The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-03-13
From Thursdays Daily.


Good cooks, as well as young mer
and women well versed in Latin and
other common school branches, will
be a product of the Mankato high
school after this year, judging from
expressions from the members of the
board of education on the subject
of domestic science during the
monthly board session in the high
school building last evening.
Can Room Be Found?
The prospect of the installation OF
a department of instruction in cook
ing depends largely upon whether the
board can devise plan to afford
more room for the eighth grade and
high school departments. The com,
mittee on property and expense was
requested to formulate plans to be
submitted to the board at a special
meeting one week from tonight when
the annual election of teachers will al
SO be held.
Is Invaluable Training.
Mrs. B. ID. Smith reported to the
board on the visit which she and Mrs
Koke made to the domestic science
departments of the st. James schools
the first of the week. The St
James people are delighted, Mrs
Smith said, with the success of the
plan. The cost of the instruction is
about twelve cents per pupil pei
month, over the cost of the installa-
ton of the gas stoves and the teach
er's salary. One st. James gentle
man, who is heavy taxpayer, esti.
mated that the instruction was
worth more than 1000 to his daugh-
ter.
Girls Are Good Cooks.
Mrs. Smith reported that they Wis
tied the cooking department. first in
the forenoon and saw a number OF
seventh grade girls being taught how
to prepare and cook vegetables ans
bake bread. In the afternoon eighth
grade girls, fourteen in number, were
instructed in the baking of buildings
mullins and similar things. They
were told that the juniors and seniors
were baking excellent chocolate cakes
doing every part of the work them,
selves and in an earnest and interested
way.
They Cook With Gas.
Domestic science, which Mrs. Smith
said was the most popular part of the
high school curriculum, is being given
by Miss Thompson, a graduate of the
state university, who also has class
in Latin and superintends the sew.
ing instruction.
Cooking is taught in the st. James
schools in room equipped with a
number of small tables, each supplied
with a small gas stove and oven and
four drawers to contain the utensils
used by each pupil.
Board Members Favor the Plan.
w. B. Davies favored the adoption
of the domestic science plan provided
room could be found for it. He sug-
gested that the property adjoining the
high school lots on the south might
be condemned if necessary and an ad-
dition be built on.
DIR. w. A. Beach favored the cree
tion of a new building on the corner
lots of the Union school property.
Mrs. Smith reported that j. G.
Noe offered the board two lots on
the corner of Cherry and Fourth
streets for $4,000 This price was
thought fancy because one member
remarked that two lots adjoining this
property had sold not long ago fol-
$4,000.
Committee Will Advise.
A suggestion was made That three
rooms be finished off on the third
floor of the high school building. Sew
eral objections were offered to this
plan, and among others were the
darkness of the rooms, the difficulty
of heating them and the fact that
the pupils would be compelled to
climb three flights of stairs.
Finally the matter of plan to Sc
cure additional room for the eighth
grade, high school and science depart
ments was referred to the commit
tee on property and expense with in
structions to report at the special
meeting one week from tonight.
Exhibition of Sewing.
Board members were given an op.
portunity. to examine fine exhibit
tion of sewing done by pupils in the
Franklin and Union schools and those
in Miss Lewis grade. The work was
splendidly done and excited the ad-
miration of the members. Mrs. Smith
who acted as secretary in the alb
sence of Mr.. Soaring, explained the
various exhibits which were arranged
on large table.
A few children of the 'sWillie- hain't-