Better Homes in America | Page 9

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