Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-06-20
NEW YORK LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE. |

cooking in the public school system.
Brooklyn is alittle ahead of New York
in this matter, and neither has gone
so far in the direction of manual train
ing for girls as common sense would
dictate. Dressmaking might we'll be
taught with sewing. 1t is of infinitely
more Importance to girl who is des-
tined to be poor mans wife-and
most Of the female pupils in the public
schools are in this category that she
be able to make clothes for herself and
her children than that she know the
rule of three. Cooking is even more
important, since the tendency of our
civilization is to make garments, ready
made, almost rs cheapas the materials.
Probably there will never come time
in the lives of the young children
when good cooking by wife will not
make the chances of marriage for hap
piness more favorable. 1t follows
that this should not have been so long
neglected.
With reasonably small classes it is
easy to teach cooking The selection
of meats and vegetables. the use of
what is bought so rs to waste nothing,
and the preparation of the tasty dish
es, as inexpensive as they are palata-
BILE, should be learned at the same
time. trust that within ten years
the indictment against our public
schools that they cover almost no sort
OF instruction that will be useful in
the life of the adult will have lost its
foundation in fact. Manual training
for boys and girls is as valuable in its
moral effect as in the mere knowledge
impaired. The glory of work we'll
done, no matter how humble, is an
idea that cannot be too forclbly i'm
pressed upon the young. No sort OF
ignorance is worth being proud Of
And the labor that produces some.
thing for the comfort of the world is
in its v, ry nature higher and more
honorable than any other sort of
activity.
While wifehood and motherhood
are the destiny of most women, sew
ing and cooking cannot fail to be more
useful features of the public school
curriculum for girls than any others.
trust that superintendent Jaspers
suggestion will be promptly followed.
1t represents only a beginning, but
very good beginning. Of great work.
There is dust on the furniture of the
Constitution club, there are cobwebs
on the window curtains and empty
chairs every night where few years
ago Hugh Mclaughlin and his friends
assembled after the closing OF the
"aucton room" to talk over the
affairs of state and affairs of city. So
far as its political influence goes, the
club is zero, except as to the men,
cries surrounding it. Perhaps po-
litical plans will be formed
within its walls in the future, it
may become the plotting place Of
those who have influence in the
Brooklyn annex OF the greater New
York, but even the clubs most hope
full friends do not expect that
it will ever again be the city's
seat of government, as it was be-
fore the ousting of the REGULARS. "
From tho day Schieren was elected
the Constitution club has been on the
wane. 1t kept up appearances, how.
ever, till Wurster won, and then when
it appeared that there would be an
other mayorality term at least before
patronage pap would be on tap what
little interest there was in the old or
ganization began to subside. Dust
was allowed to accumulate on the
furniture, mildew formed on the
greasy packs Of cards and the club
steward grew weary from inaction.
Still there were some who spoke hope
fully of better days, of the democratic
era to come, when the old organize
ton would have control OF the offices
and political orders would be again
posted on the bulletin of the Consti-
tuition club. But while hope was at
its height the Greater New
York bill turned up to destroy
it, for, as every one knows,
the Constitution club would be no
more in the Greater New York
ward social organization. The stu.
alton is so cherries that only the
most faithful go to the club, and they
discuss the future dolefully, with the
gus turned low to keep down expenses.
Mclaughlin sticks to his checker
board in the Volunteer firemen's
rooms in city hall, and .Nevins scarcely
remembers where his former favorite
club is located. Unless it becomes
the headquarters of an athletic ASSOC
citation or school for the betterment
of mankind in some way, it looks as if
the interesting history of the club
might be written soon with the word
"fns" on the last page.
Those last of the squatters whose
little shanties stand on that rocky
stretch of Fifth avenue, opposite Cen
trail park, between 92d and 103d street,
were thrown into dire confusion re-
Gently. Officers from the board of
health descended on them with the
announcement that they would be
turned out Immediately. Hasty prep
arations for departure were be-
gun, and some even began to tear
down their little dwellings, which
have sheltered them and their goats
far many decade. There are about
fifteen altogether. 1t is the last of the
once popular Goatville. Most of the
| fifteen families come from the orig
inal squatters, who took possession of
the land over a century ago. The
,wners have good-humoredly let them
remain. The steady building up OF
that part of the city has driven all
away, except this last forlorn guard.
A recent edct of the health board
compelling all occupants of houses to
connect them with the city's water and
sewer mains has proved the final straw.