West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1877-09-22

ter pile, and day after day, till the post
man was at his wits end, and felt that,
If this sortof thing was going on, he must
be furnished with a wheelbarrow instead
of bag. | imagine that when he went
home ut night he told his children about
them, and said he should really like to
know who had set all the world writing
to 50. Nicholas ut one and ut the same
| time. We, who are i'm the secret, know
that there was nothing wonderful about
the matter, and that, so far as letters
were concerned, the more the merrier.
Now, thanks 10 you, there is one little
| schoolma'am who feels rs if she had
gone to school and dined out of basket
in every corner of the Union. Very
good dinners many of them were, too,
substantial and wholesome and well
chosen. One thing, however, | was sorry
for-which is, that almost all of you say
that you like pies, and only about half
of you mention liking meat
Pies arc popular, l know; but they
form bad diet for children to study
on, especially mince-pies, which / notice
almost all of you select as your favorite.
The lard and butter and heavy sweetness
OF them have the inevitable effect TO
make little brains sluggish and dull.
sums won't add up and States won't
bound" heads ache and eyes droop,
and that "horrid" geography gets the
blame, or the old arithmetic instead
OF the real culprit, pie! Do notice'ho
you feel after eating pie, and i think
you will agree with me about this.
wish, too, that more of you fancied
| brown bread-graham or rye. 1t is very
sound and wholesome, and has a great
| Hnnl m riGh IN, A.. "a
| bread, and this is an important point for
you TO have To grow as we'll rs to live.
On the other hand, am glad To see that
almost all of you enjoy fresh fruit.
That is natures own food and if ripe
and perfect, is good for every one.
Now for the letters. | can't print
them all, you know, for if | did, St.
Nicholas would be letters and nothing
else for year to come. But here are a
few:
BROOKLYN.
DEAR SCHooLMA'AM: am very much
interested in the subject of school-lunch.
cons. ann ten years old and live i'm Brook
iyn, but not in walking distance from my
school, SO i am Obliged to carry my lunch
every day. / generally take cold meat
sandwiches, or hard-boled egg, piece of
cake, and an orange or u nice Juicy apple
But my favorite lunch is ported tongue
sandwich, an orange, and piece of mincc.
PIE: Mamma does not approve of mince-pie
so do not have IL often. A little girl that
goes To my school once had for her lunch an
orange, lemon, cream-puf and n great
: big green pickle--one of the largest ever
saw: The girl has gone to California now
for her health.
/ wish knew of something else that wa,
nice to take for lunch. i get so tired of Tn,
same things. hope the Little Schoolma'am
VIII get great many letters and some new
ideas about goodies for lunch. A bake
custard is very nice, especially fits bakeC
in pretty cup.
1t is the haPpicst day of the month wher
papa brings home my 81. Nicholas, and
am one of its devoted readers.
MADGIE S. CLARK.
have emphasized line in Madgie's
letter, because it suggests an idea which
mammas don't always think of, and that
Is, the Importance of making a child's
school-dinner look attractive. There is
something very dampenng to the appe-
title in the aspect of thick bread and but
ter rolled in bit of coarse brown pa
per, with a cookie or two sticking to
the parcel, and an apple covered with
crumbs at bottom of the pail Such n
luncheon will often prevent n delicate
child from eating at all. A little care
spent in preparation-in cutting the
bread trinity and neatly, packing the
cake in white paper, and the whole i'm a
fresh napkin, in choosing pretty bas-
ket to take the place of the tin-pail--is
not pains thrown away. Some children
are born fastidious, and with a distaste
for food. They require to be tempted
to eat at all-tempted, not by unwhole-
some goodies, but by taking trouble To
make simple things dainty and attract
i've to them. We have heard grown
woman, whose Righteousness had sur
vived her childhood, describe with a
shudder the effect which her dinner.
basket at school had upon her. The
very sight of it took away all appetite,
and she went through the afternoon
faint and fasting rather than NEEDLE
with its contents. by all means bake
the custard in pretty cup" and do
what is possible to give the luncheon an
appetizing appearance to the little peo-
pie who depend upon it for the working
force OF their long schOol-day.
| think you will all laugh over this
tragical history of pickle:
DEAR LITTLE SCHooIMA'AM generally
take Tor luncheon some crackers, or some
gingerbread and cheese, with little cake
sometimes but once / took some moIasges
candy which we had had good time pulling
the night before.
One time a girl took some pickles To
school for luncheon in a little tin pail. and
the teacher made her put IL away in closet
andlt Is there now, guess Your loving,
NJ. G. CHESTER
What do you think of this luncheon?
DEAR ~. Nicholas: / eat tafTy, apples. or.
anges, carmels, peanuts. Your little friend,
Or this?
TOLEDO
DEAR LITTLE SCHoOLMA'AM: I saw vour
article entitled "School.LuncbeonsI in
darling 81. NichOias, and as Won asked The
boys and girls TO answer and tell what they
| 0itenest take 20 school for their luncheons
| thought ! would tell you what T take /
| take graham bread and butter. and souse-
times white bread and butter. but / like
graham the best. ! take a good many diff.
/ ierent kinds Of sauce, jam, jelly, apple-but-
ter beefsteak, roast-beef, picked pigs feet
! and dried beef ] sometimes take apple and
sometimes mincc-pf; cookies, gingerbread
! and snaps, ielly-cske, fruitcake and pound
cake.
As TO Unit, / take oranges, apples, peaches.
pears ,frapes, and strawberries, according
- the season.
am twelve years old and attend the Or.
ange District School. Mr. Crane is orr
teacher, and nc Us q splendid one Your
Or this?
NEw HAMPTON.