Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1940-11-07
MONTGOMERY
Nl SIDELIGHTS
By ELSIE WHITE HAINEs

We wonder if it would hell
some other small school withou
the facilities for hot lunches if w,
were to tell of the experience il
our village school last year?
Startled when told by one of the
Public Health nurses that she hac
, found more pale, under-nourishet
children in our school than in any
other in the County-and we are
right in the heart of the richest
farming and dairying district
the Parent-Teacher organization
decided that we should serve hot
soup during at least January and
February. The surplus commodi-
ties were made available by the
Government - raisins, other dried
fruits, oranges and apples.
First they tried buying the ma
terials and making the soup to
sell at few cents per cup, with
the result that the very children
who needed it did not buy it.
Finally it was decided to ask pub
lic-spirited folks in the neighbor-
hood, whether patrons of the
school or not, to make soup for
them once during the period and
serve it to all children free, with
second helpings for those whose
lunches were skinny.
The vice president of the P.-T.A.
contacted about twenty-five who
promised to- help, made out cal
endar and reminded the parents
several days before their soup was
to be sent. The junior All Girls
Club undertook to reheat, serve
the soup and wash the dishes as
their club project. A gas stove in
the school was used for the pur-
pose. Most days the soup was
vegetable, with the meat cut up
fine and added-though there was
split pea, potato, tomato, and bean
soup to vary it. Do not think
we did not know just which soup
was good and which was not, for
with the frankness of small chill
dren they told US!
Here is one housewives expert
ence-there were only two in her
family SO FIVE gallons of soup was
formidable, But with the assist
ance of two small neighbors and
her ever present hound" she
started dicing vegetables. Mary y
as we will call her, often writes
Ijingles to amuse the children-so
Sonny suggested "poem" to send
with the soup which resulted in
this:
GALLONS OF SOUP
l"Mary," Nancy, Sonny and Pete
Made this soup for you to eat
Nancy peeled the onions, and O.
how she cried!
Sonny cut the potatoes and left
on the hide.
Pete ate the bits that fell to the
| floor
He shifted and tasted, and asked
for more
And what did Mary do, you will
i ask?
She made this rhyme-and that
was some task.
While the soup was still cook
ing, the principal Of the school
looked in, and was told that there
would probably be trouble at
school the next day, as Sonny had
promised to punch the nose Of
anyone who dared say the soup
was not good. When the empty
kettle came back the children, too
had composed poem. Here it is;
BEAUTIFUL SOUP!
The soup was fine
So we send you this line
To show our appreciation,
And that it reached its destination
Sonny waited on his toes
But had to punch no ones nose
And they had finished it up by
drawing pictures of "Mary,'
Nancy, Sonny and Pete!
So much for fun. But at the
end of the two months, the attend
ance had improved so much, marks
were so much better that some Of
the women made soup for the sec
ond time. On days when they haC
no soup, hot cocoa was served the
children. They are planning tt