Housekeeping Problems Confront Woman Scientist Living in Basutoland

Evening Star, Issue 26000, 15 January 1947, Page 9

Housekeeping Problems Confront Woman Scientist Living in Basutoland

TOPICS FOR WOMEN

Stamp collecting is a hobby that links people in all walks of life, often living in lands far distant from each other, but with at least one common interest. A Dunedin collector who has a chaiu of acquaintances with whom lie corresponds in all parts of the world has received a letter' from an Englishwoman married to a Swiss living in Basutoland, in Africa. “ You told me what you are in private life,” she writes. “ I am nothing so exciting, being, first, a scientist working privately now that I-am married (I am- Mrs, not Mr) on my own lines—plant pathology, especially virus diseases of plants—and also helping my husband, who is an entomologist, and, rather neglectedly, a housewife. No, neglectedly is not the word—l mean I am much less interested in the housekeeping side of things, but they certainly do intrude on one’s time, as your wife will no doubt tell you. We here have servants, but if only I could get a modern house, with electric fittings, I would willingly do without them, as supervision is always needed, even with the most willing and able. As we are some 40 miles from a town we must grow our own vegetables, make our own butter, have our own eggs, and so on, all meaning more work, and houses in Basutoland have all been thrown up by bachelors, who must have been misogynists liking to live on a handful of dates and a.cup of water a day. My dairy and pantry arej literally; 50yds from the kitchen, two rooms are the same distance the other side of. the house, and in the house one room leads into another ad infinitum. All so time-wgsting in all ways. “ Then, too, one is father confessor and mother consoler to the whole neighbourhood—just as I wrote that, one of the girls came, ‘ Ke batla Mees ’ (I want Miss). It was one of, the spinners—they spin and weave the local wool, making rugs, scarves, and so on, really lovely things, but sometimes they need help with designs to begin with, though it is,, the policy of the home industries section to have them ’use only local designs in the typical Bantu diamond style. . “ I have to take a trip into, the mountains on a collecting expedition in December and January; and that

needs some preparation and fairly good health. We must take most of our food with us and go with some 16 horses, for riding and pack animals. One clay I must write a book—this country needs jt, ns it is so full of interesting things. I daren’t start writing about them to you for fear I shall

not be finished for weeks. There is so much in a country the size of Sicily with some 1,500 Europeans and 750,000 Basuto, and moist of the land up on end instead of flat, and over 6,000 ft above sea level, rising to 11,000.”