The Springfield herald., 1900-01-19
VIEWS ON LUNCHEONs
PRINCIPALS SENSIBLE TALK
Says Improper Food Eaten at Midday IL
Responsible for the Deplorable Nervous
Condition 30 Common to Both Tsache
and Pupil.

"I believe" remarked veteran
school principal that the basis Of
most of the break downs on the part of
both teachers and pupils Is the
luncheon question. What do you sup
pose causes the general collapse at the
end of the school year which so many
teachers regard as inevitable? 1mprop-
er lunching, you'll find In nine cases
out of ten.
"It's preposterous to think girl of
IL or 12 years of age should become a
bundle of nerves with water for blood
under n routine of four hours school
attendance and practically no work at
home. Why, do you know when was
little girl going to village school
every one of us children had no end OF
chores to do around the house besides
getting no end of lessons out of school
hours, and we went to school at $3.50
o'clock and weren't dismissed until 4.
And did we break down under 1t? New
er heard of such n thing. Even now
in Germany and France children work
much longer hours at school than they
do here, and breaking down is unheard
of. Again, it's the lunching question.
I'm the country we either went home
and had n hot dinner at noon or took
wholesome cold lunch and ate 1t during
the noon recess.
"City children are very often given
an allowance of 8 to 10 cents day
with which to buy their luncheon. And.
as q rule, they use about as little judg-
ment as their mothers do In giving
them the money. You can get glass
of milk and two large rolls for cents
at any of the little bakcshops near by,
but I've yet to hear of n youngster
who buys anything SO sensible. Cream
puffs and ice cream soda are the most
popular lunch. Once In awhile an un-
consciously sensible child lays out his
lunch money on the penny chocolate
bars of the slot machine. OF course,
then he has n notion that he's indulg-
ing in forbidden candy, but chocolate
is really nutritious and sustaining,
while there's nothing at all to be said
in favor Of cream puffs and soda.
when the children take their
luncheons, MS few of them do, in pa
per boxes or wrapped in a newspaper.
an always surprised how few of
them have anything appetizing. AS a
rule they have nothing but thick slices
of bread with the crusts on and the
butter carelessly spread. The meat is
in chunks, and the whole thing any
thing but tempting. Mothers don't
seem to realize the Importance of this
luncheon question. They think any
thing will do, and as result the chill
dren are ashamed of their lunch. They
go of in a dark corner and gobble 1t
hurriedly or they throw half Of 1t
away. A very little forethought would
enable even the busiest mother to have
n variety of tasty and inexpensive
lunches. It's lack Of appreciation OF
Its Importance, that's all.
"But the teachers, after all, are not
much more sensible. We were discuss
ing the luncheon problem among our
selves not long ago, and one young
teacher admitted that since school be-
gan her luncheon every day had con
sisted of ginger snaps and pickles
brought from the corner by an oblig-
ing pupil. I've been watching her
since, and I'm not surprised to find that
she is decidedly irritable and impatient
toward the end of the afternoon sss-
sion. Another teacher assured me that
she feels perfectly well on luncheon
of soda crackers and tea.-Chicago Rec
ord.