42 AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS IN UNITED STATES. 



Cooking and sewing, with practice work, form the usual basis of the 

 course. To this is added more or less instruction regarding food, diet, 

 clothing, house furnishing, marketing, home sanitation, home manage- 

 ment, and a variety of household arts. 1 "Establishment of health habits 

 and preparation for home helpfulness are the dominant motives now 

 determining the courses of study and the methods of instruction." Much 

 attention has recently been given to matters of personal hygiene, feeding 

 of children, school lunches, and recording of weight and growth as 

 related to diet. 



In many rural schools there is cooperation with the extension agents 

 in the canning of fruits and vegetables and in other work of the girls' 

 clubs. This often results in increased interest among the children and 

 their parents in the instruction in home economics given in the local 

 school. 



SECONDARY EDUCATION IN HOME ECONOMICS. 



Courses in home economics are now given in more than 8,000 public 

 high schools and normal schools and in a considerable number of private 

 secondary schools. The time covered by these courses ranges from one 

 to four years. 



The four- year course may include instruction in cookery, dietetics, 

 house planning and furnishing, home management, household budgets 

 and accounts. In some of the larger schools vocational courses, in mil- 

 linery, dressmaking, and other subjects are given. Practice work is 

 done in the school, and in many cases there are also home projects for 

 which school credits are given. 



Combined with home economics there will usually be instruction in 

 chemistry, physics, or general science, with applications to household 

 matters, physiology and hygiene, nursing, English language and litera- 

 ture, history, and mathematics. There may also be electives in ancient 

 or modern languages, elementary social and economic science, and other 

 subjects. 



Interest in courses which have direct relation to the vocation of home 

 making and to such occupations as dressmaking, millinery, management 

 of restaurants and boarding houses, nursing, etc., has been greatly stimu- 

 lated by the work being done under the Smith-Hughes Vocational Edu- 

 cation Act, since part of the money made available to the States under 

 that act may be spent for instruction in home economics. 



For women and girls who are at work and can not take the regular 

 school courses, provision is being made to an increasing extent through 

 part-time and evening courses in food, clothing, millinery, dressmaking, 

 home making, nursing, child care, etc. 



In 1921 there were 73 institutions preparing teachers of home eco- 

 nomics, of which 13 were preparing teachers for negro schools. Every 



1 Much time is also devoted to economics, such as budget making, personal accounts, and to personal 

 and home financial matters. 



