The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
A COOKING CLASS EPISODE.
LUCK OFJA MIN VINO LEARNED TO
USE A CnLETSG DISH.

the man who started the cooking school. The
moral OF the story is furnished by The experfA
caco of the man who went to the cooking school.
1t was n cooking school for men, and II the man
Who started II hadn't been wiser tlinn his fel-
lows, there wouldn't have been any moral. and
the story itself would have been different.
Another cooking school for men was startad
first. Its founders reasoned about like this:
Men nre all OF them interested in cooktne-
and lots of them would Ike to know so nething
about cooking from n practical standpoint. so
that they would be able to explain mistakes
clcarlv 20 their wives, If they were married, or
TO their landlniics, II they were bachelors, and
so have n chance once in Il whilo Of lnving the
last word in a domestic debate. AZ it is now,
II they don't like the way II steak, for instance,
IL cooked, they are asked how II should be
cooked, and that leaves them with nothing to
say: or II they suggested that vegetable soup
seventeen times in succession is TOO much Of o
good thinS. tho discussion is brought to an end
at once by n request for Information how to
make some other kind of SOUP. AT the same
time, lie doesn't want TO cook all the time. and
so he doesn't need to learn all that a woman
knows about cooking. So far rs practical work
goes. he Just wants to know how to catch up
something when he feels like It and cook it
So We'll have some lectures on the general
principles of cooking. and n course OF practical
instruction in camp cooking"
Therefore in this cooking school they teach
you TO take u soap box and line It with Zinc
and put sand in the bottom of it, or do some
thing of the kind, and then you play at camp
ing out in the woods and cook in the soap box.
There is n great deal of fun about belonging TO
a class In this cooking school, and no harm
done. The answer made by wives and land
ladies to circumstances is that they haven't
been taught TO cook with a SOAP box. but only
with n range. and that is all there is to it.
To all this theory and practice the founder
of the other cooking school replied:
Nonsense. If n man went III. into the Adj
rondncks and camped out in the woods. IT'S q
hundred to one that he wouldn't find a soap
box to cook with, and II by any chance he did
find the soap box. he certainly wouldn't find
any zinc lying around loose In the woods. Soa
pretty pickle he would find himself in. Again.
SO far as my experience goes, people camping
outin the woods live chiefly upon canned goods.
No. The camping-out cooking class Is net
practical. The chafng dish is the.thinG for .
class OF men. We will teach.them to cook
with a chatting dish both the plain, everyday
dishes. and the higher triumphs Of CASTRO
nonic art. so that whatever position they NAV
find themselves in, they will be able to pro-
vide for themselves So long as they have o
chatting dish, fire. and something to cook. Then
their usefulness will be extended. their ideas
bloalcned. and their artistic ideas nurtured."
All Ill SOuHltl DlduSADlt uIl uilbbleIlAOLs
able, and a great many men were found to
Join the cooking class. The theory was carr
ried int o practice by q young woman with o
diploma rs bachelor of cookery. or whatever
the degree may be, in ouch a manner that q
course in the class was n liberal education. The
pupils were spurred TO their best efforts by tao
knowledge that they were expected to eat what
they cook ed before going home. and so very fine
cooks indeed were turned out. 1t was rather
| hard on tho wives md la0hlaIies- rho foOl Of
supe rior knowledge that was tlr.ed loose
on them. but they bore up lravely. and were
Furthermore encouraged to exercise this kind
of small heroism by the exuberant good humor
in which their husbands and boariers came
home on cooking class nights. So the school
seemed to be of general benefit. ard Lobody
ever dreamed Of the possibilities OF trouble
that lay in it.
The hero who points the moral and adorns
the tale was married. BY dins of personal sac
ridces and unremitting effort they were able
to keep a servant. In conversations at various
times with her mistress. the servant established
her position in the household as follows:
II can't run the furnace. na'am," she said.
Very we'll" said her mistress. I'VE will
hire n mar to do it."
Very we'll, said her mistress. I'VE will send
i can't do the house cleaning, L" she said.
Very well, said her mistress. we Will get
in n woman 10y the day to DO it
II can't wash the windows ma'an, or make
VERY, wei. said her mistress. u will have
1t attended to-"
y can't do any hut plalncst cooking" she
Very well" said her mistress, I'VE will live
thus. one by one she resigned her functions
until there remained nothing that she could
decline TO do except to live any longer with
this family. This decltna,ion she I:nde prompt
" and resoiutely. and the family was without
a servant. II wRS under these conditions.that
hurst upon the ~knowlcdGe OF tie dovo;ed hus-
band: The revelation was m AIDE TO him in these
simple words uttered by lis wife:
Now, dear. You know so much about cook
ing. and you have become such an cxcellent
cox Ihat you won't mind getting M in tho
morning to cook tie breakfast until We SET an
other girl. VII you. dearT"'
Consider the situation that confronted tho
man. Weigh tie difficulties that had 10 be re-
solved before he could, give an answer. His
shielding Lcr from every care; of ,aving her
from trouble and annoyance: it seemed ms II
use hi, knowledge, to spare ter thI tas$. He
had almost decided TO answer in the atirma-
widen aud broaden. The answer disappeared
In the INST Of nncer,iaPty. an4 h" found him
First There We're the arGumcutst to be urged in
favor o. his doing II. II would uiease his wife.
II ne '9nea net 'Fuly, a. = .Hsg@hH ShrnIu ioNe
even ~ the eXuensc o" his own personal COM
forti II was really Q small matter, and 10
would not The act tyi!fv. that union. that COM
mnniry OF interests md labor md affections
which Is tho h highest dial of the married slater
Would II not he an ,@emIllN"ution q The pre-
celr TINT Yr shall lie one another burdens!
Al this was true. INT IN working out the So
luton OF tie problem the man did not feel that
it would ice right t. stop At THIS point, From
one point of view Il might he considered dis
loyRl, mean. a Striking of the common re-
sponsihiiiti"S and tasks which he had assumed
II lie were to refuse To perform This duty. sup
posing 1t TO be nuLty. EEt he saw strong rea-
sons for dourtiNg # this wrr" really tie cor
rect point of view. He remembered ali he had
read and heard Of tn nnhapuiucss whl,h had
followed the lavtshing Of lov" not tempered by
discretion UPON children and wives. lie had
seen in his own experience low the lives OF
some men aud women had been refined be-
cause they had been SPOILED In their youth by
parents niiectiouUtc hu. iudiscrimireting, who
had spared 'ho rod aud had not known how TO
hc cruel To hr Kind. lie knew one case of n
huslplud who had urcn induced while on, ILLS
wedding tour TO br.uE M his wifr's breakfast
on a tray 10 her. aud had hereby got his wife
inin lulita If l-n-lnnl, lnLnLaIn. uL-LLh Ind