The broad ax., 1915-11-20
|CralnlngGlrls
to Be
6omemaRerS

HOW lew girls OF IOQdy QaF6 even
the slightest knowledge Of the art OF
homemaking! Most Of them are so
very busy studying art, music or the
languages that domestic science re-
ceives but scanty attention Yet what
subject deserves more attention than
this? On it depends the well being Of
whole families Why, then, should
mothers allow their daughters to grow
up in complete ignorance OF cooking.
sewing and general house manage
ment? A year or so after they leave
school or college they marry and settle
down In homes Of their own without
any idea as to how bread Is baked or g
stocking darned.
Scarcely one girl out Of every score
who marry has studied domestic
science or has had any experience In
housekeeping. She attempts the man
agement Of q home as IL 1t were q
game whose outcome was OF no par
ticular Importance. Consequently she
has one failure after another. She
faces encouragement and despair be-
fore she acquires even the smallest ex-
perience.
How much better 1t would be If all
mothers would begin training their
daughters in the different branches Of
domestic science when they are as
young as thirteen or fourteen! By the
time they were Of a manageable age
the girls would have a fairly efficient
knowledge Of homemaking.
Let the wise mothers put their heads
together and see how the domestic
science lessons can be arranged In such
a way that they will prove welcome
and enjoyable to the girls and at the
same time will not interfere with their
school lessons or exercise. Why not
form a girls club to meet two after
moons a week, let US say, once for sew
ing, once for cooking, and not to last
longer than two hours on either after
noon?
Such an idea would be sure to appeal
to young girls. The cooking afternoon
should fall on the cooks afternoon off,
so that the girls may take possession
Of the kitchen. Let US say that Mon
day is reserved for the sewing and
Thursday for the cooking. Each week
it should meet at different homes. The
mothers of the girls should take turns
in entertaining or rather In instructing
the club members.
Let the girls start with the simple
things. Show them how to darn stock
ings well for the first sewing lesson
When they can accomplish this salts
factOrily teach them how to darn
linen. Once they have learned how to
mend, they should be allowed to learn
the creative side, progressing from
making hens and buttonholes to the
cutting out and fitting of garments
In the Thursday afternoon meeting
the girls should begin with boiling po-
tatoes, which is not as simple as it
sounds. and should then progress to
broiling steak and chops, working up
gradually to bread baking and pastry
making.
Once or twice a year, preferably dur
ing the school vacation period, the
mother should allow her daughter to
run the whole house for a week or two.
In this way she will gain experience.
The club idea is a particularly prac-
ticable one, for the girls will enjoy
meeting together and will learn all the
quicker for the competition. Some such
club, which might be named something
like the Efficient Housewife club" or
the Domestic Science Students" will
be of infinite value to the girls in later
years when they set up housekeeping
for themselves.