The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-06


 w five, ,volunteerd to supervise the care of the Widow Jones, who was poor, old and alone, she knew that she would have her hands full.
 But, as she told the doctor, "The poor old soul has been living on bread and tea for so long that the very thought of seeing color creep back to her face after she gets some good nour- ishing, food will be wonderful. I'll manage some way"
 And manage she did.
 Old Mrs. Jones was like many an- other woman who, getting on in years, lives alone and allows herself to drift into casual ways of eating and living.
 One may be very poor in the worlds wealth, and still be rich in that treas ure money cannot buy-good health, strength of mind and muscle, and, best gift of all, to be able to sleep soundly and well all through the night. Even if age is creeping on apace, it is pos sible to take care of ones self prop erly and postpone indefinitely that dread of old age-ill health and sleep lessness.
 As one grows older and becomes less active, the body has less need of sleep. That is why elderly people usually wake early and like to rise and butter about the house while younger people are sleeping soundly. Younger people need the sleep. It refreshes and strengthens their muscles and nerves and helps them to retain the elasticity of step, the brightness of eye and mind that is char acteristic of health.
 Too many people who live alone get the habit of eating when they feel like it instead of regularly.
 Old Mrs. Jones had done that She confessed that for years she had not eaten three meals a day. That she had considered it waste of time to pre- pare soup and hot meals for one. And, in her old age, she was faced with frail- ty because of under nourishment.
 Margaret Lang made soup for her children and filled it with vegetables. because soup alone, unless thickened with some cereal, is not very nourish- ing and stimulates chiefly because of its heat. Of course cream soups, with a milk or cream basis, are different. They are very nourishing.
 So old Mrs. Jones had cream soups and vegetable broths.
 
 not drink egg -nogs, because she had never swallowed rag egg in her life and the thought made her shudder, Mar garet Lang whipped a whole egg very light, added two tablespoons of cream to it, sweetened and salted it slightly and added dash of nutmeg, which most old people prefer to cinnamon. This mixture, very cold, she served as sauce nf lon nl1 Mrs. Jones declared it was the best sauce she had ever tasted. She received the nourishment-and Margaret did not feel in duty bound to explain that she had swallowed raw egg.
 She needed the nourishment.
 Butter the old lady declared she had never cared for. Instead of insisting that she butter her bread thickly, be- cause she needed butter fat to build up her strength, Margaret wisely con tented herself with putting extra but ter in creamed soups or vegetables, and the old lady went on eating her bread dry the way she preferred it.
 It is tact in these little things that wins many an argument in the sick room, where there should never be ar guments. Diet, however, is too i'm portant to be waived for little personal fancies about food.
 The secret of getting along with per sons who require nourishment, but are faddy about food, is to humor them as much as possible, but allow the law of averages to strike the balance, and, however you do it, see to it that the required amount of butter-fat, sugar and starch. is eaten daily.