Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-08-23
miscellaneous.
NEED OF PRACTICAL EDUCATION.

For fnture business men, says writer
in the Springfield Republican, less Latin
and Greek and more French and German;
for future wives and mothers less Latin
and Greek and more cooking and practi-
cal 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 daugh-
ters of our great middle class. 1t Is rec
Ognized that a woman must understand
all the branches commonly known as
"wOman's work. no matter what she in
tends to be IN the world. II she is to have
the control of servants she needs her
knowledge quite as much as il she is to
do cher own work" all her life. This
knowledge 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 expensvely and so unwhole-
somely. The want of knowledge neces-
sary to give good cooking is a serious evil.
No one thing troubles physicians so much
i'm their practice as the inability of q wife
and mother to cook plain food well. How
many women of twenty years old who
read this article can make real appetiz-
ing bowl of Cruel. or a loaf Of bread
raised properly with brewers yeast, and
not soda or yeast powder abomination P
Not long ago a woman talking over family
affairs with her physician pleaded poverty.
My husband earns only sixty dollars q
month-there is my husband and myself
and our little girl; have son but he
earns wages and pays his board
And ysu can't live on sixty dollars
month -
The answer was: ''Our grocer's bill
alone is forty dollars-how can we?'
"Gracious !''-said the doctor-one Of
our best physicians-"my grocer's bill
isn't so much as that
In talking it over he found that they had
pie. cake and dOughnuts every day, and for
this food they needed a great deal Of butter
the most costly item on the grOcer's list
AS well as a great deal of sugar.
The hard times have shown how rare is
the ability TO sew well. Here Is one in
stance: A woman was applied to for work
and gave it gladly. The applicant was q
Springfield girl who for years attended the
high scheol. Her story was pitiful and
common enough: she was the daughter of
a well-tO-dO mechanic, and married; her
husband had deserted her, leaving her
with two children. She said. with tears,
''If only had trade il had only
learned tailoring, as my sister, could
have plenty of work now, but mother al
ways wanted me to teach.'' She was
asked. "Why don't your "Ican't. new
er did like to study only done it cause
they wanted me to at home, and was go
ing to get married anyhow. / never knew
the first thing when was married, and he
said never could cook fit to eat" She
certainly couldn't sew; her work was
brought home and paid tor-and picked
out again. Her family being unable to
help her. the poor woman drifted away.
Wouldn't cooking school havei helped
her9 Perhaps with better food "he'
might have stayed at home, and she, with
more knowledge. would have spent her
money to better advantage and have had
better food for her babies than doughnuts,
hot soda biscuits and tea three times day.