7 he Normal School Quarterly Series 8 January, I9S0 Humber 3 4 HOME ECONOMICS ■ int i ~-v$s\ i: HOUSEHOLD SCIENCE By CARRIE ALBERTA LYFdRD Director of Household Science, Illinois State Normal University II HOUSEHOLD ART By HELEN BRYCE BROOKS Director of Household Art, Illinois State Normal University Enterd August 18, 1902, at Normal, Illinois, as second-class matter under Act of Congress of July 16, 1894 PUBLISHT BY THE ILLINOIS STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY, NORMAL, ILLINOIS NORMAL SCHOOL QUARTERLY Publisht by the Illinois State formal University , Aformal, Illinois Series 8 January, 1910 ^lumber 34 HOUSEHOLD SCIENCE HOUSEHOLD SCIENCE DEFINED The terms “home economics,” “domestic science and arts,” “household science,” and “household art” are all used interchangeably to designate a study of the home and its conduct. The subjects studied may be clast under the three general heds, food, shelter, and clothing. For convenience in classification of subject-matter, and to make specialization possible to teacher and student home economics is usually di- vided into two branches termd “household science,” and “household art.” Household science deals with all those phases of the subject most closely interwoven with the sci- ences — the study of the home, its formation, sanitation and administration, and the study of human nutrition, of foods and their preparation. DEVELOPMENT OF HOME ECONOMICS The home has come down to us thru the centuries en- velopt in sacred sentiment, burdend with primitiv traditions. The study of the home as a factor in human history is a de- velopment of modern times made possible by the advance in the sciences, and made necessary by the radical changes in economic conditions. The home and its significance have assumed a wider interest and demand a deeper study than has ever been the case in the past. We are no longer con- tent to entrust the various phases of household industry to The spellings recommended by the Simplified Spelling Board are used in the pub- lications of the Illinois State Normal University. 2 Normal School Quarterly unskild hands when we realize that the processes involvd in the preparation of foods produce chemical changes which may render them of no value or even of real harm to the body. We are no longer content to expose our bodies to the various diseases which we know may lurk in dust and dirt. The waste in human efficiency, the instability of social con- ditions, and the lack of beauty in our daily lives can not longer be regarded with equanimity by any intelligent stu- dent of life. Laws may be enacted, organizations may be formd, societies may give the help of their united action but every effort to improve public helth and social life will be vain unless the individual homes of the country are given study, and unless the housekeepers of the present and the future are educated in a more than superficial way in the science and art of housekeeping and home- making. Home economics means more than an application of science and art to secure certain desired results in the preparation of wholesome, palatable foods, and in the selec- tion of artistic articles of dress and furniture; for the home must always be regarded as a social unit and the expendi- ture of energy, material, time and money must all be taken into consideration in any study of its activities. Likewise the home is the place where the individual is given such physical, intellectual and ethical training that he is made an efficient human being. Therefore the economics of home consumption, the place of the home in the social order and the intellectual and spiritual influences of the home are all included in a study of home economics. CONDITION OF THE HOME — PAST AND PRESENT Time was when the home ment merely a place of safety and protection. Later it became the place for rearing and educating the young. In time all the industries involvd in the preparation of food and clothing were carried on under the home roof, and the home became the center of a busy industrial life. During the past century these indus- tries of the home have been removed one by one from the hands of women until little remains to be done in the home Home Economics 3 but cooking and cleaning and the rearing of the young. That the two former tasks may not eventually be almost ex- clusivly performd by co operativ kitchens, steam laundries and public vacuum cleaners, who can be quite sure? That the rearing of children is being more carefully and success- fully done than when, before the advent of the factory sys- tem, the home was the center of production, who would dare to assert? Any dout we may feel arises not because there is no longer time for the rearing of children in the home (the domestic duties of the housekeeper are constantly grow- ing less), but because the home has ceast to demand the ac- tiv co-operation of the child in productiv industries, and so, all too frequently, fails to give him any preparation for the real work of life. This condition exists for the reason that up to the present the home has faild to adjust itself com- pletely to the changed economic conditions, the specific work which remains to be done by the home has not been clearly defined and housekeepers have not been educated to realize their importance as economic factors or to recognise the force of the home as a social factor. Great as have been the changes produced in social life by the advent of the factory system and the development of the industrial era, the effect of these changes has been no where so markt as on the lives of women. As the labors of the home diminisht women found it necessary to look out- side the home for employment and support. The big busi- ness concerns needed workers and afforded the great attrac- tions of novelty and social intercourse, so that women in need of work flockt to the factories and became more and more removed from the home and its training. Gradually, too, the younger women and girls became absorbd by the factory system so that even in the earliest years the home influences became lost to them and no knowledge of housekeeping was obtaind nor was such knowledge felt to be of vital import- ance. About the same time that these economic changes were coming to pass gradual changes in public opinion opend the 4 Normal School Quarterly higher institutions of learning to women and another class of girls welcomd this as an escape from the uninteresting monotony of home life, where productiv industries were no longer carried on and where, as yet, no new interests had been created. Since at first the institutions admitting women made but slight changes in their curriculums the higher ed- ucation of women faild to develop that knowledge of the home as a social factor or as the center of a large number of scientific phenomena which would render it one of the world’s most interesting laboratories for study and investigation. Thus the home was left to the care of the wives and mothers whose duties were centerd there and on the one hand they were deprived of the support of those whose labors, if wisely directed, would have materially diminisht the work of house- keeping; on the other hand they were unaided by those women whose education should have helpt to develop the science of the home. It is scarcely surprising that the movement swung to the extreme, for social movements usually do; that women gradually began to think of housekeeping with distaste, if not aversion; and that housekeeping finally became all but a lost art. The work which was performed by untraind foren servants and directed by women who had not been fitted for their positions as housekeepers either by training or by edu- cation came to take low rank among the world’s industries. The ability of women and the value of woman’s work in the world became a matter of question and concern. WOMAN’S SPECIAL CALLING — HOME-MAKING: SPECIAL PREPARATION NEEDED What is the woman’s calling? Home-making shall we say? Yes, we must agree that home-making is woman’s spe- cial calling, but we must not limit women’s sphere to home- making in its technical sense for women have shown them- selves fitted for various trades and professions, in many of which they equal, in some of which they excel men. Still in the last analysis, whatever the calling of the individual woman may be, at some period if not at every period of her A View of the Kitchen 6 Normal School Quarterly life, she feels it necessary to make a home for herself or for others who are dependent upon her. It is beginning to be universally felt that just as boys must study the forces of nature, the laws of the country and general economic conditions so all girls must receive some special instruction in those studies which pertain more clearly to the home. The young girl who is to be the home- maker of the future, the young girl who is to engage in in- dustrial occupations in the homes of others and the young girl who is to follow some professional calling will all be better prepared for the future if some study is made of home economics during her early life. There are certain general facts in regard to the world’s work of which every man should have a knowledge whatever his profession; in like manner there are many laws of house- hold science with which every woman should be familar, and a woman’s ignorance of household matters should be regarded in just as grave a light as the ignorance of a man entering upon a business career who has not the knowledge of the simplest laws of the business world. Nor should this be regarded merely as a trite truism. Life is a sacred thing and the home which guards that life is worthy of deepest study. And yet compare our attitude toward a man who enters a business offis with no preparatory training and the young woman who voluntarily undertakes the responsibili- ties of matrimony lacking all knowledge of housekeeping and home-making. The young man’s ignorance may make short work of his business career, but the young woman is allowd to assume duties still more grave for which she is utterly unprepared and the weight of which she regards but lightly. The sickness and deth which result in the household from lack of education on the part of the housekeeper are still almost universally regarded in the most godless com- munities as ‘Visitations of Providence” and the response which our educational systems is making to the plea for hy- gienic living is but slowly adjusting itself. Alredy na- Home Economics 7 tional laws are being enacted as safeguards against disease and deth. Are individual homes making a like effort to meet the needs of the hour, are they being establisht with careful observance of sanitary laws and being conducted on scientific principles? Housekeepers who have become aware of the demands of the situation and who have the leisure are making a study of many of the conditions with which they meet but the movement is still far from being a universal one and the need for concentrated action has de- volvd upon the schools where it has been met most wisely. RELATION OF THE SCHOOLS TO THE HOME ECONOMICS MOVEMENT As in all the elementary studies the schools are felt to be a necessary adjunct to the mother in the education of her children, so in the study of home economics the schools are able thru their scientific study of the home and careful cor- relation with other subjects to accomplish far more than can be accomplisht in the individual homes. At the present time this is felt to be particularly true because few mothers of this .age have had any scientific preparation for housekeep- ing or have made a study of the economic condition of the home. That the mother is the child’s best teacher may be true in the study of home economics as of other subjects, but that the mother should be the child’s only teacher would almost surely offer to progress the same barrier from which the home has too long suffered. Has the home developt with the same rate of progress that other social institutions have developt? Compare our finely equipt schools with the homes of their patrons. In the former are all the conveniences that science has made possible; in the latter the kitchen, or workshop, is often dark and inconvenient and but poorly equipt with those devices which lighten labor and make pos- sible accurate results. National bureaus have been establisht in order to make a study of foods, questions of hygiene, and human nutrition. The relation of this work to stock-raising and commercial branches has long been felt, but that it may have an equal bearing on human life is still a matter of surprise 8 Normal School Quarterly as evinced by the farmer’s exprest astonishment in the query, ‘‘The feeding of our children is of almost as great importance as the feeding of our stock, is it not?” Yes, there is no one factor more vital to perfect human development than that of food, and when we come to realize that the heltby human be- ing is not only a happier, more efficient person but also worth more in money value both to himself and the nation we ap- preciate the importance of the work that rests in the house- keeper’s hands. Intemperance, contagion, sickness and deth can be vastly diminisht when our home life becomes all that science can make it, and life itself will progressivly attain its highest achievements. The proverbial conservatism of woman has always tended to delay progress in the home. Lack of competition and a failure to tabulate and compare results have been other factors which have prevented a progress in the home that was proportionate to the progress in the nation. In the study of home economics in the school the child will not meet with these conditions as in the home. Contact with others interested in the problems of home life, the relation of the home to the sciences, to history, economics and lit- erature, the opportunity to compare results, the necessity for definit statement of conditions and the stimulus given by competition in school work will interest the child and give the study a value that could never be derived under the mother’s unaided instruction in the home. VALUE OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN HOME ECONOMICS TO TEACHERS The study of home economics should not be restricted to the future wife and mother but should form a part, how- ever meager, of the education of every girl and boy. The laws of personal and public hygiene, the questions of pure foods and food adulterations, market prices and conditions, and the economic relation of the members of the family should at some time have a place in the curriculum of every school. The elementary schools alone reach all the boys and girls of the country, hence the great responsibility of Plate II. A Corner of the Dining Room fill 10 Normal School Quarterly elementary teachers in this regard. Special teachers of such branches are often not available and even were they to be had it is not always desirable that home economics be taught as a separate subject; time and material are too often lacking to make that feasible. The best method is to relate, as closely as possible, the various subjects in the school course to questions of the home, and thus to develop the child’s interest and broaden his knowledge at the same time. The problems in arithmetic can be made to have some direct bearing on household expenditures, the work in botany may lead on to vegetable gardening, and history may be made more interesting as one contrasts the homes of the past with those of the present. Therefore it becomes almost imperativ that the teacher in the elementary schools have some special training in home economics in connection with her normal- school training. It will not be necessary for her to have ac- quired the knowledge that might enable her to plan a home with an architect’s precision, to execute an elaborate system of book-keeping or to be verst in all the art and science of cookery; but her training should be sufficient to enable her to understand the sanitary conditions of the home, to make a wise division of the income, and to choose the proper com- binations of food for a family. The first two or three courses in household science as outlined below might thus be added with greatest profit to the general preparation required of the elementary teacher for at every step in her work — in nature study, in physiology, and in various other branches — such knowledge would prove of value, and the worth of the teacher to the community would be vastly enhanced. Thus many who are far removed from special teachers and tech- nical schools would feel the influence of the home economics movement and the benefit of the work given at the normal schools would be manifold. Therefore the courses in house- hold science are so pland that they will be of value to the grade teachers as well as the special teacher, hoping that thereby they may reach all the homes of the state and that to the children of every school some helpful knowledge of home-making will be given. Home Economics 11 GRADES IN WHICH HOME ECONOMICS SHOULD BE TAUGHT At what period of school life the work may be under taken in order to secure the best results is a question which admits of much discussion. There are undoutedly some phases of home economics which can be presented from the earliest grades by correlation with such other subjects as nature study, geografy, and history. The plan more gener- ally adopted is to begin the special work with the fifth grade, for the children of that age are beginning to have the desire to be of servis in the home and they are so activ physically that work attractivly presented does not seem irksome even tho it be but plain cooking, sweeping, and cleaning. How- ever, at this early age children do not appreciate many of the points relativ to the chemical composition of foods and to the laws of sanitation; so the study of household science is frequently delayd until the eighth grade, other forms of handwork being presented prior to that time. The girls in the eighth grade are more difficult to handle but their inter est when secured is felt to be producitv of greater good; for many eighth- grade girls are alredy beginning to have re- sponsibilities fall upon them at home and are therefore able at once to apply the acquired knowledge, thus making the course of direct value to the home and the community. In some districts the girls are beginning to drop out of school just before the high school is reacht, and it is felt that the presentation of a subject in the eighth and ninth grades which is so attractiv as cooking may be a means of prolong- ing their school days. While much of the practical work in the study of home economics can well be presented in the grades the ideal time for the presentation of the subjects in its entirety is in the high school or in the college and normal-school courses when all the related sciences are being more or less exhaust- ivly studied and when relations can be more intelligently graspt. As in all other courses, the student will get from the work just what she puts into it; and the mature student will find the work of far broader interest and deeper profit than 12 Normal School Quarterly the young girl whose work in nature-study has not yet car- ried her into the relms of chemistry. On the other hand an early familiarity with the principles of cooking and clean- ing will mean much in developing habits of personal clenli- ness and usefulness that will be of value thru life. COURSES IN HOUSEHOLD SCIENCE OFPERD AT THE ILLINOIS STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY A brief outline of the courses offerd in household science at the Illinois State Normal University will give an idea of what is attempted here. The six courses in household science offerd are distinctly graded steps. Course I is devoted entirely to a study of foods and the principles of cookery. The study of foods is based on a knowledge of the food principles which is made thruout the the basis of the work. The points emphasized in connection with the food principles are their chemical composition, physical properties, their presence and function in the hu- man body, the amount required in order to produce the best results in nutrition, the sources from which they may be obtaind, the processes of digestion which they must under- go in the body and the changes caused by the various pro- cesses of cooking. Having obtaind some conception of what is ment by the classes of food principles the student next takes up the study of special foods to illustrate each class and to apply at once the theoretical work presented. Every food handld is studied as exhaustivly as possible in relation to its source or manner of growth, the method of its prep- aration for market, handling and preservation in market, its structure, qualities, cost and final preparation for table. When the cooking of a food is presented, the purpose, meth- ods, time and economy are all discust, the method of serv- ing, garnishing, accompaniments, digestibility and nutritiv value. This course is applied science in the fullest sense of the word. The growth of plant and animal food; the pro- cess of food manufacture; the physical changes produced by heat and by other processes of food preparation; the chemi- cal changes which take place in the growth, preservation, cooking and digestion of food; the bacteriological changes to which foods are subject; and the economic conditions which affect market prices must all be studied that the work may be of real value. At the same time the laboratory work is a constant drill for instiling habits of methodical work and ideals of sanitary clenliness and is the means of develop- ing skill in the preparation of foods for the table. Home Economics 13 Course II is a continuation of the work given in Course I with a wider application of principles therein laid down. Opportunity is given in this course for reference readings which acquaint the student with household science liter- ature and make possible a determination of relativ values. A portion of the time of Course II is given to the study of household management wherein the value of home economics to the country and the individual is discust and the forma- tion, administration and maintenance of the home are studied. This includes the history and development of the home, methods of keeping household accounts and regulating household expenditures, the questions of domestic servis, laundry work, and household hygiene. Course III is the next step in advance of Course II. The combination of foods and planning of meals is especially em- phasized, the student’s knowledge of processes of cooking and skill in manipulation having been previously developt. The work in household management in Course III comprises lectures and practical observation in marketing by visiting markets and manufacturing plants. The quality, price, and use of food stuffs are studied and pure food laws and require- ments are considered. Course IV is devoted to the practical lunch-room work in which the students plan, prepare and serv lunches in quantities sufficiently large to develop greater skill and better judgment than is possible earlier in the course. During this course the students will be given practis in buying, direct- ing, and estimating the cost of meals and the time and la- bor involvd in their preparation. Course V is devoted entirely to the theoretical work in the study of dietaries and the establishment of the balanced ration. Lectures are given in home nursing, or care of the sick, the development of the home economics movement and the progress, equipment, and needs of the household. Course VI is devoted to invalid cooking, advanced cooking, with formal servis and demonstration methods. This last branch is one of considerable importance in the equipment of the teacher of household science, but its value has never yet been given the recognition in this country that it has in England where household science has undergone development along different lines. The needs of many localities can be met in no other way than by demon- stration work, and the successful teacher must be mistress of the methods. HOUSEHOLD ART HOUSEHOLD ART DEFINED Household art is that part of home economics that has to do with the study of the economica], appropriate and ar- tistic furnishing and decoration of the home; also the com prehensiv study of clothing, its purpose, suitability of de- sign, color and materials. The women of this generation have been accused of be- ing the cause of all of the atrocities that stock the market, both in regard to dress and house furnishing: whether this is true or not, these contradictions to good line and color are perpetrated on the public, and it is the aim of the course in household art to prepare the girls of the rising genera- tion to shun all articles of clothing and house furnishing that do not conform to the rule, ‘ ‘Everything that adorns the person or home should be simple in line and color and appropriate to the use intended.” THE STUDY OF TEXTILS There was a time, about a hundred years ago, when in every home a girl could learn processes of textil manufac- ture and garment-making in companionship with her mother. These lessons were as imperativ as the three r’s; there was no question as to the value of such training nor did the girl lose caste in the acquirement of such an education. So long as the home was the center and seat of industry, the girl was educated there not only in the technique of home economics but in its ethics. She acquired the habits, sobri- ety, thoroness, honesty, devotion to the good of home, church and community, and the sense of responsibility that made her a good home-maker as well as a good woman. She had opportunities there to know, to do and to be. In the present industrial system we find the home robd of many of its earlier functions to be sure, but still perpetuat- 14 Home Economics 15 ingmany. Its relations to other institutions are more complex and deeper than ever, but its hold on the sentiments and af- fections is more consciously deep and firm than ever. At the same time that the application of science — physical, chemical, and biological — to home activities is becoming more feasible, the dependence of the home on large activities is becoming deeper. At the same time that a house-wife must know more about chemistry in order to do her own work, the welfare of the household depends more than ever on the condition of municipal housekeeping, on the purity of foods, and the soundness of materials. When the industries were in the home, and women spun and wove their own materials, they knew the properties and uses of the textil fibers of which they made thred and cloth. By this natural process they were taught to judge goods and when they bought materials, could tell easily by what they were made. With the introduction and multiplication of machinery, run at greatly diminisht cost, home manufacturd materials have disappeard, and today women buy machine-made textil products and redy-made garments. In this transition from home-made to factory-made tex- tils and garments, the girl has lost all of that naturally ac- quired technical education and it is difficult for a young woman to get even the most meager training necessary lor intelligent buying or the making of her own wearing apparel. The question of intelligent buying is most serious when we consider that it is the women who are the great consumers; they are the ones who buy the output of the enormous cot- ton, woolen, silk and linen factories; they select the clothing for the family and supply the table with linen: they make home restful or disquiting by their selection of rugs, hang- ings and furniture. Since the textil industries are especially influenced by women, and their knowledge or ignorance as consumers is a controling factor in the nation’s industrial development; and since the means of naturally acquiring an adequate, working 16 Normal School Quarterly knowledge of the properties of the textils have been removed from the girls, what should be done? Since it is of such vital importance, the schools should provide to give the girls a knowledge of the physical construction of the textil fibers and their properties, so that she can judge of the hygienic, warmth-giving properties and have a full understanding of the processes of manufacture so that she may be able to pur- chase wisely. The value to the community of this enrichment of the girls’ experience would lie in a solution of some economic problems that confront us all in the increast cost of living. On all sides we hear the agitation of increast cost of living and woman’s failure to meet its demands. What is being done to remedy the trouble? In what classes do we hear discust the adjusting of standards of living to weekly incomes? That is what every girl who passes out from the schools will have to do sooner or later, and where is she to learn it? The ignorance of almost every purchaser of textils has been the means of piling up fortunes for unscrupulous manu- facturers. The adulterations of textils are almost as astound- ing as the food adulterations. They have reach t such per- fection that even the expert is deceivd and needs more than his strong lens to detect the frauds. There are a few simple tests that any one can use that will help in the search for real values. A few of these tests such as the “fire test”, the “water test”, and the “breaking test” are very good for ordinary use and need no knowledge of chemistry to understand and can be given advantageously to the girls in the sixth and seventh grades. The problems of wise purchase, of adjusting standards of living to weekly incomes, and of personal responsibility in the family and business life must be solvd by the con- scientious teacher of home economics. To teach household art primarily to meet personal needs regardless of economic and esthetic considerations is not contemplated. To be of worth, a lesson in sewing, dressmaking, house- hold decoration or millinery should stimulate thought, train Plate III. Sewing Class 18 Normal School Quarterly judgment and taste as well as hands, and correlate with some of the pupils’ other work — history, art, geografy, economics, or arithmetic. One of the strongest claims of home economics is that it welds together the experience gaind in other studies. What profit would household science be without chemistry, physics, biology, history, arithmetic, physiology and eco- nomics? and household art without chemistry, history, art, economics, geografy and arithmetic? In their application to everyday life, those studies would lose none of their sig- nificance, but rather, their importance in solving life’s prob- lems would be more redily recognized and appreciated. Not infrequently is the remark herd during a lesson in textils, “Oh! I remember reading something about that when I was studying history or geography but it didn’t mean much to me”; or during a drafting lesson, “You certainly do have to know your arithmetic in order to draft your pat- terns”; or when a machine or gas stove is obstreperous, “I wish I knew my physics well enough to fix this.” It is in this desire to bring about the union of all the ex- periences of the girl and make her school work so inter- twined that no one subject stands out in isolation that the industrial training finds its strongest argument. Let the girl see that her work in the industrial department is the better for her success in her other work — mathematics, art, history, etc., and these studies will take on a new interest to her. THE TEACHER OF HOUSEHOLD ART Now if industrial training demands recognition as an integral part of the public school curriculum the question arises, who is to teach it? In the elementary school, the ideal way would be to have the grade teacher assume this responsibility. She understands the capacities and tempera- ments of her pupils better than a special teacher who comes in for a few moments once or twice a week; also the pupils are accustomd to the methods of the regular teacher. Any subject that she may introduce to them would be taken quite Home Economics 19 as a matter of course, and her opportunities for correlation are better than those of the special teacher. There would be time and energy saved by such an arrangement. Of course with the crowded curriculum as it now stands this would be an imposition on the grade teacher. If we are to introduce industrial training into the schools, it will profit very little to be pub in as an “extra” and taught as such. If it is thought advisable to relieve the alredy over-taxt grade teacher by having special teachers for the industrial work, well and good; but it will be found that only that de- gree of excellence, which is desired, will be seen where there is concerted action and sympathetic interest between the grade and special teacher — each to be alert to and under- stand fully and anticipate the needs and requirements of the other. For this reason a regular normal- school course be- fore the special work is advisable. So whether the sewing be taught by the grade teacher or special teacher, a full un- derstanding of the grade work and special work will be nec- essary for the one who does it. In the secondary schools where most of the work is un- der special teachers, a special teacher of domestic art is advisable. AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF NORMAL SCHOOLS If it is proposed to have the grade teacher give the special work, and admitted that she can not get adequate training at home for this purpose, how is she to get it? The normal schools that train her for the other work, must also train her for this equally important phase of her work. If the subjects designated as specials are taken in as a part of the public-school curriculum, they thereby lose such appellation and should be treated the same as subjects that have held undisputed place in the curriculum for the past half century. If the normal school is to meet the requirements of the school question, it cannot escape the responsibility of train- ing teachers so they will be redy for full service. That teacher is professionally and socially most efficient who in 20 Normal School Quarterly his training actually experiences the application of his so- called culture studies to the industries and the economic problems of the day. How better can this be accompli sht than by the traind teacher who loses no opportunity of show- ing the bearing of all education on a life of usefulness? The normal schools are recognized as institutions in which preparation for a public career takes into considera- tion the actual demand that is made on the teacher who must undertake the work required by the public schools. Their future influence as well as their usefulness depends upon their adaptability to the modern movements in educa- tional thought and practis. With the universal demand for industrial education comes the demand for teachers of the work and the normal schools are the best agencies for training special as well as regular teachers. They are here and well organized; they possess excellent standards; and they have the sympathy and support of the people. The curriculum of each normal school should be such as will fib a teacher for work in his state. Whatever the edu- cational needs in the varying communities are, they should find their solution in the curriculum of the state normal schools in so far as the training of teachers is a factor in such solution. COURSES IN HOUSEHOLD ART The following courses in household art are given in the Illinois State Normal University. The work is electiv for all who wish to take it; the entire two-year course is com- pulsory for those wishing to specialize in household art. Course I. Hand Sewing for Elementary Schools . — In this course are given the fundamental principles of hand sew- ing in their application to garments of interest to the child. This includes weaving, darning, mending, crocheting, knit- ting, simple garment making and articles for use in the home, such as towels, bed linen, curtains, table runners, pillow covers, shoe bags, laundry bags, clothes bags, broom bags, couch covers, etc. In connection with this work in the study of textils, the history, comparison of different textils, Plate IV. Drafting Class 22 Normal School Quarterly adaptability to the use intended, quality, width and price of textil fabrics. With the garment making are discust such topics as cost of clothing and its care, economics of purchase, judi- cious planning and cutting, simplicity of style and color, appropriate apparel for different occasions, beauty of neat- ness and clenliness. Course II. Sewing for Secondary Schools . — This course includes hand and machine sewing, drafting and making undergarments and shirt waists, embroidery, use of pur- chast patterns, care of machines and household decoration. Under household decoration are considered the finish- ing, decorating, and furnishing of the home from the stand- point of clenliness, durability, suitability, the artistic, and cost. The topics to be discust under the hed of clothing are elements to be considerd in making clothing, form and size of the individual, suitability of clothing for different occa- sions, economy in cutting, order of making, care of clothing, cost of garments and planning outfit for one year for a cer- tain price. Course III. Household Economy . — Organization of the house and its adaptation to modern conditions; the relation of the housekeeper to municipal problems; the family in- come and its expenditures; true and false economy; house furnishing, including use of color, design and textils; the factors essential for maintenance of a well-ordered home. Course IV. Dressmaking . — This course includes drafting and making shirt-waist suits or simple unlined dresses of washable material, and making of a cloth gown. The following topics are considered: the principles of dressmaking; the taking of accurate measurements; making and use of patterns; choosing and economical cutting of materials; and the making of gowns. Course V. Theory of Teaching Household Art . — This course considers the relation of household art to education, the methods of teaching it in various kinds of schools, the plan- ning of lessons and courses of study; and certain problems of equipment and cost. The practical work consists of observation and practis teaching in the Training School of the University. Course VI. Millinery. — This course includes the construc- tion and trimming of hats, beginning with the use of founda- tion material; the making and altering of wire frames; cover- Home Economics 23 in g and completing frames in various ways; encouraging the renovation and use of old material. The subjects to be discust in this course are history, simplicity, suitability and cost of hed dress; the claims of the Audubon Society. With these requird courses in household art must be taken courses in teaching process, science of discourse, drawing, psychology, commercial geografy, general meth- od, economics, physiology, history of education, principles of design, principles of education, school management, in- dustrial history and floriculture. The household-art courses contemplate and seek a close correlation with the work in the other departments of the University. The work in the different courses offers splendid oppor- tunities for connection with arithmetic, nature-study, botany, chemistry, history of art, physics and economics. The time required for these studies might be considerably lessend by a close correlation — this might be a possible solution to the crowded curriculums that are so much deplored at the pres- ent time. The courses as outlined are intended for the special teacher of household- art. The courses I, II, and III are con- templated for general grade teachers. Plate Y. Manual Arts Bilding THE ILLINOIS STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY Offers superior facilities for the training of teachers. Its equip- ment includes: A library of 21,000 volumes and 14,600 pamflets. Physical, chemical, biological, psychological, and geografical lab- oratories supplied with new apparatus. A school garden with two and one-fourth acres, and a well-stockt greenhouse. A new, commodious bilding devoted to the preparation of teachers in manual training, art, and household economy. A well-equipt gymnasium. A campus of fifty-seven acres, with every advantage for athletic games. Its faculty includes forty-one teachers, eleven of them training teachers. . Four regular programs of study are provided. A two-year program for graduates of superior high schools. A three-year program for graduates of village nigh schools. A four-year program for students needing longer academic prepa- ration. A four-year teacher’s college course leading to the degree of Bache- lor of Education. The regular programs all include a review of the common branches, music, drawing, five terms of psychology and pedagogy, three terms of practis teaching, and such advanced courses as may be needed. Electiv substitutes are provided for students preparing for pri- mary teaching, and other specific work. Special programs are also provided each two years in length in art, manual training, household art, and household science. These are open to high-school graduates or other students of equal prepara- tion. The spring term begins March 21. The first summer term begins June 13. The second summer term begins July 26. For catalogs and announcements write to David Felmley, President Normal, 111. Illinois State Reformatory Print