The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-10-19
FOR CHILDREN TO EAT.
The Proper Diet for Little Folks Al
tending School.
BY Katherine z. Nance.

Copyright. 1897. The Delineator. New YorE
To the child in school. breakfast is
a meal that is OF the utmost import
snce. especially when there is TO be
nothing but a light lunch to help in
tiding over the working hours of the
day In spite OF this fact there are
many homes in which little thought
is given to the first meal The mother
may have no appetite for breakfast
The other adult members OF the fam
lily may feel just as she does about il
SO. II ii should chance that the chill
dren are hungry, they are given just
enough TO stay the cravings OF the ap-
petite. and are sent to school entirely
unprovided with grist to keep the
physical and mental mills going.
The dullness that is shown by many
children in this country Is not SO
much actual dullness as II Is lack Of
proper fuel. and the pathetic nervous
breakdowns that are SO common
among school-childrso may In many
instances be traced to the scanty or
badly prepared breakfasts with which
they have been accustomed to begin
the day.
In arranging a dietary for child
the mother should try to make some
effort to discriminate between the
foods that are merely filling and those
that are nourishing. For example, it Is
not al all impossible that child
might eat so much as to be really IN
comfortable. and yet actually be
starved. for 1t is only the nourishng
food. the food that is properly assim
Hated, that supplies the great force
that is required to keep both the body
and the mind growing
Difficult as it is to prescribe a gen
'ral dietary for children, it is still safe
ia say that school-child's breakfast
should comprise some such articles a
The following: There should be SOM
fresh, seasouable and not over-ripe
fruit: n thoroughly cooked cereal
which should be served with unskiu
med milk. or, better yet, with pure
fresh cream, eggs prepared In some
elsily digestihlc form-never fried;
Oroiled lamb chop. or piece OF tender
steak. with toasted bread, or whole
wheat mullins. and plenty OF good
sweet milk. If the child does not like
milk. a cup of cocoa will be found
agreeable and nourishing as well as
mildly stimulating.
If the child goes to school so far
from home that a basket lunch is nee
cssary, no less care should be taken
in preparing this makeshift for A
meal. II should be put up daintily, the
Tarious kinds OF food being neatly
wrapped in oiled paper. To send a
child 10 school with lunch compose
OF any old thing arranged in a hal-
hazard manner is to invite all kinds Of
ills 10 take possession of the litt!e
stomach
The first thing, of course, is to BE-
sure that the lunch box or basket IS
absolutely clean Then cut seVeral
pieces Of oiled paper. In one you may
put number of small sandwiches.
Thinlv sliced whole wheat bread With
some sensible filing makes the best
sandwiches but there should be
enough OF them to assuage the crav-
ings of hunger. In another packet
place some tasty sweet. Avoid pie as
siduously, but any cake that is no.
too rich, and that has only plain
icing, will answer the purpose nicely.
Fruit, too should be added, with some
crisp cookies, or ginger waters, but do
not be tempted to insert any candy,
unless you chance to have a supply
OF absolutely pure maple sugar