METHOD OF WORK.

Discuss the disposal of waste, the care of garbage, etc., for the home and for the school. Talk over the care of waste from the school lunch and discuss methods of keeping the school in sanitary condition. Follow this by general cleaning about the schoolhouse.

LESSON V. MAKING SOAP.

SUBJECT MATTER.

HOMEMADE HARD SOAP.

1 pint of cold water. 1 tablespoon borax.

6 pounds fat. 1 can lye. Melt the fat slowly. Mix lye and water in a bowl or kettle (do not use a tin pan), stirring with a stick until the potash dissolves. Add the borax and allow the mixture to cool. Cool the fat and when it is lukewarm add the lye, pouring it in a thin stream and stirring constantly. Stir with a smooth stick until about as thick as honey and continue stirring 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into a box and allow it to harden. Cut into pieces the desired size and leave in a cool, dry place for 10 days, to ripen before using.

When making the soap be careful not to spatter potash or lye on the hands, as it makes a bad burn. If hands are burned with lye, rub with grease at once. Do not wet them.

PRELIMINARY PLAN.

Some time before this lesson is given ask the girls to bring scraps of fat from home. See that these are in good condition, and weigh them to determine the portion of the recipe that can be made. Ask if one of the girls can bring sufficient borax for the recipe.

METHOD OF WORK.

Have the girls look the fat over and put it on to melt, watching it carefully. While it is heating and cooling, discuss the process of soap making, cost of materials, care necessary in the making of soap, and importance of its use. Get the other materials ready for the recipe and a box for molding the soap, and have the girls work together. After the soap has hardened and been cut, have the girls put it away on a shelf to dry.

LESSON VI. SETTING THE TABLE.

SUBJECT MATTER.

Points to be remembered when a meal is to be served: The dining room must be clean, free from dust and flies, well aired, sufficiently lighted, and in good order.

The table must be perfectly clean and covered with a clean white cover (tablecloth, doilies, paper napkins, or oilcloth).

A vase of flowers or leaves, or a small potted plant, arranged in the center of the table, will help to make the table attractive.

95619-17-Bull. 23-2

The table should be prepared with everything necessary for serving the meal, but only those foods placed on it that will not be spoiled with standing. If there is danger of the food attracting flies, cover it carefully.

Plates for everyone who is to partake of the meal should be arranged at equal distances from one another, half an inch from the edge of the table.

The knife should be placed at the right of the plate with the cutting edge toward the plate and half an inch from the edge of the table. The fork should be placed at the left of the plate with the tines of the fork turned up and half an inch from the edge of the table.

The spoon should be placed, bowl upward, at the right of the plate, to the right of the knife if it is to be used first, to the left of the knife if it is not used until after the knife is used. It should be placed half an inch from the edge of the table. Spoons and forks for serving should be placed at the right of the one who is to serve. No one at the table should have to use the personal fork or spoon for serving either herself or others.

The napkins should be simply folded and placed at the left of the fork.

The tumbler should be placed at the upper end of the knife.

Cups and saucers should be placed at the right of the plate with the handle of the cup turned to the right.

The individual butter dish, if used, should be placed at the upper left hand of the fork.

Salts and peppers should be placed in the center of the table or at the sides where they can be conveniently reached. Individual salt dishes, if used, should be placed immediately in front of the individual plate.

The chairs should be placed up to the table after it is set. Care should be taken not to place them so close that it will be necessary to move them when they are occupied.

PRELIMINARY PLAN.

If possible, arrange to give this lesson before Lesson VIII in the series of "Twenty Lessons in Cooking" is given; then the emphasis in that lesson can be put upon what to serve, proper combinations, etc., while this lesson gives the drill in the arrangement and handling of dishes.

It is desirable to give the girls thorough drill in table setting and table service, since much of the pleasure derived from eating foods depends upon careful attention to these processes.

Be careful to see that everything necessary is on hand to set the table nicely but simply. For class practice a small table can be set for four. This will necessitate a table cover, five or more dinner

plates, four butter dishes or plates, four tumblers, four cups and saucers, four knives, four forks, four teaspoons, four napkins, a salt dish, a platter, one serving spoon, and one serving fork. If these things are not already in the school, they can probably be brought from home by the girls. If linen cloths are not used and can not be afforded in the homes, the girls can be taught to use a sheet of white oilcloth on the table.

Have a diagram of the arrangement of an individual place at the table made on the blackboard by some of the girls.

1. Knife. 2. Spoon. 3. Water glass. 4. Fork. 5. Napkin. 6. Bread-and-butter plate. 7. Dinner plate.

METHOD OF WORK.

The processes of table setting should be demonstrated with the materials at hand and the work should be adapted to home conditions.

If there is no available table in the schoolroom, the desk tops can be used for individual places.

Reasons for all the forms used should be given--the convenience of placing knives and spoons to the right, forks to the left, and the cup and saucer and tumbler to the right, the use of the napkin, etc.

LESSON VII. WAITING ON TABLE.

SUBJECT MATTER.

The person who is to wait on table must be careful to see that everything is in readiness before the meal is announced, so that she can do her work readily without subjecting those at the table to

delay. She should have drinking water, bread, and butter (if used) at hand, hot dishes ready for the hot foods, and clean dishes laid out for the dessert. She must see that her own hands are perfectly clean and her hair and dress in order. A clean, neat apron will always improve her appearance. The room should be clean and neatly arranged before the meal is served.

If the meal is to be a family one and all are to sit down at the table together, plates will be passed from one to another as they are served, but it will still be well to have one person appointed to wait on the table. She can keep watch and be ready to supply more bread, water, etc., when it is necessary and to change the plates for the dessert course. She should rise from the table quickly and quietly in order not to disturb the others and should take her place again as soon as all necessary service has been rendered.

The following rules should be observed: Always handle tumblers from the base, being careful not to bring the hands in contact with the upper edge. Fill only three-fourths full.

Serve butter in neat, compact pieces. Put on the table just before the meal is served.

Cut bread in even slices, pile neatly on serving plate, and place on table, covering with a clean napkin or towel if flies are bad or there is danger of dust. Place dessert dishes at one end of the table, or better still on a side table until time to use them. When carrying dishes to and from the table be careful not to put the fingers in contact with the food. Learn to place the hand under the dish. In nice service a napkin is used between the hand and the dish or a tray is used if the dish is a small one. The tray should be covered with a napkin or doily.

When a dish is passed, hold it at the left of the person to be served low enough so that she can help herself readily. Be sure that each dish of food is supplied with a spoon or fork for serving, and turn the handle of the serving spoon or fork toward the one being served.

If a plate is to be placed in front of a person, set it down from the right and remove it from the right. Never reach in front of others at the table.

When a course is finished remove all large dishes first; then the soiled plates, knives, and forks. Be careful to handle only a few dishes at a time and not to pile them. If another course is to be served, crumb the table, using a napkin and plate for the purpose and brushing the crumbs lightly into the plate. Fill the glasses and arrange the dishes and forks or spoons quickly for the next course.

When the meal is over the chairs should be moved back from the table, the dishes neatly piled and carried to the kitchen sink, the table wiped off, the crumbs brushed up from the floor, and the room aired.

PRELIMINARY PLAN.

Let this lesson be a continuation of the previous one, putting emphasis on the method of waiting on table. The same articles for setting the table will be required that were in use in the last lesson. In addition to these the girls must be careful to have clean aprons for the lesson on table service.

METHOD OF WORK.

Have the table set as a review of the work of the last lesson; then have four or six of the girls seated at the table and go through the forms of serving one another to any simple meal upon which the class may decide. Family meal service should be explained and demonstrated first; then service where there is one waitress. Have one girl act as waitress and serve all the others. Let them take turns in offering and placing food, removing soiled dishes, filling tumblers, etc.

LESSONS VIII AND IX. GENERAL CLEANING OF A ROOM.

SUBJECT MATTER.

Rooms which are in constant use should be brushed up and dusted every day. A thorough cleaning of each room in the house will be necessary every week or two, even though the room is brushed up and kept in order every day. First, all closets, drawers, and other receptacles in which articles collect should be cleaned; then all large movable articles should be dusted and moved out of the room; those that are not readily movable should be dusted and covered. The floor should be swept with the windows closed; then the windows should be opened and the ceiling and walls brushed with a covered broom and the dust allowed to settle. Then the floor should be wiped with a damp cloth on the broom. The woodwork should be cleaned with a damp cloth and a soap that is not too strong. Soda or sapolio should not be used. The furniture should be carefully uncovered and all arranged in perfect order.

The things that are highest up should be dusted first and care should be taken to collect all dust in the dust cloth. The cloth should be shaken out of doors after collecting the dust, washed thoroughly, and boiled after using. The dust cloth should be dampened before using on all surfaces except the polished furniture and windows.

Sweeping should be done with short strokes and the broom kept close to the floor, so that the dust will not fly about. The corners of the room should be swept first, the dust gathered in the center of the

1 If the floor is of unfinished wood it will require a thorough scrubbing. After sweeping the floor and allowing the dust to settle, a small portion should be scrubbed at a time with a floor brush and soap. The grain of the wood should be followed when scrubbing. Scrubbing water should be changed frequently. A cloth should be wrung out of clear water for rinsing and drying the floor.