The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-12-17

at a cost OF clRHtF Genus Il WEN Ho@
lived so web that he has gained hree
and two-thirds pounds in twenty
eight days. Here is his state
ment Of his experience:
THE first week that [ tried the ex-
p%erinent my God cost me $3.50, had
live on butter, eggs n milk, with
a little vegetable stuff dded. That
$50 included my gas bill. b sec
ond week l substituted peanut butter
for regular butter, believing that il
contained all OF the fat that butter
contained. l cut out eggs-they were
! too expensive. / went out on the
lawns and dug dock and dandellons
and ate that for my g~reen-stuf. Dur
ing the last five weeks OF summer
school my board bill was $40.
From October l to October % |
had a chance to experiment more
with different foods, and their week
~ cost varied from 80 cents TO 81.
one week it was just 33 cents. In
those t~wenty-eight lays | gained three
and two-thirds pounds in weight.
M present diet consists of SKIM
med milk. which I buy at z cents a
| quart; buttermilk, 3 cents a quart;
stale bread, ) cents a Loaf peanut
butter, ten pounds for $3.50 Iordi-
narily 20 a pound: r~aisins three
pounds for % cents; lentils. 10 cents
Oh IA -; ~ -
pers, rice, oatmeal and what apples I
can forage from the agricultural farm.
j ave special permission, by the way,
for that foraging. SO am not subject
to being caught. So far l have eaten
no meat-nOt because | do not like
it, but because it is too expensive.
My present intention is TO continue
this experiment until l cav college,
gathering data as I go along. Then
it may be that some use to others may
be derived from 1t. My data 50 far
are complete and accurate. and with
the addition Of data for three and
one-half years more the record might
be ~valuable.'
There is no doubt that nine-tenths
Of the people eat too much food
that Is the quantity they consume is
too large. It is also equally true that
much Of the food We consume is
poorly prepared. We do not give
enough attention to the chemistry Of
cooking, and, though we know our
health and strength depend largely
upon properly prepared nutritious
food. We bolt at our meals too much
food and food that is too poorly pre-
pared. "Civilized man" agrees with
Owen Meredith but does mot
demand that cooks shall have knowl-
edge and skill. Meredith sang:
I'VE may live without poetry, music
and art;
We may live without conscience and
live without heart;
We may live without ~friends:s We may
live without books;
But civilized man car not live with
out cooks"
What is a cook worth: The Chi
had this news item about a lecture
to Women III the windy city:
Mrs. Gilman i~nterspersed her lee
ture with illustrations. One Of them
was Of an acquaintance In New York
who was about to be married. She
was a stenOgrapher, earning $25 q
week. Her employer asked her If she
would continue to work after her
marriage.
"I should hope not she proudly
exclaimed. my husband will be able
20 support me-
You will do the cooking and
housework. I suppose?'
Indeed ] shall not. We will have
a girl
Put what viii you work be-
Oh, | suppose l shall superintend
the work Of the girl
That looksn like mighty poor bus
mess to me- answered the employer,
to nave q $50 q week woman super
intend the work OF a s. d week one
Just think it over and see if il isn't
wasteful.'"
With the above as q text. the Louis
Vile Courier-Journal preached a ser
mon on What is a Cook Worth, that
IS 50 good it is printed as follows:
sln III ,or,rt 80
Charlotte Perkins Gilman from which
the above paragraphs are quoted. the
lecturer condemns, as promotiye al
waste. the conventional idea that mar.
ried ON should either perform
domestic service in their homes @,
: S~uperintend it.
When Mrs. Perkins refers ~ ~
case OF the woman who earns so5 f:
week she refers to an exceptional
| case rather than Il typical one. 40 !.