The Washington herald., 1911-10-01
By JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

The Washington Herald's free cooking
school closed yesterday afternoon with
general regret. for it ended one of the
known to Washington women, a fact
that has been acknowledged in many
ways By hundreds of attendants of the
classes every afternoon last week.
A little story told me yesterday by a
tradesman in the Arcade Market will
give you an idea of the fascination of
MI Armstrong; talks.
A woman made some purchases of him
and asked him to keep them until she
Went up stairs to the cooking school,
Just TO get a printed slip of the reci-
pes she understood were being given
away, and when she came back after
TWO hours, the cooking school was over"
the man ended with a knowing smile.
1t was the same way with everybody
who went to The Herald's free cooking
schooL l heard many say on Monday af-
ternoon, While waiting for Mrs Arm
strong 10 begin her first lecture that
they supposed it would be just like all
cooking Sc rhOols. but they wanted to see
ana anyway. they didn't have to stay un-
less tHey wanted to, and ever so much
more doubtful talk scattered over the
rest ess mass of curious homemakers
or sometime homemakers.
HACSptlOnuI L Ieacnef.
The Percy s. Foster Piano Co gave
them some delightful musical numbers
with the Victor -Victrola as A happy pre-
Jude to the cooking course. and then Mrs
Armstrong. without even the help of an
introduction, began talking to them 1t
was not ten minutes before 100 or 500
women realized they We're not attending
just the usual sort Of cooking school
in to r,ft ,,l,a
Somehow or other every woman in the
big skating rink felt the usual barrier
that exists between lecturer and lectured
melt away, leaving them alone with a
woman So full Of magnetism that their
attention was enslaved not only for that
first afternoon hut throughout the week
l heard woman who had listened all
week to Mrs. Armstrong lectures tell
one secret of her success.
why she said 1t is Just like YOU
and / sitting here talking. She seems
like a friend, and she talks to you like
1t meant a whole lot TO her if You didn't
get things right You just forget about
all the other women in the room-hun-
dreds of them who feel just like you do
and feel that Mrs. Armstrong is talking
10 YOU all by YOURSELF
That is a gift. my dear lady-a gift
1hat spells success for any woman who
Is doing a great work for the help of
many people.
Just any woman could not make you
so completely C"rget yourself. so utterly
forget her, and forget your surroundings
as to remember only the clear. practical
knowledge along the most necessary sub
JcCt in the world that she is giving you
with every word
Remarkable Teacher.
There are two elements necessary TO
the success of n great teaCher-neces-
sary to make her work stand out, a
work distinctive from that done by
other people I'm the same field. One Is
knowledge of her work: the other is
tire ability so to convey this knowledge
10 other people that IT sticks.
1t is because Mrs. Helen Armstrong
Possesses both OF these requisites that
she was able TO bring every woman who
heard her first lecture back to hear every
one she gave last week in the Arcade
under the direction of The Washington
Herald; for those who heard her Monday /
would not have missed her again for
worlds. nor would they have missed
bringing their friends to hear her after
that, nor their friends friends.
The Washington Herald feels proud of !
the tremendous success of its free cook !
ing school, and grateful for all the de- |
itghfuI letters that have come TO me I
from the readers of The HeraIds Page