The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1451 
can expert, proposes for a family of four 
adults and two children, with an income 
of $2,000, the following budget: 
Food .$500 
Rent .*. 400 
Operating expeuses . ‘>00 
Clothing . 400 
The higher life, with insurance and 
savings . 400 
Of course, such a normal or standard 
budget would only approximately tit the 
needs of any particular family, and the 
paring and stretching by which it is 
adapted to home conditions is an exorcise 
in which the whole family may well take 
part. If our boys and girls are to he 
taught to earn, to save and to spend 
money as a large part of their social ed¬ 
ucation. mother’s accounts may be re¬ 
garded as a principal text-book in their 
course. There are various good house¬ 
hold account books, more or less elab¬ 
orately arranged, on the market, but any 
little blank book will do very well for a 
beginning. The simplest system is also 
the best to start with, and the first of 
January is a very good starting point. 
DORA BEAD GOODALE. 
What W‘e Did with the Hot Lunch 
With the coming of the cold Winter 
months parents and teachers in rural 
districts are confronted with the problem 
of the child's lunch. Especially does this 
apply to those who live at too great a 
distance from the school building to allow 
of their children returning home for the 
midday meal. Perhaps some of your 
readers would he interested in the way 
our district solved this problem last year. 
In fact, the solution proved so satisfac¬ 
tory that it will he repeated this year as 
soon as the severely cold weather comes. 
Our school ho use is a tiny one-room 
affair, a type so common to New York 
farming sections, situated in a district 
nearly two miles long. This room is 
heated by a large box stove, a style with 
griddles in the top, which formed the 
basis for making the hot lunch scheme 
possible with us. 
As we had no funds to carry out our 
project, as many of the pupils came from 
families who were of the poorer class of 
tenants and laborers of wealthy farmers 
in the district, and as there was preva¬ 
lent in the neighborhood a veiy fine spirit 
of co-operation and willingness to help 
where help could he readily given, we 
finally hit upon the following plan: 
Pupils and teacher planned and exe¬ 
cuted an entertainment and social, held 
on Hallowe’en, Program, games and the 
entire preparations were in accordance 
with the occasion. In connection with 
this entertainment we held a sale of pop¬ 
corn balls ami homemade candy, donated 
by the workers. An attractive booth, set 
amid stalks of corn and a pile of pump¬ 
kins. was arranged in one corner of the 
room. The teacher gave a short talk on 
the important need of and benefits de¬ 
rived from the hot lunch for the pupils. 
Parents and other guests present thus 
appealed to generously rose to the occa¬ 
sion, and the sale of sweets netted about 
$8. INVith this money we purchased the 
necessary equipment. This included the 
following articles at the estimated prices: 
Large grocery box.20 
Extension brass curtain rod.10 
Cretonne (for curtains!.30 
Small can of white pninr.25 
Large granite kettle.75 
Tin dish pan . 1.00 
Two small pans.45 
Soup ladle .15 
Sheet-iron frying pan.50 
Aluminum teakettle . 1.75 
Two yards white oilcloth. 1.00 
Strainer .20 
Toaster .15 
Various cooking spoons and knives. .00 
Total...$7.40 
In addition to these articles, some 
ladies kindly donated a saucepan, a dozen 
saucers and various minor culinary uten¬ 
sils, Dish towels and cloths and holders 
were made from grain sticks and piece- 
bags, respectively, by the older girls. 
Our cupboard was made from * he long 
grocery box, set up on its side, the shelf 
furnished from the cover. The whole 
was then painted white inside and mp, 
and erctouue curtains hung on the rod at 
the opening. The top of our cupboard 
was utilized as a work table. Each child 
furnished his own plate, cup, fork, spoon 
and face towel. Cooking was done on our 
box stove. 
A few minutes each week were used 
in our upper grade physiology class to 
prepare the menus for the following 
week. One hot di"h each day was served. 
The foods selected hail to be: (1) nour¬ 
ishing: (2) easily digested; (3) avail¬ 
able in the community. This work gave 
pupils practice in home economics and 
developed judgment, as well as supplied 
a motive for the physiology lesson. 
There was practically no outlay of 
money, ns all the pupils could bring milk, 
vegetables and soup stocks from the home 
supply. Milk was brought in glass jars, 
which were properly washed immediately 
after lunch was served. Some of the 
dishes prepared included cocoa, creamed 
vegetables, as carrots and the like; 
mashed potatoes: such soups as corn 
soup, canned tomato soup, cabbage soup 
and soups from meat liquors, witli vege¬ 
tables diced and cooked in them; cream 
toast, and many others suggested by 
teacher and pupils. Very often some 
kind-hearted mother donated a jar of 
fruit or jelly, or some other delicacy, | | 
enough for the whole school. This served 
to promote a greater harmony among the 
pupils. 
A few moments before time for the 
noon recess the pupils took their turns 
at washing their hands and faces, while 
spelling classes were being conducted. 
Then each performed his allotted task, 
hoys and girls alikp. For instance, one 
passed the oilcloth doilies op strips to 
each child; another the lunch boxes; 
someone, else passed the silver, and an¬ 
other took the plates, the tiniest tot doing 
his part as well as the older ones. The 
oldest ones served the hot dish, which 
was prepared at the morning recess by 
the committee far the day. Table man¬ 
ners were taught and practiced at this 
hour. 'When each child had completed 
his lunch, he picked up his dishes, placed 
them in a neat pile on the work table, 
wiped his doily clean with a damp cloth, 
put up his lunch box; then, and then 
only, was he excused to go and play. 
The committee for the day "did the 
dishes" and brushed up and tidied the 
room, helped by the teacher. This whole 
program usually extended over about a 
half hour or a few minutes extra. 
As a consequence of this I can truth¬ 
fully say that the following results were 
so evident as to be noteworthy : 
1. The per cent of illness and absence 
in this school was materially decreased. 
2. The physical appearance and health 
of the pupils was noticeably improved. 
3. The spirit of helpfulness and good 
table manners were far more highly de¬ 
veloped. 
4. The mental efficiency of the chil¬ 
dren. especially in the afternoon, was 
greatly increased. 
5. More harmonious feeling resulted 
through the entire district. 
6. Pupils’ interest in school life was 
increased to a marked degree. 
The small amount of extra time, labor 
and effort were not only well spent and 
worth while, but will have a permanent 
influence upon the lives of these school 
children of this little rural district in 
Eastern New York. R. M. R. 
Prison-made Woven Bedspreads 
I saw an inquiry as to when the cover¬ 
lets were woven in the State prison at 
Auburn, N. Y. We have them here in 
Jefferson County that were woven here 
by a man who learned his trade in prison. 
The oldest one I know of is dated 1835, 
and 1847 is the latest date l have seen. 
Two of mine have a lion in the corner, 
and one has an eagle with the name of 
the person for whom it was made, and 
the county and year. My oldest is 87 
years old. IIow loug before that they 
were manufactured at the prison, I do 
not know T . Those that have them here 
value them very highly. 
MRS. C. B. KENNEDY. 
r 
In my immediate family in Western 
New York there were three such spreads, 
all indigo blue and white. The wool and 
flax used were raised and spun on the 
farm. As a child I heard them tell of 
having sent the materials to the .State 
prison at Auburn. In one corner of the 
spread I have now is woven my grand¬ 
mother's name. Margaret Van 1 loosen, 
and in another the date 1839. so this 
spread is 83 years old. 
Grandmother had also some very dur¬ 
able ingrain carpet woven at the prison 
in a large set pattern of mulberry red on 
a whitish ground. 
The designs used on rhe spreads were 
rather stiff conventionalized flower and 
bird figures, not so artistic, it seems to 
me. as the all-over geometric designs still 
seen in great variety in the old-time 
bedspreads of New England. 
LYDIA V. n. POTTER. 
You asked for information in regard to 
hand-woven bedspreads made at Auburn 
prison. I have a blue and white one that 
bears the date 1837. Susannah Peters 
spun the yarn and had it. woven as part 
of her bridal outfit. She died in child 
birth, and her husband married my 
mother's aunt: for his second wife. There 
were no children, and he gave the cover¬ 
let to me after my aunt's death. I do 
not know the name of the pattern, but 
the flower looks something like an Ea*t»r 
lily. GENEVIEVE CLARK. 
Helps to the Housekeeper 
A flannel bag is the best thing to tie 
over a broom _ to use in cleaning wall¬ 
paper and ceiling. It absorbs the dust. 
A cotton lining will prevent the bristles 
from wearing through. 
If you make repairs to wallpaper, don’t 
use new. unfaded paper, but fade a piece 
in the sun until it matches that on the 
walls. 
If you have never had a shelf at the 
head of your cellar stairs, put one there 
now. A shelf half-way down the stairs 
is better than none, and, in fact, some¬ 
times preferable. G. A. t. 
Cleaning Stoves 
The following method is how I do my 
stow* polishing: I shred a lirtle bit of 
graphite stove polish and scatter all over 
on the center part of plates, rhen wet a 
little on the brush and rub it all over on 
the top before giving its final dry polish* 
ing. It should stay black for five to six 
weeks through careful handling of kettles. 
Do not let greasy stuff run over; if it 
does, rubbing it off with a small piece of 
newspaper will save a lot of troubb-. It 
is best to polish while a good fire is go¬ 
ing. MRS. c. M. F. 
This Hamilton Watch is a 17-jewel, 
16-size w'atch ^picture is actual size) 
The movement alone costs $25.00; 
it can be bought from your 
jeweler and fitted by him in any 
style case to suit your needs. Ic 
is carefully adjusted. If your 
jeweler hasn’t exactly this move¬ 
ment, he can get it from us in a 
few days. 
The Question Is: 
Do You Want a Real Watch? 
Of course you do. No grown man wants 
a watch that keeps him guessing. 
Most railroad men on America's trains 
carry Hamilton Watches. These watches 
are sold by jewelers, but railroad men are 
interested in watch movements. They get 
a catalog from us, look it over, pick out 
the watch “movement” that in price and 
general description suits them best, then 
they go to the jeweler and have him get 
one of these movements and put it in a 
case for them. 
You can buy a watch the way a rail¬ 
road man buys one. 
Some men buy gold cases, some silver 
cases, some buy an inexpensive nickel 
case and use that until they are ready to 
buy a gold case. 
The kind of case makes no difference in 
the accuracy of a Hamilton Watch. 
The watches shown in the catalog we 
will send you are $25.00 and upward for 
the movements only. They are all accu¬ 
rate, sturdy, and dependable, 17 jewels 
or more, thoroughly adjusted to keep 
time under different temperatures and 
conditions. 
The catalog is free. All you have to do 
is fill in and mail the coupon. 
HAMILTON W T ATCH COMPANY 
Lancaster , Pa. 
Qlie 
QVatch 
isr 
Railroad 
Cdccuracu 
Cut off and paste on postal card 
HAMILTON WATCH COMPANY Dept. A. 
Lancaster, Pa. 
Dear Sirs: Please send me your free booklet showing the 
styles and kinds of watches best adapted for practical 
I timekeeping on the farm. 
Name. 
Address. 
Town. 
County.State. 
Jeweler’s Name 
Town 
