New-York tribune., 1908-06-06
OF Interest ~
" TO EUomer7
COOKING NOT A FAD
Methods an Public School Glasses
TDheH bJ the Direction.

That the cooking taught in the public schools is
impractical and the expense of the same unneces
sary large is the burden of report just forwarded
to the Board of Education by Controller Metz. 1t
prepared by c. V. c. Van Deusen. one of the
Controllers auditors. and lays particular stress
alleged extravaganza and unbusinesslike methods
in the purchase of supplies BY analysis of thirteen
bills rendered by many teachers Mr.. Van Deu-
arrives at the conclusion that the children are
being taught not the solid part of the culinary art
but the making of Salads cakes. jellies. etc.
Mrs. Mary E Williams, director of cooking in the
public schools, doesn't see how the cooking teach
be charged with extravaganza in their pur-
chases
The Board of Education allows two cents per
capita for each lesson" she said. 'snd I think It
will be found that the expenditure has been within
this amount. not over it. Economical buying is
part of the course of instruction"
Mrs. Williams also denied that the cooking taught
impractical. Instead. she said it care
fully adapted to the needs of the pupils in various
sections.
Mrs. Julian Heath, president of the League for
Home Economics says that the report reveals the
existence in the public schools of problem which
has already been worked out satisfactorily in the
little school of housekeeping conducted at No. Al
Leroy street by the League for Home Economics.
Mrs. Heath much interested in the report Of
the Controllers auditor
I'VE had precisely the situation the Controller
complains of In school, she said, "and we
have a system which appears entirely
supplies as needed. 1 have perfect confidence in
the teachers but realized that it wasn't business
like to have dozen people handling the funds OF
the society," all supplies purchased by a
supervisor, to the great relief and advantage of
every one concerned The individual teachers are
glad to be relieved of the burden OF purchasing
supplies and keeping accounts the bookkeeping is
simplifed and considerable saving is effected.
When each teacher bought her supplies one
didn't know what supplies might be left from a
yriO IaSO 4 hal md of h1,+ra
a couple of eggs left after a lesson is over
the supervisor knows IT and acts accordingly.
1.-The auditing is very simple matter. too, under
the present system. where it impossible under
the old. The supervisor account with the
grocer, and everything she buys is entered by him
in passbook provided by The bills are paid
weekly by the supervisor. and every Saturday
night the bills sent to the auditor who COM
pares them with the passbook This is very easy
but if there dozen sets of bills it would
be very difficult. were hundreds of them
it would be difficult STILL, and if they were
allowed to for couple of months. as those of
the public schools said to do it would be al
most impossible audit them
Another difficulty experienced was in the
absence of bookkeeping in the groceries of the
tenement districts and do all our marketing
there because want to know the resources open
to the people. We met that by supplying our own
books hut at first the grocers were afraid to use
them They fancied they were running into some
of danger when they entered things in book
Il am surprised to such articles as -four en-
tered the accounts of the teachers. l would
expect all non-per.shable supplies to be bought in
bulk.
In regard to Mr. Van Deusens criticisms of the
character of the teaching in the public schools
Mrs. Heath said that she had noticed tendency
both there and elsewhere to neglect the foundation
principles of nutrition.
Not only pupils taught impractical cooking
such fancy salads and cakes' she said but
they taught simply to prepare individual dishes
without being taught the relation between then,
In settlements the teaching is often governed nv
what the pupils ask for. That is very we'll nm RI
certain point. but it shouldn't lead to the neglect
of important things, and it is possible to
know how to prepare many individual dishes with
out knowing anything at all about food values In
the School of Housekeeping we try to give the
pupils in smplifed form just what the Teachers
College does We don't say anything about carbo-
hydrates proteids. but the pupils learn what
etc. and how the body be most economically
nourished
'All this has important relation to the nre.ent
problem of starving children. We know that nov
erty is not always the of this condition The
child that spends 10 cents at a decatessen and
starves might be we'll nourshed if that 10 cents
were properly expended. and l think the BOARD or
Education might do something solve this nroh
lem If II would have class week for ,,othsrs
What is the use of teaching the child IN cool
while all the time it s being fed on improper fofd
1t is supposed. know. that the child will ,aa.b
the mother but that isn't so satisfactory az dr.c,
instruction"