Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-05-31
NURSERY COOKERY.
|uE HALF-GRowN CHILD AT
TABLE-HIS MANNERS.
BY Christine Terhune Herricks
CONTINUED from last week.)

CONTINUED from last week.
Very often he has none.
This sounds like a hard saying, per-
ans. Yet who can mentally run over
NJ list of the small children she knows
nd single out from among them even
an a dozen whose table manners do
ii leave much to be desired? This is a
srious matter and well worth consid-
ration when one is treating of the half
royn child at table. While he was but
baby, and even In the days Of his kits
md first trousers, people were willing
make allowances for him. When he
ad unpleasant tricks of eating and
rnking they assured themselves and
ach other that he would soon outgrow
hem. "All children are naturally little
igs," they said.
unfortunately, the unframed trend Of
kuimal nature is not towards perfection.
fhe small child who is allowed, un-
khecked, to follow the manners--or the
ack of manners-of the sty, does not.
s a rule, improve Of his own motion.
when he is grown, he may, perhaps, be
blamed into reform, by contrasting his
bwn Conduct with that of others, al
hough the chances are that by this time
he will be so confirned In his habits that
he will take them as a matter of course,
md not notice that they differ from
hose Of others. This lack of perception
more likely to be found with boys than
With girls. The latter are more prompt
10 mark novelties, whether In dress or
Ia bearing, and possess a sensitiveness
hat leads them to adapt themselves to
their surroundings. A woman rarely
needs to have fault of behavior point
I'D out to her second time, while man,
under ordinary circumstances, can have
his or that carlessness OF manner in
dicated a score of times and yet fail to
recognize 1t when he repeats IT.
The time for training In table manners
should as surely be done in the first II
bears Of child's life as his instruction
IN morals, in religion or in any branch
of deCency. If he does not learn these
then 1t is unlikely that they will ever
become second nature to him.
The most perfect gentleman ever had
The honor of knowing lost his mother
when he was but 10 years Of age, and
from that time on. for II years. never
knew what 1t was to have a home. DUR
Ing that period he was first lad on a
farm, then a student at a preparatory
school, then in college boarding house;
after that he lived in restaurants and
hotels. Not until he married did he, ex-
cept as an occasional, guest, know what
It was to be member of a family, or to
take his meals at home table.
But his mother had trained him well.
During those first years he had been
drilled in manners. checked in careless
less, encouraged In courtesy, taught to
observe the small conventlonalities of
well-bred people. The effect Of the
tuition never. departed from him. His
table manners. after his long course of
association with the, eaters at college
restaurants and boarding house tables,
We're those of man who had never been
out of the current of social amenities.
He was eminently good form" And all
Of 1t he laid to the account of the mother
who had instructed him in the principles
Of good breeding.
As a matter of course, there are few,
families in which certain measure of
correct behavior is not practised. The
child is no more allowed to eat with his
knife than he would be permitted to pick
bis teeth in public after the meal.-al-
though l have known many homes In
which 1t was taken for granted that
either Of these, or the use by the small
child Of his fingers as substitutes for a
FORK or spoon was quite permissible.
Noisy eating is sometimes checked, but
lnfrequently. Rapid and greedy feed
Ing is overlooked. The proper fashion
Of holding the fork, knife or spoon, is
rarely insisted upon. and the child is al
lowed to gnaw from a large slice OF
bread and butter instead Of breaking II
In pieces Of correct size. Hot biscuit and
mullins are devoured In the same man
ner, and bones are picked with an aban-
con that is almost overwhelming to the
adult guest.
Something has already been said in
these chapters about the inadvisability
OF giving children hot bread, but 1t may
not be amiss to speak another word or
Two concerning 1t. The caution applies
specially to yeast-raised breads of VA
nous sorts. Mullins of cornmear, hom-
iny of rice are less harmful than the
breads raised with yeasts, and whole
Wheat biscuit and mullins may be eaten
Freely, II thoroughly cooked and we'll
hasticated, Unless the salivary dia-
ftase is given chance to do its share in
olgesting the starch on its way through
NE mouth, an undue proportion OF work
Is Imposed upon the intestines.
RICE MUFFINs. s
Work a tablespoonful of butter and
Two tablespoonfuls of white sugar into
one cupful of cold boiled rice. TO this
edd one cupful of milk. two cupfuls OF
hour sifted, two eggs, the whites and
soiks beaten separate and very light,
and, last Of all. two teaspoonfuls OF
baking powder. Beat hard for mo-
ment before turning into well creased
muffin tins. Bake In rather quick
oven.
HoMINY GEMS.
Into a cupful of cold boiled hominy
work tablespoonful OF melted butter.
tar In teaspoonfuI OF salt and beat
IN hard two well whipped eggs and a
.upful of milk that has been slightly
EARNED. To this add rounded cupful
u Hour and two. teaspoonfuis of baking
powder. and after vigorous stirring
pour into gem pans that have been heat
W and creased, Bake In hot oven and