Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-02-28
HOME ECONOMICS
IN THE SCHOOLS
Value of Courses Pointed Out
by University Instructor at
Largely.Attended Meeting Of
Women Held at Athena Club
Rooms.

larger number of women attended the
general meeting Of the Athena club Tues
day afternoon than there has been for
some time. The home economics DEPART
ment was in charge Mrs. c. F. Dalton.
president Of the club, introduced the
speaker of the afternoon. Miss
Julia L. Hurd. instructor OF home
economies at the University OF
Vermont. who spoke on THE Value Of
Home Economics Courses in the Schools.
Miss Hurd said. in part
"In early days a girl wasn't supposed to
know the value Of anything ana cui-
tured woman knew absolutely nothing
about how to keep house. Later. when
our girls went to college, they frst took
the same courses the men had been fol-
lowing, simply to show the men that they
we're their equals. Now we no longer
need to prove that and It has been said
that one of the biggest reconstruction
problems after the war will be to get the
women to give UP the work OF the men
which they have been doing Just as WE'LL
and in many cases better.
1--WE must make our girls realise the
Importance of home-making and we must
not allow them to measure housework
in the number Of meals to prepare, etc.
There have been many queer IDEAS ABOUT
the courses in home economics. some
men have thought the graduates OF the
courses were to be trained servants
Perhaps the course will help to solve the
servant problem, but 1t should be moro
than how to do the work; 1t should be
the true economics Of the home.
I'm the younger grades we are trying
to give the children an appreciation OF
the work rather than any technical
knowledge. We have recently been
helped in our work by two bills passed
by the Legislature.
"Our work is divided into two problems:
First that Of the child helping the mother.
We are trying to have every mother who
has a daughter have her help In her
home and we are going to try to get homes
for the girls to run in their last years
in the Junior high school.
There is one great trouble in the homes
Of to-day. There are not enough labor
saving devices. On the farms the barns
are equipped with all the modern i'm
provements. In the city the Office is EN-
GENTLY equipped Why should this not
be true of the home: One man who
tried to keep house once said: The great
est punishment you could inAict on any
man who Is careless about his home 10
to make him keep house for year. One
reason we haven't modern improvements
Is because we haven't demanded them.
We must bring our girls up to believe
that there should be as much efficiency
and science in the home as in the ONCE.
I'm our courses in the schools we are
trying to teach the children not to waste.
We also are teaching them how to buy
and the factors of cost; that credit, de-
livery and fancy packages raise the price
of our groceries. We are trying to teach
them how to buy. what they should ask
for and whether they are getting their
moneys worth or whether they are pay.
ing too much for an article.
woman has the control Of the chotoo
| Of production now and that 10 . great
responsibility, for man will not pro-
duce anything which woman will not de-
mand. There 10 league called the Con-
sumers' League. which 10 trying to pro-
tect both the purchaser and the maker,
Just as long as you will buy cheap arti-
cles you are encouraging the sweat shop.
making Of clothing in tubercular homes
and child labor. The Consumers League
will not tolerate any factory on its white
| list which has any Of these things. It
also must have the hours reasonably
short. pay a living wage and pay extra
for overtime and holidays. If the women
would demand goods with the stamp OF
| such league they would be helping the
cause along.
I'm the schools most Of the children
are sewing for the Red Cross. Where
there are cooking classes they are max
ing war food.
Another problem of the school lie the
lunch. In cities it has often been found
that a child who seems dull is simply
underfed. We are trying to make mothers
realize that the children must have nour-
ishing instead Of rich food. We are try
ing to give them something warm to eat.
and to make them eat slowly. We are try
ing In every way to make the home bet
ter and to make the school more attrac-
tive to the child"
In response to question Miss Hurd
said that the making Of clohting Is taught
In all the Burlington schools from the
FIRST to sixth grades, and cooking and
sewing is taught in the high school and
will be In the junior high school as soou
as equipment arrives.
After Miss Hurd's talk the ladies went
to the rear Of the room. where they
were served with tea sweetened witt
lemon drops and then given samples Of
all the dishes on the last food conserva.
ton card and many other things which
have been worked out by the hom(
economics department. according Il
Hoover rules in their work Of this winter
There were samples OF brown bread
potato -four sponge cake. salmon loaf
drop cakes. war ginger bread. Boston
brown bread. oatmeal cookies. spiced oat
meal cakes. graham bread. baked browS
bread. oatflake cookies and jolly boys
Every one pronounced the articles de-
licious and many took homo copies o.
the recipes to try them.
In the oatmeal pudding on the new foos
conservation pamphlet which was trie,
out by the ladies the recipe calls for tw'
and one half teaspoons Of salt That l,
said to be altogether too much and on,
teaspoon Of salt is a great plenty. Tha
Is the only recipe with which the Ae
partment had any trouble.