University of Southern Mississippi - Southerner Yearbook (Hattiesburg, MS)

Page 17 text:

- El1nprnurn1ent nf Uhr Glnnntrg Bums NINA HARDESTY FORREST COUNTY A N Y different factors are at Work for the betterment of the rural school and the church, but the rural home seems to some extent to have been neglect- ed. Movements for the improvement of rural conditions must start with the home. It is the center of influenceg the basic unit of all government. The for- mative period of the child's existence is in the home, hence its importance in shaping his ideals for life. As a healthy body is necessory to a healthy mind, the child's environment must be such as to insure this result. The home should be hygienic, sanitary and attractive. The house is not the home until it is clean and beautiful, it is simply a shelter. How many of our so called homes are mere shelters? unattractive, dirty, unsanitary places when a little time and labor would change all. The sanitary home Will not permit the entrance of flies and mosquitos. The house must be screened, and the farmer in a little time can do his own screening at a very small expense. Another necessity is a good system of Water-Works and sewer- age, vvhich will solve many questions of sanitation. These may be had in every rural home at moderate expense, and Will mean a saving in loss of time due to sickness. If a farmer can afford money for farm machinery and like improvements, he certainly ought to be Willing to provide these things to keep his family and himself in good health. Hookworm, typhoid, malaria, and like diseases, which keep people from regular Work for months, would hardly be heard of, if all the farms had perfect sani- tary conditions. Added to these should be a conveniently arranged interior equipped with labor-saving devices for the elimination of drudgery of the farm Woman, thereby leaving her leisure time for increasing the attractiveness of the home. Now, if We place in this home a Woman educated for home-making with training in household management, care and feeding of children, a knowledge of food values and scientific preparation, and an appreciation of the beautiful, we have in- deed advanced the humble farmhouse from a mere shelter to the dignity of a home. NINA HARDESTY.

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. llgrnprr Nnuriahmrni fur Svrhnnl i Glhilhrrn KATE FULLER FORREST COUNTY NE of the foremost questions which confront the parents and teachers of school children is that of proper nourishment. It is a serious mistake to send a child to school whose body is not properly nourished. Education from the physical standpoint should be considered bofore the intellectual side is even thought of. The child should be in the best physical condition possible in order to receive any intellectual instruction given him. A poorly nourished child is stupid and irritable. As a result of such a condition the child either has to remain in school from two to four years longer than he should or else he falls by the wayside and takes his place with those who never finish. ' It is often the case that the child is given enough to satisfy his appetite or perhaps he is given too much to eat, but the food he gets may not be what the grow- ing body demands. The body needs food to build muscles and tissues and give heat and energy. In order to perform these functions, the meal should be balanced-it should contain the right percentage of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Proteins, or tissue-building foods, are such as meat, fish, milk, eggs, butter, cheese, etc. Carbohydrates, which give heat and energy, are starches and sugars. Fats, which also give heat and energy, are animal fats, and vegetable fats, as olive oil and cotton seed oil. From this one may readily see that the growing body needs all three constituents. If the child gets only carbohydrates and fats how are the muscles to be developed? If he gets only proteins how will the tissues be built up? In the struggle for existence it is the same with the human family as the animal-only the fittest survive. In the present generation, the demand is greater than ever before that the child have a fair start in life. Parents and teachers, this responsibility lies in our hands-it is wholly within our power to see that the young growing body has the proper nourishment so that the child will be physically able to compete and win the battles of life. Below is given a suggestive balanced diet that it will be well for us to study. It is not intended that this diet should be followed strictly, but something like it will afford a splendid nourishment for school children. And all of these things can be grown at home on the farm and in the garden. BREAKFAST DINNER Fruit lfigs or peachesl Cream Cream of Tomato Soup Eggs or Meat Peas or Beans Rice Mashed Potatoes Biscuit Grits and Gravy Toast Bread Butter Milk Milk Turnips, Cabbage or Spinach SUPPER Soft Eggs Bread or Toast Grits Butter Milk KATE FULLER

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Pm Zlnrvntiuv in the Ninn Glurrirulnm RUTH HARGIS LAFAYETTE COUNTY X Nuxt I l 4 J S Jack Reed walked up to Miss Wellington, the new teacher in the little village of Deerfield, to give her his name, something in his face attracted her at- tention. Although his appearance showed indifference and carelessness, which gave her an insight into his home conditions, there was in his expression a suggestion of 'hidden genius. But when the usual work was begun, Jack showed no interest whatever. Miss Wellington became somewhat discouraged at this, but her first impression of him remained and she was determined to find and develop that faculty which she felt he possessed. A few days later when the work in manual training was begun, Jack at once refused to enter the class, saying that his former teacher had not given him work like that to do and he didn't see what good it would do him anyhow, But Miss Welling- ton in a tactful way told him of several men who owed their success to the fact that they had been required to do manual work in their youth, and at last persuaded him to join the class. At the end of the first manual training lesson Miss Wellington knew wherein Jack's talent lay. Day after day as his work improved his interest also grew and almost before he knew it he became the star of the class. Jack began to realize that he had a talent and soon became so much interested that not only in school did he engage in his beloved work, but at home he found delight in constructing useful articles for father, mother and sister. This work wrought a great change in J ack's life. Heretofore, he had never had any definite aim, he had worked because he was forced to do sog now work be- came a pleasure instead of drudgery as it had been in the beginning. He knew him- self and realized that his ability lay in manual instead of professional work. So he began to specialize in this line. As he worked he thought of the future, and one day, suddenly and unforewarned, the thought came to him that he would be a great archi- tect. This idea gave him a new incentive for future study, so he at once began to work as a carpenter in order to make enough money to continue his training. By careful planning and economizing and by overcoming many difficulties he at last suc- ceeded in entering one of the large universities where he began to specialize in architecture. After finishing his rigid course, Jack devoted his entire time to his chosen work and in time became a noted architect. His first work after graduation was to beautify his old home, remodeling the house and exchanging for the old worn and broken furniture, new pieces which he himself had made from the ideas first given him by the little teacher of the village school, and broadened by his college training. The value of Miss Wellington's manual training work did not end here, but was evident through the entire village, as shown by the newly painted houses, well laid walks and neatly built fences. RUTH HARGIS.