Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1909-06-23
NI<HHEJ rood

Of a good housewife above that of ru-
bies. To-day. being scarcer than at
the time when he expressed his his
torlc opinion, she is even more pre-
clous. There is a human touch about
the old joke wherein the newly-mar-
ried husband finds trouble in masti-
eating his wife's cake. and. being told
that she made it out of the cookery
DOCK, suggests that his piece con-
tains some of the cover of the vol
ume.
Especially among the working-class-
es Is knowledge of cookery and the
housewifely arts a luxury rather than
q matter of course at the present day
and because of this the London coun-
ty council has inaugurated a special
school of housewifery at Brixon, and
classes in kindred subjects at over
200 of its ordinary schools.
This being the case, when Mary
Smith arrives in one OF the highest
standards Of her particular school she
Is now initiated into the dark myster-
les of cookery, bed-making. the care
and feeding of her baby brother or
sister, the making and mending of
her own clothes, washing, mangling
ironing, and other things which her
mother ought to have taught her, but
was unable to enlighten her upon, for
the best of all reasons-that she was
ignorant Of them herself.
Mary, if she is lucky enough to at
tend the special school at Brixton,
learns how to be a scientific modern
housekeeper. She is sent into the
splendid laundry and shown how to
wash special articles of apparel For
instance she is taught not to put her
brothers flannel shirt into boiling
water with soda in it. because it's
unhappy owner would never be able
to get into 1t again after such treat
ment.
To Mary's establishment there is a
wrong and right way even in such
an apparently simple business as
washing clothes, while, when she
takes her turn in the mangling and
ironing department, and learns how
linen should be ironed and finished
she begins to look on a competent
washerwoman as a being worthy of
lHe ueepeSl respect.
OF course, dressing and undressing
and washing baby" is the best fun
In Mary Smiths estimation. What
Mary does not know about the proper
treatment of an infant would. as a
rule, fill large volume, and what she
does know is hardly worth mention
ing. For this reason she is not en-.
couraged to bring a small relation for
practice work; baby" Is an inanimate
infant and takes the form OF a large
doll.
Thus, without any danger to any.
one, Mary Smith learns from actually
doing how TO dress and undress n
young child. wash it, put IL to bed
and generally provide for it's well be.
ing Everything is done on strictly
economical lines; superannuated
banana crate makes an excellent era
die when money is a consideration
/ and baby will sleep just as happily
in it as in the most elaborate resting
place modern skill can provide.
They also tell Mary that beer and
sardines. and similar delicacies. are
bad for a little thing. although grown
ups may enjoy them with more or
less impunity, and so she is instructed
in the art Of preparing the proper
food for babies, and how to make a
limited outlay OF money go as far as
possible in feeding them.
Although healthy people can sleep
| on almost anything. II you have a bed
in the house it is as well TO under.
stand IT.. There is more in making a
| bed than meets the eye, and at the
/ London county council they show
| Mary how the best wives do II. Beds
| ought to be aired properly. TOO; and
/ although Mary was taught how TO
/ wash the blankets and sheets i'm the
! laundry. she is told that proper venti.
! lation is almost as necessary as prom
| er washing. She also discovers that
a bolster need not really be lumpy.
and many other little details that the
! good housewife ought to know.
In the course Of time Mary become s