The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-08-30
The Need of Practical Education.

The Need Of Practical Education
For future business men, says a writer in
the Springfield Republican, less Latin and
Greek and more French and Germanj for
future wives and mothers less Latin and
Greek and more. cooking and practical
knowledge in every way. There is more
real practice of good cooking and serving of
food among the daughters Of the rich than
there is among the daughters of our great
middle class 1t is recognized that woman
must understand all the branches common
ly known as "woman's work." no matter
what she intends to be in the world. If she
| is to haye the control of servants she needs
her knowledge quite as much as if she is to
do "her own work" all her ah. This know
ledge can seldom be given at home, because
although there are no people in the world
so comfortable in circumstances as the
Americans, there are none who live, so far
as their tables are concerned, at once SO eX-
pensvely and SO unwholesomely. The want
of knowledge necessary to give good ccok-
ing is a serious evil. No one thing troubles
physicians so much in their practice as the
inability of a wife and mother to cook plain
food well. How many women Of twenty
years old who read this article can make a
really appetizing bowl of cruel, or a loaf Of
bread raised properly with brewers yeast,
and not soda or yeast powder abomination?
Not long ago a woman talking over family
affairs with her physician pleaded poverty.
"My husband earns sixty dollars month
there is my husband and myself and our
little girl l have a son, but he earns wages
and pays his board"
"And you can't live on sixty dollars q
month";"
The answer was: "0ur grocers bill alone
is forty dollars-how can WEI"
"Graciousw said the doctor-one of oui
best physcians-"my grocers bill isn't SC
much as that"
In talking it over he found that they haC
pie, cake and doughnuts every day, and fol
this horrible food they needed a great dea
of butter-the most costly item on the gro
GERS list-as well as a great deal of sugar.
The hard times have shown how rare Il
the ability TO sew we'll. Here is one in
stance A woman was applied to for worl
and gave it gladly. The applicant was {
Springfield girl who years ago attended thu
high school. Her story was pitiful anC
b common enough; she was the daughter of {
WE'LL to-do mechanic, and had married he
, husband had deserted her, leaving her will
two children. She said with tears, "If
only had trade-if l had only learned
tailoring, as my sister, could have plenty
] of work now, but mother always wanted m,
to teach" She was asked, "Why don
you" ~ never did like to study l onl,
= done it cause they wanted pe to home ,anC
,, was going to get married anyhow. nev
er knew the first thing when was married
and he said l never could cook fit to eat
She certainly couldn't sew her work wa
brought home and paid for-and picked ou
again. Her family being unable to help her
the poor woman drifled away. Wouldn't
cooking school have helped her? Perhap
with better food " he" might have stayed a
home, and she, with more knowledge, ,woult
have spent her money to better adyantag
:. and have had better food for her babies anC
herself than doughnuts, hot soda biscuit
and tea three times a day.