Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-09-13
interest in their work that discipline

interest in their work that discipline
would scarcely be thought OF.
The second morning hour would be
devoted to the same general purposes,
except that teaching would now be
more general. and the sidelights would
be brought out by every possible
means, so that the children should I'M
.derstand exactly what is In hand. "
is better to go over less ground ana
have everything clear than to leave
pupils befogged about anything. Ihat
is what discourages most children.
BY eleven o'clock the larger boys
would go to the workshops, the small
err ones to the gymnasium. Some OF
the girls would go to the Kitchens 20
prepare the lunch, and others to the
sewing-room and laundry. AS 1t would
be Impossible to accommodate all OF
the children in this way at any one
time, the teachers would have a few
pupils in each room to stimulate IN
various directions, and these IN turn
would 20 to the workshops after lunch.
The boys would be learning some
practical business lessons-boo kkeep-
ing. typewriting, etc.
The manual training would not be OF
the petty sort now taught in schools.
but would be serious work, under the
charge of competent mechanics.
The lunch, which would be simple
and substantial, would be- wholly pre-
pared and served by the girls, under
competent direction. With given ma
terials provided by the public at a
fixed cost, so many good lunches
would be prepared. Some OF the Older
girls would be sent to market to pur-
chase supplies for small number
say, six persons-for given sum;
they would cook this and serve to Sc
lected pupils for a week, when another
set would undertake the task. The
idea Of this would be to train the
young girls In practical marketing.
Too few married women have more
than smattering knowledge OF how
to buy economically the most nutri-
tious and palatable food, or how to
cook it properly.
Take the case Of a young woman
who has graduated with honors from
the high school. Is she truly educated
if she cannot take care Of home and
run it economically? How many such
girls today can go out and purchase
economically the materials for any
sort of meal and prepare it with any
degree of efficiency? There are a
good many who can do this after q
fashion. but in these days the chem
istry of cooking Is science. There
are certain things which we ought to
eat in certain proportions, there are
some things which we ought not to eat
at all. and most food is of value &C
cording as it is cooked. No girl is prop
erly educated who cannot run home
as we'll as a man runs his business and
on essentially the same principles.
That Is why I have laid so much stress
on cooking in the schools and am in
favor of having the state provide the
materials for the luncheons. II the
schools can make better housewives,
they will Justify almost any expense.
After lunch there would be recrea'
ton, then the boys would go to the
shops, and the girls 60 to the sewing
typewriting and commercial rooms
Those who had this exercise IN the
morning would now have academic
work The afternoon instruction would
consist mainly in illustrated lectures
by experts. On each floor there would
be moving picture equipment; the
lecturers would go from floor to floor;
and the lectures would embrace ele.
mentary science, history, travel, liter.
ature and politics in it's broadest
sense.
Most people will agree with MT
Rogers when he says that what is
wanted in any school is curriculum
so elastic that every sort OF normal
child will get some good out Of it, !" says
one writer in commenting on Mr.. Rog
ers' model school. TN most cases Of
dull children it is the form Of instruc.
ton and not the child that is at fault
We must get away from mere book
learning. All instruction must be OF
practical nature, and it should be re.
membered that what interests boys as
well as men is generally that which IS
best for them to be instructed In.