The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-06-15
The HOUSEHOLD,
Suggestions for the Household.

fatigue is one OF the things TO be feared
in the present methods of education,
and one of the most essential to be
guarded against. He spoke of the fact
that an incoherent statement such as,
"This is the fret OF January; il is six
weeks to May" made at noon, would
be received by the average class with
out instantaneous rebultal, whereas
the same statement made in the first
hour OF the session would be promptly
comprehended in its lack OF intelli-
gence. In this connection it is inter-
esting TO find that in Philadelphia,
where it has been necessary 10 estab-
lish halliday sessions, in order TO ac-
commodate with at least a half-days
schooling the large surplus of scholars,
it has been discovered that the halliday
students made quite as good progress
as those who attended the whole day.
They went at their lessons always with
freshness and vigor, and stopped before
the limit Of interest was reached. The
halliday children as a class stood the
years. round of work, too, better than
those of their companions who attended
the entire day. This is especially in
teresting because the halliday sessions
have been heretofore regarded by even
the most competent educators as some
thing to be deplored and eliminated as
soon as possible from the school sys-
tenn. There are many other evidences
that more faults Of the public school
systems in this country are TO be
weeded out. Over in Brooklyn the
other day, the committee for the ar
rangemant of study for the Boys High
School announced the introduction of
modified elective system in the last two
grades of the course. This is radical
change, but one for which there has
been crying need for long time.
These upper grades are largely made
up OF boys who will continue study in
college or at special institutions, and the
possibility to arrange their last years
high-school work in conformity TO such
intention is of great importance to
them.
A woman who is building a tiny
house, which, however, is the crystal
lization of her ingenuity and ideas of
convenience picked up here, there and
everywhere, has in the china closet
opening from her dining-room two deep
drawers inserted under the bottom
shelf. The drawers are each OF them
fourteen inches deep and are lined
throughout with tin. In one of them
bread is to be kept and in the other
cake. They fit snugly, the cake drawer
locking. Everybody knows that the
tin bread and cake boxes bought at the
shops and kept on the floors of closets
are very we'll while new, but the care
less maids opening and shutting them
many times day soon bang them in
to shape which prevents their tight
closing. When that condition is reach.
ed, they are about as useless as an
open shelf for the purpose for which
they are designed, that of keeping out
the heat and damp air and also mice,
if such infest the place. Housekeep-
ers whose china closets have been in
existence for years will find it an easy
matter to have such drawers added.
Scarcely less interesting than the re-
cent exhibit at the Health Exposition
of the old Sairey Camp school of nurs-
ing as contrasting with the modern
trained nurse and hospital service is the
difference shown in the war-relief eff
fort of our late war and the present
crisis. Boxes of lint and bandages
prepared by the sanitary commissions
of lS6064 were shown against the rolls
of antiseptic gauze and modern absorb
ent cotton with marked contrast. The
same principle is evidenced in the man
ner in which women are directing their
relief effort today against the work of
their mothers thirty-five years ago.
Nobody picks lint or tears bandages to-
day, but works instead raising moneyto
buy elephants and water distillers for
use, not only on the hospital. ships,
but in the fields as well.
In discoursing to woman's club re-
Gently physician, dwelling upon how
to treat children's bruises, told of a
simple method to sterilize needle that
was to be used to pick out splinter or
other foreign substance often jabbed
into small boys hands or knees through
their reckless falling. If the needle is
passed through an alcohol flame or boil
ing water, and used without touching
the point with the fingers, it is safe.
The average mother thinks if she uses
a needle instead of pin she has con-
coded all that ia required of her, but
the surgeon, keen to the dangers of
germ contain nation, knows that a step
further is necessary. The lecturer also
spoke of the value in the mothers
medicine chest of little gutta-percha
tissue such as every one who has had
tooth filled will recognize. This will
be found to be of great service in COW
ering any moist dressing of wounds, as
it protects the clothing from the wet
and also retains the moisture which it
is needed TO preserve in the dressing.
AT a May-blossom luncheon given, as
it CHANGED, on one of the few bright
days of the last dripping month, the
pretty menu cards had apple-blossom
petals daintily traced in pink scattered
over the card. The real blossoms
were massed in huge crystal bowl
resting on large circular mirror mat
in the center of the table. From the
chandelier, reaching down, trailed
more of the bloom, and over the table
were sprays of it intermingled with ra-
dating bands of pink satin ribbon. AT
each plate was a bunch of splendid
royal purple pansies, an effective con-
trast to the paler blooms.
Fan-shaped frames or standards for
| tho nnuntinu nf rare fana IN he used