The evening world., 1911-01-04

ia convention of the
- American Home
Economics AS
ISOLATION in session in st. Louis.
ITO leave the baby out OF the do
nestle science course is like leaving
Hamlet out of the play" said DR..
Day. "Of course there is this diff
Guilty: few girls would care to take
up such a study with the candid ad-
mission that they were fitting them.
for the responsibilities OF moth
erhood, but they could pretend that
they were studying to become nurses
in the homes of rich folk at large
salaries-and they could do that
work, Of course, If they chose.
MY plan is to have a supply of in
fants from orphan asylums for the
laboratory work. The students could
care for these, learn the principles of
food selection and how TO meet the do
nestle crises baby continually presents.
Until recently II has been assumed
that a oma knows i~nstinctiveiy how
to care for her offspring. We know now
that this isn't true. II girls could be
taught in advance 1t would save much
unhappiness and suffering certainly. and
perhaps some lives"
Every now and then some fervent
reformer makes this plea for a train
ing school for motherhood without re-
gard to the fact that for years New
York City has possessed a girls high
school wherein everything pertaining
to babies from the making OF a com
plete layette to the treatment OF indi-
gesuve disturbances is taught annually
to 3.4oO girls.
Needn't Call on Asylums.
II occurred to me that William Nc
Andrew. head OF Washington Irving
High school, which offers q complets
course in maternal duty. might have
some interesting comments to make on
DR.. Days suggestion OF a school fol
mothers.
why enc to orphan asylums for a
supply OF infants?" was Mr.. McAndrew's
first observation. Nearly every girl ir
our school has little sisters or brothers
OF assorted ages, and when one OF oui
teachers wants a twO-year-old boy OF
girl to demonstrate giving the baby d
bath or the first TOOTH or somethinl
Of that kind, she has to state which CIR
is 10 bring along Exhibit a. otherwis,
so many little brothers and sister,
would make their appearance Their,
would not be room for the class.
our course in dressmaklng teaches
the girls how to make the baby
dresses and our cooking and house
keeping classes show them how to pre-
pare nourishing food. how to pasteuriz,
milk, how 10 treat the indisestive dis
turbances OF early Infancy. Primaril,
our object is to teach them how TO car,
for the little brothers and sisters the
all have, but ~secondarily II fits then
for the career OF motherhood whic.
probably eighty per cent. of them wi
adopt.
Formerly, You know, the IDEA OF
teaching was to hand children q lit
tie case full Of useless information
which they might put on . shelf
and never, during tho rest of their
lives, have any occasion to III
down. But the infinitely greater
lumber Of girls who attend WASH
tngon Irving High School are going
to marry n have children. Why
shouldn't we teach them how to
care for babies-how to meet their
future dutics2 We do.
"Of course we have among us men
bers of the sorrowing sisterhood-su,
fragettes-who don't believe In teachin
; girls the things which so per cent.
them will most need to know"
|, She Can Teach Hubby.
But" | objected. the objection
. the suffragist is because you don't col
slider a similar preparation for fathe
hood necessary. Why not teach Il
schoolboy how to run the furnace, no
to men the perambulator. how to wa
the baby In a rhythmic manner qua
anteed to put him to sleep.7'
Because II Is only necessary for OF
member of the family to Know thing
and the wife can each the husbar
everything that is necessary for him
know in such matters replied Mr.. NJ
Andrew. I'm glad you asked me ths
All normal men and women are int
ested in children. The other day a vi
itor to the school brought her charmil
little three-year-old girl with her. v
! went into the chemistry class n II
, medlately the exclamation went u
, oh, what a pretty baby! Everyboi
stopped work and gathered about t
child. You can't eradicate a girls 10
Of children with all your suffrage" NJ
: MoA ndrew added. but we're all ~
7 fragtsts In my family. I am, and n
mother stumped Michigan with Eliz
beth Cady stanton for women's RICH
many years ago.
Social Service Club.