The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-02-28
TWENTY-FOUR HIGH
SCHOOL GIRLS
IN CLASS
Learning to Sew and Do Other
House Work
FINE PROGRESS SHOWN
Room is Limited But Start is Made
Toward Helping Pupils to
Start in Real Life.

A class of twenty-four bright
young high school girls learning to
sew and do other work that Is likely
to fall to their lot in life instead Of
spending all their time porting over
algebra, astronomy and other high
brow mental athletics is recent
creditable development of the Ben
nington high school.
To fit a girl to fill her place in the
home competently is the aim of the
revised general course in the high
school, which was instituted at the
beginning OF the present term.
Under the new plan, the girl can
take a course in sewing or domestic
economics in place of science and
it has met with such success so far,
that because of limited quarters,
many girls have had to be turned
away. Next year, the course, will be
more complete and girls of all the
classes will be admitted.
The class in sewing in charge of
Miss Hazel Mcleod and which in
cludes students in the freshman
class and the teacher training class
meets for two 40 minutes periods,
three days each week and aims to
give instruction in the first half in
stitches used in plain sewing. This
first half of the course is considered
completed when each girl presents a
book containing satisfactory speci-
mems of each stitch and has made un-
der supervision a wash dress, the ma
terials to be selected by herself and
yard. The remainder of the time is
the cost not to exceed 12l5 cents a
to be spent in making second dress
without help and the making of this
dress serves as a final examination
Ii is a four year course, the first be
ing devoted to plain sewing, second
dressmaking, third, millinery and
the fourth, embroidery
The only equipment required Of q
student is a thimble, shears, needles
tape measure and pins and she also
pays for the material for her dress
The school district furnishes the
materials 10 work with and has also
purchased the new Singer sewing ma
chimes. When some OF the girls
started in, they had to be taught how
to hold a needle properly. but they
have improved rapidly and this morn
ing. they were mastering the art OF
binding and shirring. The best of il
is they are enthusiastic about the
work, and they realize that they are
learning something that will be oil
more practical value when they have
| finished, than knowing how to work
out an algebraic equation. The
! course Is not confined to practica
| training, as the girl is required tC
take languages, English and history
thus developing the intellectual side
of her nature.
Home economics, three year
course which is under the direction
OF Miss Florence Ward, takes VI
domestic economy, chemistry Of
foods and cooking. II is open 10 the
girls of the three upper classes and
meets on the same days as the sew
ing class. No regular text book is
used, but Good Housekeeping" and
The Boston Cooking School magazine
, are used as references.
Juniors and seniors are admitted tC
the class this year and they have al
ready studied the evolution of the
house from the days Of the tree
jewellers down to the modern Ameri
can home, household bacteriology and
hygiene, household management and
some dietetics. Before the end OF
the year, they will also be taught
how to care for children and the sick
When they have completed the three
years course, they will have elemen
tary knowledge that will aid them
not only to manage house, but to
plan its furnishings and to cook. In
short, they will have a good start
toward becoming competent house
wives.
While the girls are being prepared
along domestic circles, to earn their
living or assume the management OF
home, preparations are being made
for a class in mechanical drawing
for the boys. They already have the
benefit Of a class in agriculture and
only limited space prevents manual
training from being given a place in
the curriculum.