Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1908-01-15
FOR CHILDREN TO EAT.
The Proper Diet for Little Folks At.
tending School.
Ry Katherine E. Maaee.

Copyright, 1907, The Delineator. New York.
To the child in school, breakfast is
a meal that is Of the utmost import
ance, especially when there is to be
nothing but 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 it,
so, if it should chance that the chill
dren are hungry, they are given just
enough to stay the cravings of the APP
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 it is lack Of
proper fuel, and the pathetic nervous
breakdowns that are so common
among school-children 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, 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, 1t Is
not at all impossible that child
might eat so much as to be really I'M
comfortable, and yet actually be
starved, for 1t is only the nourishing
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.
eral dietary for children, it is still safe
to say that a school-child's breakfast
should comprise some such articles as
the following: There should be some
fresh, seasonable and not over-ripe
fruit; thoroughly cooked cereal,
which should be served with unskim-
med milk, or, better yet, with pure,
fresh cream; eggs prepared in some
easily digestible form-never fried;
broiled 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, 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 basket lunch is nee
essary, no less care should be taken
In preparing this makeshift for
meal. It should be put up daintily, the
various kinds Of food being neatly
wrapped in oiled paper To send a
child to school with lunch composed
of "any old thing" arranged in a hap
hazard manner is to invite all kinds Of
ills to take possession of the little
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 a number Of small sandwiches
Thinly 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 not
too rich. and that has only q plain
icing, win answer the purpose nicely.
Fruit. too. should be added. with some
crisp cookies. or ginger waters, but dol
not be tempted to insert any candy,
unless you chance to have q supply
Of absolutely pure maple sugar.