own state,

each lady proceeded with her husband to Florida to go through the final contest and the choosing of "Mrs. America".. There they spent a full week in press interviews, answering every question put to them — all of it turning on their skill in household matters and the measure of their success in making the members of their families happy... The examination included practical tests in sewing, cooking, ironing, drawing up the household budget, menus, and so on.

At last the panel of judges announced the result... and Linwood Findley won the title of "Mrs. America" in a storm

of applause... What, then, are the qualities that made Linwood surpass the others in this field?

In her house in Arlington, Virginia, the household affairs get done with the precision and order of clockwork, because all the members of the family love to work together, hand in hand — so much so that they are expert in every job the house may need, however many and varied, each, naturally, within the range of his ability!

The husband, Harry Findley, an officer in the American air force, agrees with his wife that children should learn the value of money at an early age.. and find pleasure in earning it.. In application of this theory, he pays the two boys, aged 11 and 9, twenty-five cents for every hour of work the father assigns, and the elder of them earns an extra dollar for weeding the neighbors' garden. To encourage them to save and to work with pleasure and willingness, the father doubles every sum the children put by, each on his own — and this year the elder had gathered enough to cover the expenses of the summer scout camp..

As for the two girls, they are still too small to take part in the family's economic system; soon Lynette will begin performing her regular tasks and collecting her wages, with equal regularity..

Apart from these extra jobs for which the children are paid, their father has accustomed them to the necessity of attending to their own affairs and keeping their rooms, their books, and their toys in order; if they run off to play and leave their rooms in a state of chaos, their mother firmly sends them back to restore the rooms to their original order.

Worth mentioning is the close resemblance between the families of the two spouses, Linwood and Harry: each grew up among four brothers and sisters, and both graduated from the same university. The parents hold that the best time for gathering the family together is mealtime, when the television is not allowed to trouble the serenity of the family conversation... And so attached are the children

to the television that the parents have found the one effective punishment — used only in cases