Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-11-28
HOUSEWIVES DAILY
ECONOMY CALENDAR
BY Frances Marshall.
Was Great. Grandmother Better
OFF?

Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure News.
paper Syndicate.)
The British department Of agricul-
ture made the rather astonishing state
ment not long ago that the woman of
hundred years ago. with her simple
cottage and her fireplace cookery.
was better off from the point Of view of
household efficiency and household
economy than the average English
woman Of the present TINA
Can this be so?
And II 1t Is true Of England, can 1t
be even in small measure true Of the
United States as we'll?
We have pitied poor great-grand-
mother for SO many years and mar
veled at her laundering inefaciency
that 1t is something Of q surprise for
US to have to look at the matter from
another angle. What II great-grand-
mother from her less eventfui little
corner had more time to study and
work out true economy? What II in
her simplicity she had truer taste in
matters Of household decoration?
What II in their blind way the women
OF the many centuries preceding great
grandmothers had devised in tho fire.
place-the crane, the spit and the side
oven-a finer device for cooking than
we Of the present generation have
worked out In the modern gas stove?
Truly, Observation-Disclosures roper
toire OF cookery was not usually very
extensive. II she were Of English fam.
lily she knew how to roast meats. how
to cook plain vegetables, to make
wholesome breads and a few heavy
but not necessarily indigestible pastries
ana buildings. II her antecedents had
been German or French she cooked
with even greater economy. She made
use or every scrap Of the beef and porl.
ana lamb to make meat dishes of De-
culiar excellence. In fact, as we have
neard grandmother say, in those DAYS
everything but the squeal Of the por,.
was used to make delicious meat dish
es. The most scientific Of modern diet.
1cians could not have done better. ~
course. great-grandmother did not
work out this scheme of economy All
alone It was the accumulated wisdom
OF generations, handed down by oral
tradition and example from mother ~
daughter. The French and German
great-grandmother and to a less az
tent the English one as well-had rules
Tor making cheese and other dainty
dishes Of peculiar excellence and N
their simple cottage workroom they
had the most efficient devices. crude IN
shape and form for making these dish
81.
OF course. the old cottage 10 no nors.
ana fireplace cookery is q thing Of the
past. When we make roasts nowadays
We DO not roast at all but bake In a
gas oven which any dietician will tell
you Is not 80 efficient a method az the
OLD spit roasting. But these changes
nave had to be. Il Is all part Of the
movement toward the cities, part Of
tho necessary change toward modern
ways and modern methods.
In tho meantime AZ We vaunt our.
selves on our new wisdom, born Of the
dietician's laboratory and disseminated
IN classroom and college. spare your
pity for sreat-grandmother and great
srandmothers family. We SHAH have
yet to travel many leagues along the
ways Of modern culinary and domestic
methods before we eclipse that simple
cottage housekeeping and the fireplace
cookery OF one hundred years ago.