Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-19

therefore. It. is a source Of great regret
and n manifest loss to the community that
further and advanced teaching in this line
may not be had
In the seventh and eighth grades the
girls are taught housekeeping. They are
instructed at cooking Schools" but they
learn far more than the mere preparation
of food for the table.
There are eighteen kitchens" and twelve
teachers. The instruction includes not
, merely the preparation of food for the ta-
BILE. but much which fits the girls for the
duties Of housekeeper Food products,
their locale, their origin. properties, life
sustaining and nourishing qualities are all
examined. explained and appreciated. How
to market how to buy, what is best for
given conditions, what is nutritious. healthy,
economical. what is essential, what adven-
titicus. what the body needs and must
have, what may be avoided, all these things
are taught the children. With these come
the actual experience in preparing food for
eating.
Intelligent Cooking.
One of the teachers told me an instance
showing the ignorance which has to be
enlightened. One girl had never heard of
broiled meats. How do you cook steak
at homer" she was asked. Fry it"
"Chops?'' FRY them "Veal?" FRY
it well, how can you tell one from an
other?" Cant, 1 ask mother" And the
child could scarce be induced to taste
broiled steak. But that family now broil
their steaks and chops,
AS individual preparation is not feast
Bile. being expensive and inexpedient, the
girls are taught in groups. When one
group is actively engaged the others of
the class watch, make suggestions and
discuss the why's ard the wherefores of
the work in hand. When the resultant is
seen 1t appears We nderful that such young
persons may be SO thoroughly indicted
into the art of cooking. The teachers of
our cooking schools doing good work
in our midst, and future generations of
husbands will rise up and call them bless
ed. An expert on the subject thus gives
the qualifications of a good teacher: ~
teacher of cooking must possess. in addi-
ton to a practical knowledge of how to
mix and cook the food material, a real
love for the sC:erce, a thorough knowl-
edge of the English language and how
to teach 1t and an intimate acquaintance
with the science of physics. Chemistry, bot
any and physiology, as our homes are the
laboratories where many of the principles
of these sciences are daily being demon
strated and the problems solved, and it
Is ner business 10 prepare the future home
makers" Cohcurrently with their active
work at sewing and cooking the girls are
obtaining strictly mental training. AS they
learn b. observation and practice how TO
sew and how to cook they reduce to writ
ing the impressions gained. They write
down rules and methods of cutting TT
ing sewing, also recipes and preparation
u 1000 mus they not only obtain pfac-
teal experience, but also Intellectual train
ing.
Some little while ago n party Of gentle
men, who are annually interested in the
expenses of the District, inquired what be-
came of the articles prepared at the cook
ing schools The answer was that the chill
dren ate them. What! Ate them? Why
were they not sold? Let us see what was
the value of the raw material thus eaten
by the children and learn how much the
District has lost by the goods not being
sold Last year there We're in the cooking
schools hos pupils, and the grocery bill