Music Till Dawn on WEEI

[Paul Hopfgarten]

"Back then, most people 
were barely educated-- high school was considered a luxury in many 
cities, and rural poor people often left school in the 8th grade".  

***

I realize this is somewhat off topic.....but do NOT begrudge the level of
education 75-100 years ago. I was shown an 8th grade test from 1895 that I
believe most undergrads today would fail. An 8th grade education in the 20's
is actually quite equivalent to a bachelors' degree today.

-Paul Hopfgarten
-Derry NH

-----Original Message-----
From: boston-radio-interest-bounces@tsornin.BostonRadio.org
[mailto:boston-radio-interest-bounces@tsornin.BostonRadio.org] On Behalf Of
Donna Halper
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2008 3:19 PM
To: Bill O'Neill; Doug Drown
Cc: BRI; Dan.Strassberg; Don A
Subject: Re: Music Till Dawn on WEEI

At 02:26 PM 2/24/2008, Bill O'Neill wrote:
>Doug Drown wrote:
>>>>Housewives'
>>Protective League. How's that for an exciting name?

Joke all you want, guys, but actually the show served a very useful 
purpose when it first went on the air in 1925 (!) in New York and 
appeared in various incarnations after that.  Back then, most people 
were barely educated-- high school was considered a luxury in many 
cities, and rural poor people often left school in the 8th grade.  As 
a result, radio was seen as an educational service in many ways, and 
some of the housewife shows, in addition to plugging lots of 
products, actually gave important and factual information about 
nutrition, and taught listeners how to avoid outrageous pricing, 
various health scams, etc.  It was an era of various "doctors" making 
false claims, and shows like these provided the facts.  They also 
helped rural homemakers to feel a sense of community with those who 
lived in the bigger cities.