New-York tribune., 1912-02-19
DINNERS COST 3 CENTS.
Philadelphia School Children
Thrive on These Meals.
lUNcHE0NS ARE ONE CENT
Report Shows Practical Work
Accomplished by the Home
and School League.

parsons who are distrustful of the cheap
..,ool luncheon for poor children, on the
-r,pn5 that II would tend TO make mothers
,n5,Nerent 10 furnishing good food for their
.tudren at home, may receive some comfort
.,o,e the line from the first annual report
aust published, OF the Home and School
league Of philadelphia.
Ten o'clock lunchcons for one penny and
roondsy dinners for three cents have been
furnished to children who had been in the
hsbi, Of spending the pennies given them
for meals for the enticing wares offered in
,hs corner candy store or the apple wom-
ans basket.
Not more than half of the children took
,sins 10 learn about ii from the neighbor-
hood visitor.
The committee reports that one of the
children al the Wood School. who was not
Included in the number selected for the
,rse feeding experiment, gained, during the
time OF the test, more than any of the
forty who were fed, and simply because her
mother was stimulated by the experiment to
show that her child could do just as we'll
an eggs and milk at home. although those
nourishing items had never before occurred
TO her.
In short II was found TO be quite SIM
ple matter to make the mothers understand
that il a nutritious meal at school was
beneficial a like benefit would accrue from
nutritious meals at home
taste for cocoa formed at school led
children 10 ask for II at home, and the In
terest shown by the mothers in the cost OF
the luncheons opened the way 10 good ad-
vice about the purchasing and the prepara-
ton Of food.
The managers of these luncneons have not
been above confessing that children are un-
sppreciatiye of an unadorned diet of caroo-
hydrates, proteins and fats. In fact. they
much prefer lollypops TO any amount OF
nutritive qualities. So they were lured with
sweet chocolate. given away free with every
three-cent luncheon. on condition that the
child promised not TO buy from the candy
man that day.
The result was that the Italian, who had
previously done a fourishing business out
side the school fence. was driven away by
lack Of trade, poor man! and the children
fed on the combination of carbohydrates
and candy fourished in his stead
Specimens of the daily menus may be
OF interest 10 iIlOSt VIII NuLutl Nileit any
one could possibly serve for 8 cents.
For q week in March the menus were as
follows:
Monday-Cocoa, peanut butter sandwich.
white bread dates.
Tuesdsy-Baked beans, prunes, brown and
white bread.
Wednesday-Lim beans, stewed peaches,
brown and white bread.
Thmsday-Ccrn chowder. one slice brown
bread apple butter sandwich.
Friday-Fishcakes. brown and white
bread, one-half orange on graham wafer.
The, money received paid for the ma
ieTals. but not for equipment or the sal
sries OF assistants. The Board of Educa-
tor is TO be urged TO take up the work, on
the ground that by buying in larger guam
titles the expense would be greatly les
sensd. The committees statistics, though
based of course. on comparatively small
Numbers of children. show an improve
ment, not only in the health but in the
scholarship and the department of the chill
orsn who took the luncheons.