The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-07-09
EVENING CHAT
By RUTH CAMERON.

| 'Babyology'' is the newest subject to
| be introduced into the public schools.
| Philadelphia is the mother of this in
novation.
Medical instructors, assisted by train
ed nurses, are showing the girls how
| tc dress baby, how to prepare its
food and bottle, and how a baby should
be washed.
Three cheers for Philadelphia. I be-
lieve it is usually customary to make
fun of her, but this time she certainly
doesn't deserve it.
! Can you think of anything more thor
oughly sane than that idea?
| Although 1 realize fully the value of
a good general education, I do not
think that should be allowed to crowd
out the teaching of specific subjects
that have a definite bearing on the
| children's lives, as much as it has in
| past years.
| 1t seems to me that the very best
way the poorer classes can be taught
! to make the most of what they have
and be put into a position to have
more, is by giving their children in
| dustrial and homemaking courses in the
public schools rather than by settle
| ment work and philanthropy.
| These things have their place of
course, but they merely water the
| branches, while the school training goes
straight to the roots.
! 1 think this course in babyology
ought to be instituted in the schools of
| every large city of the land and l think
| it ought to be supplemented by many
| more scientific homemaking courses
| In Boston a group of young society
! girls, made up of the graduates from
a domestic science school, have form
ed themselves into a club called the
Boston Homemaking club" Their pur-
| pose is to translate what they have
learned into it's simplest terms and
| PASS it on by means of settlement
work to the uneducated people whom
they felt need it SO much.
| One course is in food values Gould
anything be sadder than to see the
people who ought to get. the fullest
nutriment value from their scanty sup
ply of money ignorantly buying the
least nutritious foods as they usually
| do
The death roll of those in the slums,
! the primary cause of whose death is
! simply improper nourishment, is enor-
nous. If these people knew how much
nutriment there is in many cheap
| things such as peas and beans and rice
and rnacaroni, not only would the death
roll be enormously reduced. but the in
dustrial value of others who, although
! they do not actually die, are always
on the verge of uselessness because of
improper nourishment, would be vastly
| increased.
Think how much industrial training
along these lines would do to help the
next generation. No, that does not
solve today's problem. but in addition
| to the task of identifying the ugly
spots of today. 1 think we have also
| the duty of planting shade trees for the
next generation.
| Another course is to be in meat buy
ing-another in the buying of mater
| ia1s-
| Another is in tasteful house furnish
! ing. The girls hope to show how a
home may be attractively furnished by
4 thoughtfuliy and tastefully expending
| no larger a sum than the installment
| plan firm requires to furnish COM
| plete'' in all the horrors of stuffed
/ furniture and giIded framed chromos.
l wish taat all these courses and sew
. eral more along the same lines might