Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-09-19

When the new School of Domestic
Economies now being erected as part
of Teachers College, at Amsterdam
avenue and 121st street, is finished
1t will present most complete equip
ment for work of this character, an
nounces the New York Times.
The hall will house the three
branches of domestic instruction now
carried on in the Teachers College
greatly hampered by lack of room.
The courses to be given come under
the headings of Domestic Science,
Domestic Arts, and Institutional
Economies. At Columbia now only
one feature OF this last department is
under way, the courses in Hospital
Economies, but with the new plant
the scope of work will be enlarged.
There are now ninety students of
Domestic Science, sixty of the Do
nestle Arts, and fifteen in the hos
pital course, but even this number
cannot be accommodated with labor
atories, and difficulty is encountered
even in arranging lecture room as
signments.
The point of departure, wherein
the School of Domestic Economies at
Teachers College will be superior to
similar courses offered at many like
institutions, will be the continual
emphasis on preparation for institu-
tional work.
This change of base is due to the
complaints coming back from all
parts of the country to the different
schools of domestic science, whose
graduates have gone to fill positions
In large hospitals, schools, or other
institutions. A typical structure
from hospital is, "You do not train
your pupils to deal with large guam
titles. When we put them in posi-
tions of responsibility they are SIM
ply swamped for the first six months,
merely by the numbers. The woman
in charge of Marshall Fields restau-
rant told an officer of Teachers Col
lege: I cannot use your graduates In
my work, where we serve thousands
daily, until they have had experience
in handling large quantities.
Hitherto domestic science courses
have not had the requisite equipment
for such training and the experiment.
ing has all been done on an individ-
ual or family scale. To meet this
valid objection the new building at
Columbia has been planned in all its
details to give the students just this
necessary opportunity for working on
larger scale, which will add to the
practical value of the training.
The plant is to accommodate 500
pupils, and although it will not be
ready for use until year from this
coming fall, a sufficient number of
applications and queries has already
been received to show that there will
be no lack of students when the
building is completed. The struc-
ture, five stories and basement, is to
face an inner court, and will be the
north side of future quadrangle.
Entrance from the street will be
through gateway, topped by a
square tower somewhat resembling
that at Magdalen College, Oxford. All
the architectural Celebrations will be
reserved for this inner court.
The basement will be devoted to a
locker room, where the 500 cooks
may change their caps and aprons for
gymnasium suits, and the large lCun-
dry laboratory. This is to have all
the machinery of a regulation COM
merical steam laundry, and is con-
sidered an important part of insti-
tutional training.
ANY hospital or domitory of any
size nowadays has its own laundry"
said Benjamin Andrews, secretary Of
Teachers College, land any woman
in charge has got to be able to I'M
derstand it," Besides learning the
true inwardness of the washwheel
and extractor, the students are ex-
pected to solve the problem of doing
quick work with minimum Of chem
ical assistance. 1t is hoped that the
graduate will be able to operate a
steam laundry, with all the speed of
the strictly commercial, but without
the disastrous effects of it's bleaches.
In addition, the girls are to study
hand laundry work with view to
seeing how much labor-saving ma
chinery may be practically adopted in
the home. The main floor is to be
given over to the offices, the reading