HOME ECONOMICS 



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HOME ECONOMICS 



of the country to determine what the national 

 harvest shall be. Each member of a family 

 must be some kind of a home-making unit. No 

 one can be free from personal responsibility. 

 Each activity of the home represents a differ- 

 ent problem, which the home-makers must 

 unite into a harmonious productive unit, of 

 value to itself and the community. 



The home and the business life are on an 

 equal basis of importance in the development 

 of human efficiency. The home, the school and 

 the business world are important educational 

 factors for the development of national effi- 

 ciency; one cannot exist without the help of 

 the other. They are also equally responsible 

 in the education of the individual. The higher 

 the standard of the home, the greater will be 

 the efficiency of the nation. 



Because it is impossible to consider home- 

 making from the commercial standpoint only, 

 it has been neglected and overlooked. It has 

 been looked upon as an occupation quite be- 

 neath the dignity of learned student bodies 

 until within the last few years. More attention 

 was formerly devoted to the finding of a hus- 

 band or wife and trusting blindly to the future 

 than to the great problem of home-making, 

 which should be the ultimate aim of this great 

 partnership. 



What the Home Demands. The first great 

 question which meets the home-maker is that 

 of the family income and its division among 

 the diversified needs of the home. The pur- 

 pose of every home is comfort, but comfort 

 does not mean ornate display and the purchase 

 of certain articles for the purpose of keeping 

 up appearances. When we consider the im- 

 mense sums of money expended by home- 

 makers annually just for the necessities of life, 

 the question of buying becomes an important 

 national as well as home problem. 



There is no use in telling that housewife how 

 to divide the weekly salary wisely who never 

 sees it until after the husband has not only di- 

 vided it, but retained all but the last ten per 

 cent. The wives of such men are not real home- 

 makers; they cannot be, for they have at this 

 stage an inferior tool with which to do the 

 work. No matter what the family income may 

 be, the average man knows that it must be 

 divided according to the needs of the family, 

 with something laid aside for emergencies or 

 for old age. 



Buying for the Table. A logical method of 

 buying for the table may be briefly stated, as 

 follows : 

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First. There must be actual knowledge of the 

 amount of money" that may be set aside each 

 month for table expenses. 



Second. Divide the table appropriation into as 

 many parts as there are members in the family, 

 including in this division expense of fuel, service 

 and ordinary waste, thereby making the table 

 appropriation a mathematical problem as well as 

 a scientific proposition. 



Third. Study the market and purchase only 

 those foods that contain, when prepared for the 

 table, equally-balanced portions of carbohydrates, 

 minerals, proteins and fats (see FOOD). 



Fourth. Do not purchase foods out of season. 



Fifth. Do all special entertaining, if it is pos- 

 sible so to plan it, when fruits and vegetables are 

 in season. 



Sixth. Buy in bulk whenever possible. 



Whatever is put into the stomach must have 

 both present and future value. Growth, energy 

 and efficiency depend upon the kind of food 

 that is eaten, and upon one's ability to digest 

 it. The first introduction to good digestion is 

 attractiveness. Unattractive food sows the seed 

 of indigestion through its repulsiveness before 

 it has entered the stomach. The digestive ap- 

 paratus is not efficient when the mind is in a 

 repellent state. Buying and cooking are really 

 the beginning of digestion; the activity of the 

 cells in converting the food into liquid before 

 it reaches the blood must do the rest. 



The buyer should learn to think and speak in 

 terms of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and calo- 

 ries. The constant application of these terms 

 to the daily purchases will greatly facilitate one's 

 ability to supply the table with those foods that 

 supply bone, muscle, tissue, warmth and energy 

 to the family. Habit usually guides an indi- 

 vidual in the choice of foods. Home-makers 

 may through their wise selection greatly assist 

 in the formation of food habits. 



When buying in small quantities, watch well 

 the weights and measures. Short weights waste 

 many a dollar for the home-maker. Consult 

 with the grocer, but do not depend entirely 

 upon his judgment. He is there to supply your 

 demands and cannot be the best judge of what 

 foods will supply the greatest needs of the 

 family. Personal attention to every article pur- 

 chased is the only solution of the buying prob- 

 lem. 



Every buyer should have the proper equip- 

 ment for the preparation of the foods. There 

 should be a cool storeroom, a space that may 

 be filled with emergency foods. Such a room 

 should contain a good supply of canned goods 

 (preferably home-prepared), fruits, vegetables, 

 smoked and dried meats, salt fish, dried fruits, 

 rice, beans, oatmeal, corn meal flours of vari- 



