A complete course in domestic science ...

Introduction

In this modern time, when the principles of science are applied everywhere in daily life, the application of science to the problems of home life must not he ignored.

Everyone now recognizes scientific farming, scientific dairying, stock raising, poultry raising, as far more successful than the same lines of work without the application of scientific principles. Surprise is now expressed that anyone expects to be successful in any such vocation except upon modern scientific methods.

Housekeeping has not kept pace in this respect Avith other work. It has, to a certain extent, stood still instead of progressing. The only possible reason for this lack of progress in the art of housekeeping, is that the housekeeper, does not learn new methods of doing her work. Too many women are satisfied to do as their mothers and grandmothers did, and do not try to find better ways.

In order that housekeeping may make progress equal to that made by other skilled vocations, the housekeeper must realize that her work is an art, and that it requires study and training.

Women must be willing to try new methods and must believe that science will help the housekeeper as it has helped the worker in other callings.

There are many young women who would gladly learn new methods of housekeeping and scientific principles of cooking, and of hygiene and sanitation if it were within their power to do so, but circumstances are too often such that it is impossible for them to leave home for study and training in the art. Knowing that there are hundreds of young women who will gladly avail themselves of such desirable knowledge, this correspondence course in Home Economies is offered.

This manual will be the first of a series including, besides the present treatise upon "Household Economics," "Foods, Their Composition and Uses in the Body," "Theory and Practice of Cookery," Personal Hygiene," "Home Sanitation," and other kindred subjects. These courses have been prepared by one who has had many years' experience in teaching Domestic Science; one who has full knowledge of the conditions of Western life, and who has a heartfelt desire to be helpful to the devoted young women whose duties and pleasures lie in Western homes.

HOUSEHOLD ECONOMICS.

THE HOUSE.

Chapter. I

The house itself must be studied before the varied processes of living in the house can be intelligently considered. It will now be discussed : —

First, as to location;

Second, as to plan;

Third, as to location of rooms;

Fourth, as to finish of rooms;

Fifth, as to furnishings for rooms.

Location. — The climate will help to some extent in determining the location of the house with reference to the points of the compass. In a warm climate the rooms most commonly used should be on the shady side of the house; whereas in a cool climate such rooms should be located so as to receive all the sunshine possible. The need in this respect will determine which direction the house should front.

In cities a corner location is more desirable than the center of the block, as the house receives better light and ventilation, and is also less liable to annoyance from near neighbors. The corner location is more noisy and also more expensive, as rentals or property values are higher and there is more fence and sidewalk to care for. Close proximity to tall buildings should be avoided as they shut out light and free circulation of air.

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Nearness to stagnant water or to any ill-smelling' place must be avoided for sanitary reasons; and nearness to a saloon, or any disreputable business or resort, must be avoided for moral reasons.

PLANS OF HOUSE.

Plans for a moderate sized house have changed greatly during- the past few years and are still changing. The room that is now regarded as the most important one is the family Jiving room. A parlor is no longer considered desirable for any but a large house. This family living room should be the largest and best room in the house, with large windows furnishing abundant sunlight and with as pleasing an outlook as possible.

The Hall may be a fair sized room, or it may be a mere entry — a sort of distributing passage way — to avoid passing directly from out of doors into the living room. Since the modern tendency is towards one story houses for moderate sized residences, there is not so much need of the large hall now as formerly.

All rooms should connect in such a way as to avoid inconvenience, noise and unnecessary steps.

The Dining Room may be of quite moderate size if it is to be used only at meal times, and may be located in a less desirable part of the house than the living room.

Some passage should be arranged between kitchen and dining room to prevent odors from the cookingpenetrating to other parts of the house. A very desirable plan is*to have pantry and China closet between the kitchen and dining room. If the kitchen range is provided with a good "hood" to carry off odors and vapors there will be little trouble to pre-

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vent their entrance into other rooms. It is a great saving of steps to have the pantry and China closet arranged as suggested.

A Good Store Room should be provided not far from the kitchen for the storing of groceries and food supplies. This room must be kept cool and should, therefore, be on the shady side of the house. This room should be kept dark the most of the time but should be well ventilated and capable of being well lighted.

If the house is large enough to warrant taking the floor space a separate room for laundry uxyrk should be provided, but in the moderate sized house this work may be done in the kitchen.

A Bath Room is a necessity in every home and should not be regarded as a luxury.

Sleeping Rooms in houses more than one story high are generally most satisfactory when they are located on an upper floor. The air in the rooms will be purer and freer from dampness than when the rooms are close to the ground. If the house is all on the ground floor, as in the modern cottage, a high foundation should be built to raise the floor a reasonable distance from the ground. In the high altitude and dry atmosphere of this Inter-Mountain region there is little danger to be feared from sleeping in rooms on the ground floor. When there are sleeping rooms on the second floor it is usually desirable to have the mother's room on the ground floor, unless there is some good reason why it should not be there. This plan saves time and inconvenience in the care of chiliren and in case of illness.

A Clothes Closet should be provided opening from each bedroom, These closets should have light and ventilation if possible, but if not they should be rather shallow so as to be ventilated from the room. The door should stand open when the bed room is airing and as much as possible during the day.

.4. Linen Closet within convenient reach of the bedroom is a marked convenience. This should be a room with a window, or a cupboard built into the wall of the hall. This closet or cupboard is used for storing surplus bedding and pillows, as well as the clean bed linen and towels.

Attic. — If the house has an attic it must be well ventilated and lighted. It should have sufficient floor to enable every part of the room to be well cleaned. Nails or hooks may be fastened in the rafters upon which to hang unused chairs, bags of herbs, seeds, and many other things that are not conveniently kept elsewhere, and thus save floor space, and also to permit the floor to be easily swept and kept clean.

The Cellar must be well ventilated and lighted and kept dry and clean. This topic of the cellar anc its condition will be discussed more fully in the course in Home Sanitation that will appear later.

REVIEW FOR CHAPTER I.

1. What points must be kept in mind in selecting a location for the bouse?

3. What are the most important points to con sider in locating the different rooms in the house*

4. What advantages and what disadvantages has the one story house?

5. What conditions must be considered in planning for clothes closets and linen closets?

HOUSEHOLD ECONOMICS.

Chapter II. THE KITCHEN

As the kitchen is one of the most important rooms of the house it must be given more study than most other rooms receive. An outline for study of the kitchen will help to fix the important points of the study more firmly in the mind.

KITCHEN STUDY OUTLINE.

1. General History and Development of Kitchen.

2. Kinds of Kitchen :

( a ) Home Kitchen ;

(b) Hotel Kitchen;

(c) Shipboard and Pullman Car Kitchens;

(d) School Kitchen.

3. Location of Kitchen.

4. Size of Kitchen.

5. Finish of Kitchen :

(a) Floor;

(b) Walls and ceiling;

( c ) Woodwork.

6. Light and Ventilation.

7. Furnishings:

(a) Kinds;

(b) Arrangement.

8. General Condition and Care.

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT.

The first idea of architecture was a covering for the fire, and we may imagine this covering to have been the first kitchen. Caves and hollow rocks were undoubtedly used by primitive man as a shelter for io DOMESTIC SCIENCE.

himself and his fire, which thus became the primitive kitchen.

The kitchens of the Southern European races developed in a very different way from those of the ancient people of Northern Europe. The ancient Greeks and Romans had the kitchen in an open court with a covering or awning- over one end only, to protect the space where the people worked from the sun's rays. The kitchen of the ancient Saxons and Norsemen was a low, round hut or mound-like room with a low door that served for the escape of the smoke as well as for the entrance of the people. For a long time this kitchen remained separate from the house, but finally, among the most of the Northern people, it became a part of the house.

Among the middle class people of the old world, the kitchen is a very picturesque room, and, especially in the rural districts, it is large and comfortably furnished. Artists delight to paint pictures of kitchens in Germany and Scandanavia, while the quaint Dutch kitchen is a delight to everyone.

The New England kitchen of Colonial times was a very large room having an immense fireplace with its great brick oven beside it. The room was used as a general family living room. The spinning wheel and loom were generally found there, and other instruments of general family use.

.Many Colonial stories give charming word pictures of (hese old-time kitchens and many paintings of them are in existence. Some societies, such as the " Daughters of the Revolution," are trying to preserve some of these old-time kitchens in their original form with their real old-time furnishings. Museums are collecting such old articles of furniture and ar-

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ranging old-time kitchens so that they may not pass from the knowledge of present and future generations.

As more rooms were added to the house, the kitchen was made smaller and adapted to the work that properly belongs to it, while the other home industries were taken elsewhere.

The Hotel Kitchen is in marked contrast with the home kitchen. It is an immense room, or a series of smaller rooms, each one adapted to some one line of kitchen work. Not an unnecessary article of furniture is found and every possible arrangement is made to save time and labor; not an unnecessary motion must be made nor an unnecessary step taken.

The kitchen of the up-to-date hotel is placed on the top floor and is provided with skylight and roof ventilation. This prevents the odors and vapors of cooking from reaching other apartments.

The Shipboard Kitchen and dining car kitchen on railway trains are ideal as far as compact arrangement is concerned. Every article has its place and nothing is allowed out of place for a moment unless it is in use. The amount of work that can be accomplished in so small a space is surprising. Not a movement is wasted. Some of these plans of compact arrangement could certainly be appropriated for the benefit of the home kitchen.

LOCATION OF HOME KITCHEN.

The climate and the direction in which the house fronts must determine, in part at least, the portion of the house that is best adapted for the kitchen. In a warm climate the kitchen is preferable on the north side of the house, and in an "ell" where it can get air from three sides. In a cold climate this would be too

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exposed. If not convenient to locate the kitchen in an "ell" it should be a corner room so that it will have air and light from two sides. In this climate an ideal local ion for the kitchen is in the southeast corner of the house. It is desirable to have the kitchen well lighted when the morning work is going; on.

SIZE OF KITCHEN.

If the kitchen is to be used as dining room and family living room as well as for kitchen it must be quite a large room; but if it is used for the regular kitchen work only it may be, and should be, quite small. When not really necessary the large kitchen is objectionable, as it,

First, wastes time and strength in keeping it clean ;

Second, wastes time and strength in needless steps;

Third, wastes fuel in heating it;

Fourth, occupies room that could be better used.

Many housekeepers fail to realize the amount of time and strength they waste every day in unnecessary steps about a large or a poorly arranged kitchen.

Twelve by fourteen feet is amply large for the kitchen of a moderate sized house. A kitchen as small as ten by twelve feet, or one nine by thirteen feet, is ideal for a small family; and if it is properly arranged the regular kitchen work for a large family may be done in a kitchen of that size without waste of time or effort. The very small kitchen may be objectionable on account of the heat from the range, but if this is hooded and the kitchen ventilated there will be little difficulty. The location of pantry, store room and cellar, with reference to the kitchen, must be carefully considered with a view to economizing steps.

FINISH OF KITCHEN.

( a ) The Floor. — This should be as hard, smooth and even as possible, and of material that is easily cleaned. Marble or tiling makes an ideal floor from a sanitary standpoint, but is too unyielding. The worker in such akitchen becomes unnecessarily fatigued from walking or standing on so hard a floor. Wood seems to be the best material for the kitchen floor as it is somewhat yielding under the feet and can be dressed in such a way as to be easily cleaned. The flooring should be the best selected bard timber, free from knots and sawed in such a manner that the wood will not splinter up with use. It should be narrow, matched material and carefully fitted. There must be no cracks either in the floor or where the floor joins the baseboard, to harbor dirt and germs. This smooth board floor may be oiled or stained, and if this dressing is renewed each year the floor will wear indefinitely.

Renewing Old Flows . — If the floor boards are good but do not match closely the cracks can be filled with a mixture of flour paste and paper. Make a thick flour paste and stir in newspaper torn in pieces; boil until the mixture is a thick pulp. Fill the cracks with this paper pulp and let it harden. It will become as soild as the floor and the whole surface may then be painted or stained. It will perhaps not be amiss here to state that painted kitchen floors, while very satisfactory in the East, do not seem to be as satisfactory in the mountain regions of the West. In this Western country they do not wear well, and whether the fault is in the paint or the climate seems difficult to determine.

Linoleums.— If the floor is too old to dress satisfactorily in anyway it should be covered with linoleum i 4 DOMESTIC SCIENCE.

of good quality. This must be carefully fitted at the edges so that dust will not lodge there or water soak in when the floor is cleaned.

Old and worn linoleum or floor oil-cloth must not be allowed to remain on the floor. When the top varnish is worn off organic matter and moisture soak through the fabric; the room will then have a dirty, musty odor, no matter how clean it may be kept otherwise. This decomposing of organic matter may also become a source of disease.

A Carpet has no place in a kitchen, as it holds dust and odors. It is impossible to keep a carpet sufficiently free from dust to be safe to use where food is prepared.

Rugs may be used to stand upon in front of work tables, sink and resting chairs without objection, as they are easily taken out of doors, beaten, sunned and aired.

These rugs keep the feet warm, relieve the pressure upon the feet from standing upon a board floor, and also add an appearance of comfort to the kitchen.

(b) Finish of Walls and Ceiling. — The kitchen walls should be hard and smooth so that they can not hold dust or absorb organic matter and moisture.

The most satisfactory wall finish from the standpoint of sanitary cleanliness, utility and beauty, is the hard finish plaster, painted some pretty tint, Such a wall is smooth, non-absorbent and as easily cleaned as painted wood-work. This finish will last as long as the plaster does. It is not a very expensive finish, the cost being especially reasonable if some member of the family can apply the paint. The color may be a pretty buff, soft blue, light sage, olive green or soft rose color.

Oilcloth carefully glued to the walls makes a sanitary and durable wall finish, but one that is not especially artistic. Oilcloth is more durable than the painted wall, as it protects the plaster from blows and scratches. The oilcloth makes a very desirable wainscoting if it is not liked on the entire wall.

Wood wainscoting is not desirable for a kitchen unless the wood is thoroughly seasoned, so that the joints will not separate, and very smoothly painted, so that dust will not adhere to the surface.

Cwlcimine is always a desirable finish for a kitchen wall. It is easily renewed each year; it is inexpensive; and, if applied by an experienced workman, the walls may be made very attractive by the pleasing tints obtainable.

(c) Finish of Wood Work. — The ideal finish for the wood work of a kitchen is hard oil finish on hard pine. This finish is hard, smooth and much more easily cleaned than the ordinary painted wood work. It is more expensive in the first place than paint, but it is much more desirable. This hard oil finish is of a medium light yellow color that gives an impression of sunshine in the kitchen. Dust or dirt do not readily adhere to this finish, and the little that does accumulate is easily removed by wiping with a soft flannel and a very small amount of oil. If this hard finish can not be obtained the wood work should be painted with a medium light color. It should receive a sufficient number of coats to produce a smooth, glossy surface.

Seine of the kitchens in new city houses have the wood work finished in white enamel. This enamel of course shows dirt and finger marks but is very easily cleaned. It is not to be recommended, however, l6 DOMESTIC SCIENCE.

where there are children, a careless housekeeper, or an untidy maid, in spite of the fact that it cleans easily.

The wood work in the kitchen should be plain with no mouldings, cornices or carvings,— no places for the possible lodgment of dust.

LIGHT AND VENTILATION.

The kitchen must be well lighted for three reasons :

First, Sunlight destroys germs and purities the atmosphere of the room;

Second, Light exposes the presence of dust and dirt; hence a well lighted kitchen is much more apt to be kept clean than a dark one;

Third, Plenty of light enables the worker to see to do more carefully all the different kinds of work performed in the kitchen;

Four, A bright, sunny, cheerful kitchen has a salutary effect upon the minds and nerves of its occupants.

Light should come from at least two sides of the kitchen, as it can scarcely be too light. The windows should be large and not heavily shaded on the outside by vines and trees as is often the case. A few vines over the windows during the heat of summer are not objectionable; or awnings may be used to partially exclude the heat of the sun on such days, or such portions of days, when it is found too great.

The Ventilation of the kitchen must be more carefully attended to than that of any of the other rooms of the house. Fresh air should be abundantly admitted to the kitchen, because:

First, The air in the kitchen is beaten into food; if that air is fresh the food is lighter, better flavored and more wholesome than if mixed with stale air;

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Second, For the convenience and comfort of the worker;

Third, To prevent the vapors and odors Avhich arise from cooking reaching other parts of the house;

Fourth, To prevent over-heating the kitchen from the range fire.

There should be windows in the kitchen on opposite sides of the room, and also opposite from the outside door, so that a quick and complete change of air may be secured. These windows should be arranged to lower easily from the top, so that the steamy air of the kitchen may pass out. If possible a ventilating Hue should be built in the wall just beside the chimney with an opening into it near the ceiling for the foul air to pass out. If this flue is not possible the air in the kitchen can be kept pure, free from steam and at a reasonable temperature by the intelligent use of doors, transoms and windows.

KITCHEN FURNISHINGS.

The furniture of the kitchen should consist of such articles only as are essential to the comfort and convenience of the ones who do the work in the kitchen. All the articles of furniture must be simple in construction and plain in finish, and of material that will not hold dust or absorb odors. Any upholstered furniture is entirely out of place in a kitchen.

The articles of furniture desirable in a kitchen will depend to some extent upon whether or not there is a pantry convenient to the kitchen, for holding the supplies, cooking dishes and utensils. If there is no pantry, then cupboards and a cooking cabinet must be provided in the kitchen.

The most essential article of furniture in the kitchen is the kitchen range, which should be plain in finish, simple in structure and of size suited to the family. [As this piece of furniture is so closely connected with the cooking of food, it will be discussed fully, together with fuels, in the section on " Cookery."]

The Cupboards in the kitchen must be suited in size to the needs of the family.

A Cabinet to hold flour, meal, graham and sugar, with smaller drawers for tea towels, dish towels, hand towels, cooking holders, wrapping twine, scissors, and with a bread board to draw out when needed, which is a great convenience in any kitchen. There is a great variety of these cabinets; some of them are large and very elaborate, so that they will contain all the supplies and cooking utensils for small families. The simpler cabinet can be made by an ordinary carpenter, and when stained and finished with either an oil or varnish dressing is not unsightly and is certainly a great convenience to any housekeeperr.

A 'VVork Table may have drawers or bins, or even a cupboard under it if desired, to hold tins and other utensils. A drop leaf is a great convenience in a small kitchen as it can be fastened against (he wall when not in use.

A work table should be covered with white oilcloth as it is easily kept clean and gives a neat, tidy appearance to the kitchen. If this oilcloth is not unduly exposed to heat it will last a long time. Care should be taken not to place anything hot upon this oilcloth. The enamel coating is thus destroyed and removed, then water soaks in and the cloth is spoiled.

Two or three chairs are sufficient for a medium sized kitchen. These should be plain and strong. A high stool or high chair is a necessity in a kitchen. There are many household tasks that can be performed as easily sitting as standing if the worker can be raised to the proper height above the work table. One can thus relieve the fatigue caused by continued standing. These- kitchen high chairs may be purchased at the furniture stores, or an ordinary straight back kitchen chair may have the legs removed and longer ones substituted.

The windows should be furnished with good blinds of a desirable color. Light curtains of washable material may be used to soften the light if desired, but they must be plain and simply hung so as to be easily removed and laundered. Sash curtains of very thin scrim, dotted {Swiss, or cheese cloth may be used if privacy is desired.

A (Jood Clock is a necessity in a kitchen.

TJiv Sink, if there is one, must be modem, with the plumbing in view; not the old fashioned one with a dark, damp cupboard underneath. The sink must be lined with material that will not rust. The porcelain, or enamel lined will last many years.

A "dry sink'' — one without a drain — should not be used j it is very difficult to keep clean. The sink with a waste pipe draining into a pail is an untidiness in a kitchen. If there is no drain the dish water and other kitehen slops should be put into a pail and carried to the back yard, remote from both the house and the well, where it will not vitiate the air or water used. Dish water should never be thrown around the back door, as it is a menace to health, as well as being conducive to unsightliness. This kitchen slop pail must be cieaneu and scalded frequently.

DOMESTIC SCIENCE.

ARRANGEMENT OF FURNITURE.

The careful arrangement of the furniture of the kitchen, so as to save steps in doing the work, is a very important point to consider. The distance between work table and stove, between stove and pantry, between work table and sink, must be carefully studied; the distance that food is carried from the stove to dining room, and from table to store-room, must be noticed and every possible change made that will save steps as well as time and strength. These are points of greater importance than the housekeeper usually realizes, for the few extra steps taken in these various directions will soon aggregate miles of useless Walking.

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF KITCHEN.

The kitchen must be,

First, clean;

Second, free from dust;

Third, well supplied with fresh air;

Fourth, as free from steam and dampness as possible;

Fifth, as nearly uniform in temperature as it can be with the use of the coal range.

There are said to be three kinds of cleanliness; first, "aesthetic cleanliness," — keeping things clean for the dainty appearance only, while perhaps neglecting the dirt that is out of sight and far more dangerous; second, "traditional cleanliness," — cleaning because it is the regular day to clean, regardless of whether the cleaning is necessary or not. This form of cleanliness leads to great waste of strength and time; third, "Sanitary cleanliness," — keeping the

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house clean to prevent unhealthful conditions. This is the most important form of cleanliness and the condition that must be insisted upon in the kitchen.

Dust in every form must be carefully guarded against. The dust of a kitchen contains organic matter, and this, with the warmth and moisture of the room, is favorable to the development of germs. This dust settles into food in process of preparation and upon cooked food, and may thus become a source of disease.

Dust should not be allowed to accumulate over the stove pipe or over tops of doors and windows, as every motion of air causes particles of it to float about and settle onto dishes and into food. The corners, base boards, and every place in the kitchen where dust will lodge and germs develop must be frequently cleaned. Any dark place in the kitchen is a source of danger.

SCREENS.

The kitchen must be carefully screened to keep out flies. Flies in the house are a source of dirt, discomfort, and disease. They infest all manner of foul places and carry the filth on their feet wherever they go. Flies are a common cause of the spread of typhoid and other fevers. They cause a great deal of unnecessary cleaning. Food of any kind should not stand uncovered in a kitchen where flies abound.