whataboutbobbed
kitchen demonstration on salads, 1924
The Maryland Homemakers Council organized the first Rural Women’s Short Course in 1923 on the University of Maryland campus. The program was designed to bring rural women together and give them an opportunity to learn new techniques for household tasks and to expose them to new ideas. Classes covered such topics as meat preparation, sewing, and canning, as well as painting and rug-making. The women also took field trips, often to Washington, D.C., and were introduced to various cultures through speakers and presentations
In 1923, about 250 rural women attended the first course, and enrollment numbers increased rapidly. In 1934, approximately 700 women participated. Most women did complete the four years required to be considered a graduate of the program, and many of them continued to attend for many years after their ‘graduation.’ By the late 1970s, thousands of women had participated in the Rural Women’s Short Course when the program was reconfigured and renamed ‘College Days.’