468 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



Science more than sewing and cooking — and use the recipe method 

 at that. 



But Home Economics stands for much more, as perhaps the 

 scope of this conference has indicated. The food problem itself 

 is broader than mere cooking, even scientifically taught. It includes 

 also a study of the nutritive and economic values of foods, and for 

 its proper understanding, knowledge of the sciences of physics, 

 chemistry, botany and physiology are necessary; also some knowl- 

 edge of food production and pure food laws. 



Even more fundamental to the home than food is the house, its 

 material expression. Our students study houses, their plans, fur- 

 nishings and care from the standpoint of health, convenience, cost 

 and beauty. 



As has been said, much of the family sewing has left the home ; 

 but the problem of a wise choice of dress goods is an ever increasing 

 problem. It is said that more money is spent every year on dress 

 than on any other attempt at art expression, yet how few women 

 have been taught to apply principles of art and design to dress! 

 Many women succeed, because they are born artists, but all might 

 succeed with much less effort, if they were taught aright. In our 

 course on textiles and dress we aim to teach the characteristics of 

 different fibers and fabrics, their adaptation to different uses, the 

 principles of dying and cleaning by laundry, and other methods, the 

 relation of the consumer to the textile industry, and the application 

 of the principles of design to dress. Technical courses in hand and 

 machine sewing and dress-making may be taken along with this 

 general course. 



More important to the home than food or shelter or clothes 

 are the children. Until recently it has been assumed that a mother 

 knew by instinct how to bring up her children. But the fact that 

 such a large proportion of the babies born into the world die before 

 they are five years old, and the fact that we meet so many cross, 

 irritable, sullen, or impudent children, suggest the conclusion that 

 even mothers need to be taught the care of children. The univer- 

 sity teaches its students how to raise corn and cattle, and pigs ; how 

 to care for sick babies, how to teach them in school from the ele- 

 mentary grades up but nowhere does it give training on the home 

 care of normal children. The University of Missouri is not alone 

 in this. At no place in the country is a proper training given. Dr. 

 Elmer E. Brown, U. S. Commissioner of Education, is urging the 

 need of this work (Independent, April 18, 1907, p. 905), and we 

 want to do it. It is one of our own pet plans for the department. 



