THE WELL-ORDERED HOUSEHOLD 



175 



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4i 



"SHE PRESIDES AT THE TABLE AT THE LITTLB SPREADS SHE HAS FOR HER PLAYMATES" 



home problem in this direction, she can 

 take the measurement and estimate what 

 to order and know the probable expense, 

 she is entirely at the mercy of the work- 

 man and the one who presents the bill. If 

 she wishes to lay a walk or construct a 

 building, it is well for her to be able to 

 estimate the amount of lumber required 

 and the correctness of the bill presented. 

 A knowledge of banking and keeping ac- 

 counts should not be merely according to 

 the rules of the book consulted, but should 

 be so practical that the girl in the home 

 may be able to carry on the tinancial trans- 

 actions, keep the accounts so as to know 

 when she is sjDending beyond her allow- 

 ance, and make it possible for the one who 

 supplies the family purse to keep within 

 his income. She should be able to buy 

 intelligently, for on this much depends. 

 The family marketing is an art all in 

 itself. 



Too often the l)oys in the family are the 

 better mental calculators. Girls have been 

 known to ask the price per pound or per 

 yard, hand out a ^oiece of money, and drop 

 the change in the pocket without counting 



it, or to go away and use their pennies 

 to see if they have the right change. This 

 is not because these girls are not bright; 

 it is the lack of training and experience. 

 Girls and boys are taught physiology in 

 the schools. They laboriously learn the 

 names of bones and muscles, which is all 

 very good, but unless they learn at the 

 same time what food to prepare to nourish 

 the bones and muscles, they are not pre- 

 nared for their work as housekeepers. 

 Chemistry and physics form an important 

 part of the school curriculum, and it is 

 essential that the training be such that 

 the girl who becomes a housekeeper may 

 know such problems as the chemistry of 

 bread-making, or the chemistry of a can- 

 dle. She is a more interested housekeeper 

 if she is taught to know the chemical 

 effect of baking powder, saleratus and 

 cream of tartar, and taught ivhy she puts 

 the meat into cool water for soup and into 

 hot when the meat is to be served on 

 the table; she is a happier housekeeper 

 for knowing wliy she should not pare the 

 potatoes for dinner an hour before they 



(Continued on page 178.) 



