This can best be done by assigning a Boy or Girl Scout to count the visitors as they enter the home and keep an accurate tally, which should be reported to the manager in charge. In some cities it has been found that a list of visitors to the home may be readily obtained by having them register upon a numbered card, which can be used for a drawing contest--a prize being awarded to the lucky number. In smaller communities where the attendance will not be large at any one time the names of visitors may be kept in a small register or list book.

_7--How to Form Sub-Committee on Program of Events_

A member of the General Committee is Chairman. This Sub-committee should be composed of persons who are particularly capable in arranging programs of entertainment, and may be selected from members of the Board of Education, School Principals and Teachers, Theatrical and Moving Picture Managers, Community and Song Leaders, etc.

_The Following Events Are Suggested_

1--Sermons, Addresses and Sunday School talks in all churches on the Sunday preceding the opening of the exhibition.

2--Color slides relating to home owning, home management, home furnishing and decoration to be shown in moving picture houses.

3--Four-Minute Talks on thrift, home owning, home financing, home furnishing, home decoration, etc., in all moving picture houses.

4--Block Parties in front of the Demonstration Home. Lights for the block party may be supplied from the headlights and searchlights of automobiles properly arranged.

5--Window Dressing Contests for hardware merchants, house furnishing merchants, department stores, etc.

6--Erection of Miniature Home, suitable for a girl's playhouse, on Public Square--this playhouse may be given as first prize to the girl of school age writing the best essay on "Why You Should Own Your Home."

7--Showing special _Better Homes_ films in all moving picture houses. (See special announcement on page 24.)

8--Prizes for the best example of a Model Kitchen in the community.

9--Cooking Demonstrations by Home Demonstration Agent, or some well-known local cook, High School or Normal School student.

10--Singing by Choir or Quartette on porch of Demonstration Home each evening at about 7:30 and 8:00 o'clock.

11--(a) Guessing contest as to how many visitors enter Demonstration Home.

11--(b) Prize for best essay by a boy on Home Owning.
(c) Prize for best essay by a girl on Home Equipment or Furnishing.
(d) Prize for best landscape design for Small Home by High School
or Art student.

12--Radio Program at Demonstration Home, or elsewhere in the city.

13--Lectures on Home Equipment, Decoration or Furnishing by experts, in local auditorium. It has been found that admission to these lectures may be charged, to help defray the expense of lecturers.

_Lecture Courses and Lectures_

Lectures on Home Building, Furnishing, Decoration and allied subjects have been found to attract large audiences in cities where they have been given under the auspices of local organizations. Undoubtedly many communities co-operating in the _Better Homes in America_ Demonstration Week, October 9th to 14th, will desire to include in their program of events lectures on _Better Homes_ subjects.

_Better Homes in America Bureau of Information

The Delineator 223 Spring Street, New York City

Secretary,_ Mrs. WILLIAM BROWN MELONEY

The Bureau of Information has been established to support and coordinate the work of local _Better Homes in America_ committees.

Additional copies of this Plan Book may be obtained from the Bureau of Information.

Other data and material will be supplied as indicated in the Plan Book.

Bulletins will be sent out from time to time to keep local committees posted on the national development of the _Better Homes in America_ campaign.

In the following pages of the Plan Book are special articles prepared by governmental and other authorities on various phases of home building, equipment, decorating, sanitation, etc. The Bureau of Information will either answer inquiries in regard to any of these special articles or, when necessary, will refer the questions to the authors of the articles.

MOTION PICTURE PRODUCERS & DISTRIBUTORS OF AMERICA, INC.

522 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK CITY

WILL H. HAYS president
COURTLAND SMITH SECRETARY
Telephone Vandebilt 2110

July 19, 1922

Mrs. W. B. Meloney, 233 Spring Street, New York City.

My dear Mrs. Meloney:

I am immensely interested in the Better Homes Campaign. This is something that the motion picture industry should be interested in and I am sure that they will want to be.

I would like to help you to have available for your Better Homes week, October 9-14, pictures that would show clearly just what the modern home should be.

I am glad that the Better Homes Council has had such an encouraging response from the governors of the various states and from the women of this country. Certainly it is a matter to which all of us should give our very best. It will have an enduring influence on the lives of our people and it is one of the most creditable movements that I know of.

I have a little home in Sullivan, Indiana, that we are most anxious to equip in just exactly the best way, and I am as much interested as any one could be in learning how this should be done, so I am looking forward to October 9-14 with much interest.

With best wishes always, I am,

Sincerely yours,

[Signature]

Essentials for Demonstration Home Suggestions on Buildings and Grounds

By JOHN IHLDER

DIRECTOR, HOUSING CONDITIONS, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES

Different parts of the country have quite distinct types of one-family dwellings. The best, unquestionably, is the detached house with adequate yard space on all four sides; the house which gets sun and air no matter which way it faces or what the direction of the prevailing breeze; the house whose yard makes it possible for the family, and especially for the children, to live much in the open. But, though this is the best type, it may prove impracticable for people of moderate means in communities where past practice has resulted in crowding the land to such an extent that group or row houses have become the standard.

Whatever the type of house, however, there are certain fundamentals of an essentially good house. The exhibition house should, as far as possible, embody these fundamentals as given below.

_Open Space Belonging to the House_

If the house is of the detached type (open on all four sides) it should have a lot wide enough to permit fifteen feet of yard space on each side. Then it is protected from any danger of side windows being darkened and air cut off by any building which is permissible in a one-family house residence district (see Zoning and What it Means to the Home). Where there are no zoning regulations to give protection, even fifteen feet of side yard will not prevent injury from a tall apartment house or commercial building.

Under no circumstances should the demonstration house, if of the detached type, have less than ten feet of side yard. If no detached house with ten feet or more (preferably fifteen feet or a little more) of side yard can be secured, then seek a house of another type.

Next in order of excellence is the semi-detached house (twin--two houses side by side with a party wall). The single side yard of this house should be fifteen feet wide and never less than ten feet.

Next in order is the group house, or the row house. The row house may be a perfectly good house if it is wide enough in proportion to its depth so that there may be adequate open spaces before every window, and if it is so planned as to take full advantage of these open spaces. Moreover a row of houses may be so designed--perhaps as one unit so far as the front elevation is concerned--that they will be very attractive in appearance. A wide, row house (18 to 20 feet or more), properly planned, is much better to live in than a detached or a semi-detached house whose side yards are so narrow that they do not give adequate light and air to middle rooms.

The really good house is bright and airy. Consequently the demonstration house should be set back from the street and its front yard should be deep enough not only to assure privacy from the street, but also to permit at least a well sodded grass plot.

The rear yard will, of course, extend across the whole lot. Or the rear yard may be 100 feet deep. But in this connection, it is necessary to bear in mind that a yard may be too large as well as too small. It must fit in with the house, and some account must be taken of the probable habits of its occupants. A family which has no servants, and in which the breadwinner works long hours away from home, may find a large yard a burden unless some member is an enthusiastic gardener. Lacking this gardener the back of a deep yard is likely to become a dump-heap.

_The House Itself_

Given adequate open space as described above there are certain essentials in the house itself.

_Construction_

A house is, or should be, an investment. Therefore it should be honestly constructed. One of the most important lessons for the home buyer to learn is that the initial cost of a house is not its full cost. It pays well to spend a little more on purchase price if, thereby, repair bills and maintenance costs are kept down. And it pays not only in dollars and cents but in satisfaction as well, for the house that soon begins to go to pieces, that soon looks shabby, is quite the opposite of a "joy forever."

Consequently the demonstration house should be well built, and one of the most valuable parts of the demonstration should lie in pointing out by suitable placards its structural excellencies. Has the ground immediately outside the walls been drained so that water will not lie against these walls and gradually soak into them? Is the cellar well drained and dry; well lighted and ventilated? Is the foundation well built? Are the beams and joists heavy enough and of good material? Are the floors and woodwork of good material, well seasoned, and of good workmanship? Is the hardware (locks, hinges, lighting fixtures, etc.) strong enough to stand usage? Are the outside walls of good material--if of brick, of good quality with good quality mortar; if of frame, of good lumber, well seasoned and well painted with three coats of paint? What kind of sheathing is used? Is wood well seasoned? Is the roofing of a material adapted to the climate and of good quality? What material is used for flashing?

Recently there has been some discussion of the heat-retaining quality of walls. It is advocated that openings which permit circulation of cold air between outer and inner walls shall be filled. This adds but little to the cost of building and in cold climates reduces materially the coal bill. Incidentally it also aids both in reducing the fire hazard and in rat proofing. For the latter, care must be taken that there are no unscreened openings through foundation walls into a cellar, and that all openings from the cellar to the space between outer and inner walls of stories above shall be filled with rat-proof material.

Much attention is now being given to standardizing the parts of a house, both to reduce initial cost and to make replacement easier and less expensive. Are the doors, windows and other parts of the demonstration house of standard stock sizes?

_Light and Ventilation_

_Every_ room must have adequate window areas giving upon wide outdoor spaces. An interior room, or one poorly lighted from a narrow court, or receiving its only light from a wide porch, may not impress the visitor, who sees it only when the house is new and the room artificially lighted, but it does in time impress the family who inhabit it. Row houses are best when they are only two rooms deep from front to rear. If, however, an extension is built upon the rear of a row house, the court on one side of this extension, from which middle rooms are lighted, should be _at least six_ feet wide for a two-story dwelling and seven feet for a three-story dwelling. If there is a front porch on a row house it should not extend clear across the front, darkening every window of the front ground-floor room, but should extend only part way, leaving one window free. This also adds to the value of the porch by giving it greater privacy, but of course it necessitates a house at least 18 feet wide, if the porch is to be large enough to use as an outdoor sitting room for the whole family in warm weather.

So far as practicable, each room should have at least two windows, and corner rooms should have windows in two walls.

The rooms should be planned so that they may be opened into each other and the breeze permitted to sweep through.

_Privacy_