6 EXPERIMENT STATIOi^ EECOED. 



fuels and illuminants, of the use of nonconducting materials in stoves 

 and other cooking utensils, and of the solubility of kitchen ware in 

 different waters, fruit acids, and other liquids. The ^preparation of 

 systems of household accounts and the investigation of the lessening 

 of the time requirements of household operations, the actual loss 

 incurred by the purchase of supplies in uneconomical quantities and 

 the incomplete utilization of "left overs," are other examples, such 

 as will readily suggest themselves to the thoughtful observer. Many 

 of these studies might readily be carried through during the long 

 summer vacation, and others demand regular attention rather than 

 large amounts of time. 



In many of these cases not the least of the benefits to be secured 

 would be the stimulation of the research spirit of the teacher, for 

 the generally accepted opinion of President Jordan of Leland Stan- 

 ford University that "no one can be a great teacher without the 

 spirit of research ; without this he lags behind the progress of knowl- 

 edge and his mental equipment becomes second hand," is as appli- 

 cable to home economics as to other subjects of instruction. There 

 is also the same broadening and stimulating effect on advanced 

 students in home economics as on those in other lines. 



The increasing attention which is being devoted to the more thor- 

 ough training of prospective teachers in research methods is a recent 

 development which augurs well for the future. The steadily improv- 

 ing facilities for graduate study, the numerous summer schools now 

 available, and in particular the inspiration of the Graduate School of 

 Home Economics, which has just completed its fourth session at the 

 Michigan State Agricultural College in close association with the 

 Graduate School of Agriculture, are destined to add greatly to the 

 ultimate efficiency of home economics instruction and experimenta- 

 tion. Once the inculcation of the spirit of research into the investi- 

 gators of to-morrow can be accomplished, the establishment of home 

 economics as a well-defined science will be assured, and its consistent 

 development may be confidently awaited. 



