Have the efficiency experts made any discoveries in
regard to labor thai are of value to the housewife? Yes;
she tnighl learn wisdom from the experiment tried .it the
Bethlehem Steel Works where the men were loading pig
11 on Each man picked up a pig weighing about 92
pounds, carried 11 up an inclined plank, and dropped it
on .1 car. rhe men averaged loading 12] \ tons ol iron a
day, rhen the efficiency expert took one man and tim-
ing him with .1 stop watch, made him rest every so many
minutes, At the end of the daj he had loaded •(,"' 2 tons,
instead oi 12 tons, and was no more tired,
Why was this? rhe study of fatigue has shown that
"Rest musl adequately balance exertion." When the man
w.is working constantly, he used up the tissues oi his
arms, both holding and carrying the heavy weight, fastei
than the blood had .1 chance to restore them 10 their nor
1u.1l condition, When he rested ever} so many minutes,
the blood luuh up the tissues that had been torn down
In the heavy work. When carrying half pigs he did not
need to rest as often, foi the strain on the muscles of the
.tuns was not so great, Having learned how to Increase
the amounl oi work, his wages weir increased 60 per
cent it he had not been taught how many minutes to
work and how man) to rest, bul had just been promised
the increase in wages it' he moved the 1"1 • tons he would
have gone at it without stopping doubtless, and would
have worn himself out by n 01 12 o'clock, with his task
unfinished, because his muscles would not have had a
chance to recuperate by frequent rests. But having ac
quired the habit ol resting at propei intervals, he was
able to work .dl d.i\ at even gait, Even it one is doing
brain work, to rise from the desk, stretch, take .1 few
deep breaths, and relax completely in an easy chair for
three 01 fom minutes, gives the brain tune to recuperate,
.unl more can be accomplished with less fatigue,
Is u worth wlule for the home makei to n\ this plan?
it would result in hei accomplishing more in a given time
with less fatigue, Ihit when she relaxes, she must relax
Efficiency in Home Making 45
completely, and not be on nervous tension to get back to
her work.
In what other way may household tasks be lightened?
By cutting out every unnecessary movement in doing the
work. A young girl attracted much attention at an exhi-
bition, by the rapidity with which she pasted labels on
boxes. Gilbreth, the efficiency expert, showed her she
was not doing it the best way, and following his instruc-
tions, cutting out all unnecessary motions, instead of past-
ing twenty-four in forty seconds she pasted fifty-two in
forty seconds, and without any more effort, simply be-
cause she avoided all unnecessary motions.
Page 23
Presented as published in 1915. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
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Have the efficiency experts made any discoveries in
regard to labor thai are of value to the housewife? Yes;
she tnighl learn wisdom from the experiment tried .it the
Bethlehem Steel Works where the men were loading pig
11 on Each man picked up a pig weighing about 92
pounds, carried 11 up an inclined plank, and dropped it
on .1 car. rhe men averaged loading 12] \ tons ol iron a
day, rhen the efficiency expert took one man and tim-
ing him with .1 stop watch, made him rest every so many
minutes, At the end of the daj he had loaded •(,"' 2 tons,
instead oi 12 tons, and was no more tired,
Why was this? rhe study of fatigue has shown that
"Rest musl adequately balance exertion." When the man
w.is working constantly, he used up the tissues oi his
arms, both holding and carrying the heavy weight, fastei
than the blood had .1 chance to restore them 10 their nor
1u.1l condition, When he rested ever} so many minutes,
the blood luuh up the tissues that had been torn down
In the heavy work. When carrying half pigs he did not
need to rest as often, foi the strain on the muscles of the
.tuns was not so great, Having learned how to Increase
the amounl oi work, his wages weir increased 60 per
cent it he had not been taught how many minutes to
work and how man) to rest, bul had just been promised
the increase in wages it' he moved the 1"1 • tons he would
have gone at it without stopping doubtless, and would
have worn himself out by n 01 12 o'clock, with his task
unfinished, because his muscles would not have had a
chance to recuperate by frequent rests. But having ac
quired the habit ol resting at propei intervals, he was
able to work .dl d.i\ at even gait, Even it one is doing
brain work, to rise from the desk, stretch, take .1 few
deep breaths, and relax completely in an easy chair for
three 01 fom minutes, gives the brain tune to recuperate,
.unl more can be accomplished with less fatigue,
Is u worth wlule for the home makei to n\ this plan?
it would result in hei accomplishing more in a given time
with less fatigue, Ihit when she relaxes, she must relax
Efficiency in Home Making 45
completely, and not be on nervous tension to get back to
her work.
In what other way may household tasks be lightened?
By cutting out every unnecessary movement in doing the
work. A young girl attracted much attention at an exhi-
bition, by the rapidity with which she pasted labels on
boxes. Gilbreth, the efficiency expert, showed her she
was not doing it the best way, and following his instruc-
tions, cutting out all unnecessary motions, instead of past-
ing twenty-four in forty seconds she pasted fifty-two in
forty seconds, and without any more effort, simply be-
cause she avoided all unnecessary motions.