The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-17
BLIND GIRLS COOK.
How They Are Taught by the State
of Wisconsin,.
Milwaukee Journal.

Milwaukee Journal.
A blind cook would seem to be an anom-
ally, yet Superintendent Lyman Pease, of
the Wisconsin School for the Blind, at
GAINESVILLE. has of late demonstrated that
blind girls cannot only be aught TO pre-
pare food In an appetizing way and by
scientific methods, but they can also be
taught the care and management of a
stove and the use of kitchen utensils. A
course in housekeeping has been one or
the features of the school for some time,
but cooking lessons have only recently
been added to it. This was done not TO
make professional cooks of the girls, but
because Mr.. Pease, realizing how difficult
Il hi,n Is 70 s9r, secure theug Pp3n II aess em nj fsan6 tbs top
to be valuable assistants either in the
kitchen of their own homes or in those
of their friends.
With this aim in view the cooking les
sons at the State school differ from those
in ordinary schools in one important par
ticular, for, while at the ordinary cooking
school the pupil is taught the use of va
rious improved utensils and is encouraged
to make use of them, the blind girls are
given only the same sort of things TO
work with as are 10 be found In the aver
age kitchen The girls use a wood stove
instead of a gas or hard coal range, and
are required to keep the kettle filled and
hot as country housewives must. They
are also taught TO be exquisitely clean,
and whenever they touch the stove or any
thing csc that may soil their hands they
are obliged to wash them before going
ON with their culinary work.
Knowing that the stove is a dangerous
element in a kitchen where a. blind girl
is at work, particular attention has been
paid to it in. the course of lessons. The
stove is not protected with guards, ara
the girls are required to learn by close
attention and practice how 10 avoid any
danger when making fires or working over
the stove.
So successful has the cooking school at
the school for the blind proved that a
Kitchen garden section has been added to
the kindergarten work. similar in theory
TO the usual kitchen gardens at kindergar-
tens, and so arranged that passing from
1t, the girls enter the cooking school
thoroughly prepared for its work.
We started the work with a broad-gauge
ambition writes Superintendent Peas az
an article in which he describes his new
departure. I'm fact, our work was mapped
out the same. as TO results, as IT would
have been for seeing pupils. Perhaps /
ought to attempt a Justification of such
work by giving O more complete expression
to my thought. People who rely upon their
eyes cannot understand the limit Of the re-
may imagine difficulties which do not exist.
Hence, In beginning a new line of work. |
would give IT sufficient scope to include
We teaching seeing children. When we
meet difficulties which we cannot avoid.
difficulties TO which we must yield because
they are peculiar TO blindness, we nave lost
nothing, because the education IL complete
to that point; and we may have found the
imagined difficulties to be only imaginary"
A list of the dishes which have been pre-
pared by totally blind girls in the school in
cludes all kinds of bread, cake, roasted
and broiled meats, various WAYS of pre-
pairing vegetables, the making of jellies
and preserves, pickles, and so on. Reading Ii
over one cannot fail to be surprised at the
scope OF the work done. In Weighing ma
terialS and testing cooking. tue senses of
touch and taste are wholly relied upon, and
their powers OF discernment these senses
are when developed TO their utmost.