THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, POHTLAXD, MAECH 21, 19TS.
GIRLS' TRADE SCHOOL IS CALLED A BOON TO HOUSEWIFERY
Addison Bennett Says That, Despite Unfitness of Building, Study of Cookery and Dressmaking Is Valuable Asset of City Industry of Students Proves Pleasant Surprise.
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BY ADDISON BENNETT.
Article No. 'J.
IN my article last weak I said at the
close that I would next take up the
girls' trade school, which is con
ducted in the old Lincoln High School
building at Morrison and Fourteenth
streets and which now is called the
Lownsdale school, receiving that name
since the building of the Lincoln High
School structure on "West Park and
Market streets. It is said by some that
the old Lincoln building when erected
was considered the model school build
ing of the Northwest. I often have
heard it said it was then, that was
About 18S5 I believe, the finest school
structure west of the Missouri.
Be that as it may. a visit to this
building now and a close examination
of it will show that it is far out of
date. Such a building would not be
erortnH for school rjumoses at present.
and it is surely unfitted for the uses of
the trade school. Yet we are lucky to
millionaire standing and working, and
later taking her lunch by the side of
the daughter from a very, very poor
mother, and now sent here to gain
knowledge so that she might obtain a
position as a servant when I saw the
very rich and the very poor, with all
of the intermediate classes working,
studying, learning and fraternizing all
as equals, I thought that there was an
instutition conducted in accord with the
golden rule if ever there was one.
And let me tell you that no corps of
low-grade teachers could lay down any
rules of discipline that would bring
about this democracy of feeling and ac
tions, no ordinary principal could se
cure the co-operation of her teachers
to such a degree as to accomplish tht-Be
results. It takes diplomacy of a rare
kind, and Mrs. Alexander possesses It,
Half Time Given to Study.
In the Course of Study, a booklet Is
sued by the School Board explaining
about the trade schools, I find in the
ine imae a ' ina r,,r if w I girls" school only four trades or occu
have even so good an edifice for ir mtirt.oi ui
did not have it I am sure I do not know
how the directors would be ame to
house the eirls" trade school. ' If the
hrA rnnms now occupied by the pri
mirv overflow from' the Couch and
Ladd schools could be vacated by those
pupils and turned over ,to the use of
the girls it woum De a great oenem
and this additional space would allow
the admission of some of the many
who now wish to take Instructions
thoro hut are barred for want of space.
Mrs. Alevia Alexander is the principal
of this school, and she has as able a
corps of assistants as any school could
wish for. At least two of the instruc
tors. Miss LaBrie and Miss Lucia
Schmidt, have national reputations, the
latter principal of the millinery depart
ment and the former in domestic
science, her specialty being in lunch
room work. As a teacher of millinery
Miss Schmidt stands so high that her
services during the vacation period are
in demand all over the country. This
Summer she will teach the teachers of
the Chicago University. The Portland
School Board was fortunate in securing
the services of both Miss LaBrie and
Miss Schmidt and will be still more
fortunate if they retain them.
Houarwlfrry Study BIk Aid.
That term domestic science gets my
poat. Housewifery more nearly fits.
Bu I suppose the hifalutin term do
mestic science was invented to befog
the minds of the people, for a professor
of plain housewifery could not expect
as high a salary as a professor of do
mestic science; yet the common, every
day people for whose benefit we desire
to teach ho occupation of conducting
one or all branches of homemaking and
homekeeping, would fully understand
Its meaning.
Let me say that the first thing that
struck me favorably with Mrs. Alex
ander's school, or perhaps I had better
say the thing which struck me most
forcibly, was the character and bear
ing of the students. I expected to find
a place filled with school girls, many
of them perhaps gigglingly and gum
rhewingly taking their lessons as 1
matter of course because their parents
had sent them there. I never was more
badly mistaken in my life.
No girl is admitted below the age of
14 at the other end of it there seems
to -be no limit, for I am sure I saw
women there who are well past 50
years of age. Now take these middle
aged or elderly women, many of them
the heads of families, and think of their
discovering at such a late day that they
were deficient in knowledge as to cook
ing or sewing were not able to con
duct their households along modern
lines. Just think of them dropping
their pride and becoming schoolgirls
again. Next I found there the daugh
ter of poor people, very poor, who
were going to learn a better way of
home-making so that the insufficient
Income of the household might be
made to reach farther and yet supply
more luxuries at least some luxuries.
Rich Children Study, Too.
Then another class. 'the daughters of
sensible people, of mothers who had
gone a little too far In allowing their
daughters to sit in the parlor or gad
the streets while mother did the work
that mistaken policy of lettlng-mother-do-it
then the awakening and the girl
sent here for effective instruction. Or
mayhap many of these young women
are expecting to marry and the mother
has found that the best and quickest
way for the daughter to learn the art
of homekecpiug Is in such a school as
this.
And still another class, and a large
one. we find here the daughters of the
rich and very rich people but people
of sense. These people do not care to
make servants of their daughters, nor
yet household drudges. But they do
know that their daughters ought to
hnow how to conduct a home when they
are called into one of their own. When
1 had pointed out to me tho daughter
of a gentleman who la many times a
pations mentioned sewing, cooking,
millinery and home-making. (I have
just observed that Superintendent Al
derman often sidesteps the "domestic
science" phrase). But it must be under
stood that in this school, the same as
in the boys' trade school, only half of
the school hours are devoted to this
manual training: the balance of The
time is given over ' to book learning.
But the studies always carry the stu
dent along the lines of the occupation
for which such student is being fitted.
in tne case or tne girl 8 school, now
ever, the four branches taught all real
ly come under the head of homemaking.
housekeeping, housewifery or domestic
science call it w'hat you will. Every
young woman ought to be grounded in
at least the rudiments of sewing and
cooking before her marriage.
As she learns those simple duties in
this school she may also apply her tal
ents to becoming expert in making va
rious garments or to the art of milli
nery but the cooking department
must be given attention in any event,
as well as the studies from books, as
mentioned before.
It would be useless for me to under
take to tell the reader just what Is
being done in the millinery, tailoring
and dressmaking lines. I can only say
that there is actual, practical work
being done by the students under the
instructions of competent teachers.
Take the millinery department. Easter
is coming on and it is a sort of birth
right that every girl should "hanker"
for a new bonnent on Easter day.
in the millinery room I found a few
II 1
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dozen' "lids" in course of construction:
some still in the chrysalis stage of a
few twisted wires: others with more or
less straw or braid wrought over the
wires; others farther advanced and the
lining in, and so on up to a number
of finished hats or bonnets. (I do not
know enough about women's headgear
to tell the difference).
On these hats the most of the flowers
were hand-made, fashioned by the stu
dents themselves, and many of these
flowers were really works of art, the
roses made from scraps of silk being
very, very beautiful. By the way, the
student beginning to make artificial
flowers at first makes them from pa
per. Becoming expert in thus making
them, she turns her attention to the
practical art of real flower making.
It must be remembered that the stu
dent furnishes her own materials In
all of the departments of this school.
So economy is grounded in the mind of
the student. If anything Is wasted it
comes out of the purse of the' waster,
and many of the purses there are by
no means plethoric. It is, however,
wonderful how much is accomplished
at an insignificant outlay, the student
being the beneficiary, for nearly every
thing made in the school is made prac
tically. No toys or models oh a small
scale are made, so far as I could see,
aside from the paper flowers. And
they were by no means without value.
Getting back to the Eastern bonnets.
I had pointed out to me some that the
teacher said would cost in any mil
linery store from 112 to $15. Perhaps
the cost of materials to the student
would be but little more than f 1. If
anybody could tell the difference when
worn of the bonnets here made from
(costing, and figuring on the cost. A
more interested lot of girls and women
could not be found anywhere than in
this school.
In the cooking school the Idea of
practicability is further followed out.
Superintendent Alderman says that the
great trouble in all schools of this sort
has heretofore been that the stdents
were not taught to do their work in
home conditions nor In practical quan
tities. Here, and in all schools of the
kind that are abreast the times, food
is prepared with Just as little equip
ment as possible. It is true, gas stoves
are used, and many of the students
will, as they go out Into the world as
wives and mothers, not have such fuel.
But it has been found impracticable to
use any other sort of stoves in a school
room. The student purchases the materials
she uses from the storehouse run in
connection with the school. She thus
learns something about the art of
shopping and purchasing and a good
deal about values and prices. Then
she prepares and cooks the food, and
sells it or eats it or takes it home. It
is hers to do wittr as she likes. Most
of the food prepared is used at the
midday iunch in the school, where It
is served cafterla style, save the price
is 5 cents each, usually three dishes
being served. I noticed the boys and
girls coming in from the primary room
got a fine cup of flavored and sweet
ened hot milk, a slice of bread and
butter and a banana, orange or apple
for a nickel.
Time Short for Lunch Monday.
The 300 girls nearly all lunch there,
so it can be seen that much practical
work has to be done every day, save
Monday. It has been found that the
time is not sufficient to prepare a
Monday lunch under existing condi
tions. There are various rooms used
as lunchrooms. I "treated" Mrs. Alex-1
ander to lunch and we sat down with
being fashioned, a group of girls, from t perhaps 200 girls In the old assembly
one to 20, would be around It and the hall of the building. We had soup,
teacher criticising, explaining. gug-1 bread and butter gee, I have forgot-
those turned out by the high-class mil
linery stores well, no one could tell
the difference The teachers are just
as efficient as any milliner In any
place, much more so than 99 out of
every 100 who call themselves milliners.
Going into the dressmaking and tail
oring departments, the students were
found working in the same practical
manner on dresses, coats or cloaks for
themselves. They purchased the ma
terials at the stores -dow n town. I saw.
many splendid garments, some entirely
completed, others in various stages of
manufacture, but upon examination of
these garments I found stitching as
regular and as fine as stitching could
be. Wherever there was a garment
ten everything else except the flnt
waffle I ever tasted. I had en tha
girls hobnobbing over the waffle Irons
and the teacher showing how they
could be cooked to perfection and yet
come out of the Irons without the least
hit of sticking. 1 tell you, those w af
fles were fine, as good as I ever tasted,
and I am some ronnolweur on waffles
make a nice fat ona myself oc
casionally. Well, we had a splendid lunch,
everything being Just to my taste
then I footed the bill. We had lunched
rather extravagantly. o the bill for
the two of us was 1 cents. Keeling
flush. I gave the cashier two bits and
told her to hand the change to tha
young woman who built the wafl'lea.
Suppose we got back a little and go
over some of my words again. I want
to Impress upon the cittxens, fathers,
mothers and taxpayers of Portland that
this school Is run along practical lines,
every department of It. The work la
done as nearly as practicable under
ordinary home conditions.
Visit by Parents In Ashe.
It Is not a play rhool. by a Ions;
shot Let me tell you that a girl going
two terms to that school I mean an
average girl with average application
and ordinary Intelligence would come
thrqjiRh knowing as much as a girl
graduating from the home of tho bent
homekeeptng mother In existence. Of
course, after all Is said and done, that
is where housewifery should lie
learned. We all admit that the mother
should he the teacher of all branches
of homemaking and homekeeplng. Alas,
that It Is not more often the case!
1 am geing to dismiss the trades
schools now with just a word of Invi
tation I ask the parents to go up to
those schools and see how the young
folks are being taken care of and what
they are learning. Remember this
school Is one of our public Institutions,
one of the latter day "frills" that has
helped to run the per capita cost of the
school district up and up and still
mounting np. It Is true these schools
ought to be unnecessary, would be If
every parent were doing his or her full
and complete duty. But they are nof,
not one out of ten Is doing this. Hem
you ought to remember that as your
negligence has made such schools nec
essary it is your "privilege" to pungle
up some of the cost.
Night Schools Gain Attention.
As I am about to draw this article
to a close my attention .Is called to
the night schools conducted In both the
boys' and girls' schools. Mrs. Alex
ander has about 300 regular attendant),
a large number of whom are "girls" of
mature growth. During the term the
registration in this department will be
700. It is true also that many of
these are at the head of families. In
the boys' school the night attendance
Is largely made up of men who ro
employed during the day. But I can
not go Into further details, as I have
already overrun my allotted space. It
is a theme to write a book upon and
Justice cannot be done in a brief or
even lengthy newspaper article.
In my first article on the school
question I stated there would follow
two others. At the time 1 thought I
could treat of the trades schools in
the first article. It has taken two. Po
there may be a fourth article, as I have
the financial question and the school
building questions yet to take up. AIo
the matter of what Professor Alderman
calls the "home credits" system, of
which, 1 believe, he was tho originator,
but which has been taken up and put
Into operation by most of the leaders
of education In the country. This
"home credits" question Is one of great
Interest and I will go into It as a com
mencement for my next article.
AL L PLANTS ARE WEEDS
IN FOREIGN LOCALITIES
Pest-Ridden Lots That Bespeak of Slovenly Owners May Be Remedied by
Plowing or Elimination of Conditions That Afford Growth.
THE definition of a weed is a fruit
ful source of speculation for
jurists and botanists. Their prev
alence and characteristics are dis
cussed, their beauty and noisomeness
are considered, but most of all a few
remarks are made upon them In thefr
bearing to the city beautifying cam
paign now under way under the aus
pices of the Rose Festival Association.
Portland has its share of vacant lots
awaiting the construction of houses.
Until they are built upon, the customary
method Is to leave them abjectly alone
and that means to allow whatever will
grow upon them to develop undisturbed.
In "bringing lots to the salable stage
of building sites, it ordinarily means
that the forest is cut down, streets are
graded and walks built During the
grading some streets are cut. the top
soil is removed and the parking
smoothed over with sterile subsoil.
Grading; Often Bring Weeds.
If the excavation provides an excess
of yardage, the surplus Is sometimes
slipped upon the lots and all vegeta
tion is not only destroyed but a poor
soil is suffered to form the top layer.
Being loose, it becomes an excellent
area wherein seeds may germinate.
First among those likely to occur are
seeds of plants wafted by the winds,
those washed into place by streams of
water or carried .by the multitudinous
means provided by the niceties of ad
justment found in nature.
Grading itself will bring upon the
filled ground a host of weeds, and all
that Is required to bring a crop to
frifltion Is to leave the lot unmolested.
The lot is usually allowed to remain
free from any building improvement by
reason" of the speculative element in
volved. There Is insufficient incentive
to improve it, and the municipal reg
ulations are not always enforced.
Weeds on Lots Not Uncommon.
In a rapidly-growing community It
is common to see whole blo'cks over
grown with weeds. It Is unfortunately
too common to see an unkempt lot,
weed covered and disreputable looking,
separating two well-kept house
grounds. The conspicuous attention it
attracts is due to the sharp contrast
presented.
Upon the Pacific Coast, as also upon
the Atlantic, old-world species of
weeds predominate, but in the Interior
of the country native weeds are the
most prevalent Most weeds first oc
cur In cities and towns. Added to the
foreigners are those native to the dis
trict which have withstood the changed
conditions from primitive times and ac
quired a warlike habit
Land near woolen mills is known to
contain, weeds common in the districts
from whence the wool was sent, the
migration being accounted for by burrs
caught in the fleece of the stock is
certain to contain some at just the
right stage for being successfully
transplanted.
All Plant Weed Somewhere.
Near grain elevators are weeds com
mon in the fields where the grain was
grown, be that a few miles distant or
across the seas.
Weeds are not' an unmitigated curse.
What beauty there is In a field of
golden rod, chicory, wild asters, popples
or buckwheat! Or as food for birds, or
as their nesting places! Bees find a
varied and large supply of honey In
the flowers of weeds.
Everjr cultivated plant Is a weed
somewhere. A number of what we call
weeds have flowers which would be
considered anything but weeds were
they produced on plants other than
those we consider weeds. Camas lilies
and epilobium are examples.
The pollen of some weeds are vis
itants with which hay fever patients
are familiar. The volatile oils of some
are poisonous like poison' ivy. The
range of medical uses of weeds is well
illustrated by the very large repre
sentation given to them in materia
medica. Attention here is intended to
be confined to their every-day appear
ances in the city, so the sole designa
tion of their healthfulness is restricted
to the healthfulness of what we com
monly see rather than the products of
part thereof.
Barren Earth Lea HenlthfuL
, Barren earth is not only more un
sightly, but decidedly less healthful
than a weed covered area. Plants give
off oxygen and consume carbonic acid
gas the reverse of the process of
human respiration, hence they purify
the air and make It richer for human
consumption. This process only pre
vails while the plants are green. When
they die, become brown and dry, they
cease their function of sanitation and
purifying and are elements of danger
insofar as they are fuel for fires.
Weeds have numerous objectionable
features. Odors are objectionable in
some, skunk cabbage, stikweed and
ragweed are some such. When dry,
weeds are unsanitary in that they ab
sorb oxygen and give off carbonic acid
gas and thus parallel the breathing of
persons and deplete the purity of the
air; when dry they shade tne ground,
causing It to become damp and sour and
prevent the purifying and drying ef
fects of sun and wind.
Weeds harbor injurious insects and
fungous and bacterial diseases of cul
tivated plants. Many Insects injurious
to garden and field crops also live on
weeds, upon which the thrive and mul
tiply, and thus keep up their numbers,
ready to attack their favorite crop as
soon as it is left unprotected. The con
trol of insect enemies and fungous and
bacterial diseases of field and garden
crops is rendered much more difficult,
and their extermination, in some in
stances, is made practically impossible
because they exist on weeds that are
not subject to the care bestowed on
cultivated crops.
. In these parts, where wheat is grown i
so abundantly, the romanticism as well
as the etern realities of the peculiarity
of a certain barberry playing host to
wheat rust during one stage of its life
history is of serious importance even
though remarkably astonishing as well.
So serious has the cultivation of this
plant become, in Maryland that the
farmers objected to the cultivation of
the plant as an ornament in the Balti
more parks.
Weed Suggest Slovenline.
Weeds suggest neglect both of re
gard to appearance and to husbandry.
Slovenliness Is apt to be ascribed to a
person who suffers them to become
rampant in his yard. It is a token of
a low order of civic pride if the general
public are indifferent to their preva
lence. They are unusually ugly, re
pellant, disreputable and signify care
less abandon of little use to anyone.
They may become a source of danger
if not of certain Injury to tne com
munitv.
Public welfare demands the removal
of elements dangerous to life and
health. Why, therefore, is it not rea
sonable to require the removal or de
struction of weeds as soon as they stop
growing. Health regulations often do
reauire this, and an ordinance Is In
effect in this city to require their re
movaL Thus far It has not been very
effective in changing the aspect of the
city, but any shortcomings In methods
of operation provided does not prove
that the principle is unworthy. It
would be, an excellent subject for the
women's clubs to investigate for the
nurnose of securing a reasonable ordl
nance covering the topic and then to
educate the public to sustain its en
forcement.
Plowing; Considered Remedy.
Alberta section has advanced an ex
cellent olan providing that vacant lots
will be tendered to individuals rent
free for the cultivation of IrUh pota
toes and various vegetables. Appear
ances, health and utility are all served
with one stroke. Another metnoa
would be to plow under the weeds and
by discing and smoothing bring the
surface to a reasonably smooth plane.
then sow to white clover or to mn-
grasses. ...
Lots filled with sterile soil may not
support grasses, and in such cases the
white Melllot, white sweet clover,"
oould be sown. It grows several feet
high, but has pleasant flowers, is uni
form in height and should pay for cut
ting it If sold for fodder. After flow
ering, it should be plowed under, thus
enriching the soil and preparing It for
grasses.
For grasses creeping bent various
fescues, Kentucky blue grass, smooth
brome grass and white clover are good
on good soils. One or two cuttings a
year with a scythe will keep the lot
in presentable condition.
In Canada, the eities by ordinance
care for the parkings and assess the
cost on the abuttors. Trees are planted.,
grass sown, water pipes installed and
grass kept mown throughout the sea
son. The enhancement upon the gen
eral appearance of the city is decided.
LOUIS, WAG. LANDS IN JAIL
Rheumatic Liniment Given Rival
With Penchant for Liquor.
PITTSBURG, March 14. Louis Ruti
always was a joker. Back as far as hii
friend Ralph Zagowlts can remember,
in the little town In the old country
where they both were boys. Louis
would always have his little Joke. Now
Louis is in jail. His joke with Ralph
once too often.
Louis and Ralph were rivals for the
hand of the girl back home. Intent
upon earning a competence, so that
they could marry, both came to Amer
ica, both arrived on the South Bide,
and both went to work In the same
steel mill and at the same wage. There
was the rub. The one who could offer
the girl the most money was to have
her. Their first year ended the other
day and when both counted their sav
ings they found they had run a dead
heat
Louis had in addition to his savings
a case of acute rheumatism. Ralph
had bis savings and a fondness for
liquor. So Louis, the merry wag, actu
ated by a desire to have a clear field
for the woman in the case, offered
Ralph his bottle of rheumatism lini
ment, suggesting that it was liquor,
Ralph's accusation says. After a doc
tor had seen Ralph, the latter saw
Joseph H. Jackson, Alderman, charg
ing malicious mischief. Now Louis Is
having his rheumatism treated by Jail
Physician Ellis, as he could not furnish
3300 bail.
Sweet Corn to He Planted Late.
Corn should not be planted until the
ground Is warm, as the seed will rot
in cold, damp soil, or If planted too
deep. Late In April Is early enough
for first plantings and for succession
plant every two weeks through May
and June. Cover the first planting
very lightly. Increasing the depth a
little for the later plantinRs. For the
early varieties rows should he three
feet apart; for later large varieties,
four feet and the hills two to three
feet In the rows.
COCOANUT OIL FINE
FOR WASHING HAIR
If you want to keep your hair In
good condition, the less soap you us
the better.
Most soap and prepared shampoos
contain too much alkali. This dries
the scalp, makes the hair brittle, and
I very harmful. Just plain mulslfled
cocoanut ell (which Is pure and en
tirely greaseless), I much better
than soap or anything else you can
use for shampooing, as this can't
possibly Injur the hair.
Simply moisten your hair mith
water and rub It la. One or twe ta
spoonfuls will mak an abundano
of rich, creamy lather, and cleanses
the hair and scalp thoroughly. The
lather rinses out easily, anu removes
every particle of dust, dirt dandruff
and excessive oil. The hair dries
quickly and evenly, and It leaves It
fin and silky, bright fluffy and
easy to manage.
Tou can get mulsifled cocoanut oil
at most any drug store. It Is vary
cheap, and a few ounces Is enough
to last everyone In th family for
months.