Evening star., 1896-01-18
the course would be valuable to any woman
as q matter Of general Information.


Right here is the root Of my fear that
the advent Of the coming Mary Ann is
going to be delayed by Observation-Disclosures
edge that pertains to the economy OF the
home Is SO clearly knowledge that must be
lived that any scheme Of it that can be
placed in the nebNous sphere Of dilletant-
ism under the head Of desirable information
is clearly superf1ueus for anybody to teach
and for anybody to learn.
The matter Of 9art is. institutions that
have set themselves up to make domestic
science graduates do not really know yet
what belongs to the subject they claim to
teach. For instance, in the Drexei cata-
logue of the current years work is the fol-
lowing very impressive but quite as unin-
telligfble paragraph:
Physics.--The Instruction in physics Is
given during the junior year, and Is con-
fired to the theory Of heat and its more
close Of the lectures, work begins in the
laboratory and continues through the re-
mainder of the term. The laboratory work,
which consists of one period OF two hours
Thermometry, conductivity, radiation and
absorption, expansion (of hquids), fusion
and vapor.zation,i calorlmetric methods,
determinations of specific heat
asked Miss Spring what was intended to
be the practical application of this. and she
frankly admitted that she had found 1t las
ncne-or so little that 1t will be dropped
the coming year. -
Danger of Producing Crnnl<s.
In the study of nutritive values and the
construction of dietaries, the results are
necessarily so largely empirical as to re-
quire the broadcast common sense and most
comprehensive experience to make this
work profitable, and I am not sure 1t does
not border on the dangerous, attempted to
be taught in schools at its present stage of
development. the danger being it will make
girls cranks, and crankiness. as everybody
knows Is the worst sort of hindrance to a
Uoman's capability in any line.
Prof. Atwnter's Views.
Prof Atwater, the special agent of the
government in charge of Investigations of
food and nutrition, says: "Of the funda-
mental laws Of nutrition we know as yet
too little. Of the actual practice of people
In their food economy our knowledge is
equally deficient. On this subject there are
many theories but comparatively little eX
act information. The necessary researches
Will require much time and effort, and will
be costly, but until they are made many Of
the conclusions regarding the nutritive
value and digestibility of food will not rest
upon a sure basis of ascertained fact"
or the construction of dietaries Prof.
AtWater says: The whole subject is new,
and the accurate investigations thus far
made, though quite considerable when we
get them all together, is far too small for
satisfactory conclusions. The best we can
lack OF knowledge of the subject, Is to make
general estimates, with the clear under
standing that they are only rough esti-
mates, and that they apply to average
rather. than individual, cases. For that
matter, we can never expect to reduce this
question of diet to an exact seiences,,'
Theory and Practice.
I can fancy the actual experience of a
domestic science pedagogue, prirned with
| two years practice in the construction of
| dietaries, trying to make mail eat his due
allowance of calorcs. when all he wants is
pie or striving to- fill him up with the
requisite percentageasef proteids. fats and
carbohydrates, Nheh, the one thing his
ssomasn st na's,;a, Graves 8 Seld beer and . ham
.Arithmetic4sa Food values.
A scientific lunch-room is operated in
conjunction with 4Ae domestic science
school at DrexeEean4 here the senior class
is pursuing an MaJary INTO the nutritive
value of foods h,$so far as my naked eye
can discern, has no value whatever, save
| as an exercise in the arithmetic it involves.
+ Each article ofcfo0d served on the bill of
| fare for a day is reduced to calorics, a
| caloric being the.untt of energy used in es-
timating food values This is done by the
| aid of the tables provided by Prof Atwater.
showing the elements and energy contained
in a pound Of various articles of food in gen
Turing that may be generally estimated from
the fact that I talked with couple of very
| bright girls who had been figuring for an
hour on the number OF calorics contained in
"a cottage pudding. and were not yet ready
for publication. Having obtained the total
number Of calorics contained in the whole
pudding, 1t was the purpose to divide 1t in.
to certain number Of portions. then. q
record being kept Of the quantity eaten by
any one patron of the lunch room, the sum
Of the calorics of this and of any other ar
ticles of food taken was to be reckoned, and
thus determined whether the boy or gir
had had a sqNare meal or not.
Aside from the study Of nutrition an6
dietaries made here. this lunch room fur
tice to the realities of applied domestic sci
ence. By turn, the seniors are in charge o1
its different branches of work. except the
disagreeable dirty work. which is done b,
hired drudges. The seniors do the market
ing. arrange the menus, restricted in the ex
pense to which they may go, and they dt
the cooking.
Cooking as Taught.
Cooking as taught and done at Drexel-
well, I'd rather have cooked the meal at,
in the lunch room there than to have writ
ten Shakespeare. Just such keen apprecia
ton of the highest aim Of woman have l
and just such relish for the way .the,
achieve this aim at Drexel Institute.
Cookery here is taught in scientific kitch
ems that might be duplicated in home
eliminating the provisions made for schoo
work. The special characteristics Of thes
kitchens are plenty of room. light and air
and every convenience at hand. They mus
exert a reform influence on every one goini
Tito them, they are in such marked contras
; with the average kitchen. which in the yer,
, sight and smell Of it adds untold number
to the horrors Of housework.
Model Kitchens.
There are two of these kitchens, assigned
respectively, to the first and second course
, in cookery. In the first of these that I en-
, tered. at ore end stood Miss Springs des
and bookcase containing kitchen litera
ture. Along half the length of the side ez
? tended great glass case, containing foo
exhibit. Beyond this was a sink with dis
pans and tow els hung over it. A shinin
range stood at the further end Of the room
? beside 1t rack, in which were hangin
| broilers and frying pans, the femainin
, | space along this end being occupied by a
immense china closet, through the glas
doors of which showed an array of yer
q pretty china. On the walls were hun
e charts Of a CIV, calf. hog and sheel
C | illustrating the different cuts of meats. Tt
center of the room was taken up with tt
students'~ desks, on the top of which,
front of each student, was small gas stow
and underneath were two shelves, holding