" True," I replied, " but you know ' Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.' And that which is true of hands is equally true of brains and hearts. If you don't wish Alice to think about Gerald, and fall in love before her time, give her something else to think about, and something to do. Now, if you were to become heartily enlisted in this school project of mine, who knows but she might join in the work also, and become so enthu- siastically interested in it, that love would be put away from her thoughts forever." "No, — not forever, I hope," said Emeline ; " that would be too long. But what is this school project you speak of? Do you seriously contem- plate taking charge of a school for girls ? " "Seriously, I do," was my reply. "Hereto- fore, as you know, I have done a good deal of talking ; hereafter, I propose doing some honest work. It seems to me of vital importance that 180 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING. girls should be thoroughly instructed in the domes- tic arts. Of these, I consider the culinary department the most important. But a practical knowledge of all of them is essential to the comfort and well-being of a household. Glance over the homes to which you have free entrance. Look at the slack, slovenly way in wdiich most of them are ordered. Housework is considered drudgery of the meanest sort, and is pushed aside whenever possible ; or, if not, is done in a fretful, com- plaining spirit. Servants, as a class, are poorly educated in their department ; but the average servant who professes to do general housework, is fully up to the capacity of the average mistress. Where a servant haloitually makes poor bread, serves badly cooked food, or does her work gen- erally in a sleazy, slipshod manner, you will find the mistress powerless to correct the evils, be- cause of her ignorance of the proper methods. Here, emphatically, ^knowledge is power' ; and Bridget misrules the household, because her igno- rance is less dense than the ignorance of the mistress. Now, in this school of mine the girls are to be taught home duties and domestic work ; and, at the same time, to be inspired with a love of them." "How?" asked Emeline, all attention. " Insensibly, in a thousand ways," I continued. " In the first place, the school is to be a home ; EDIBLES AND EDUCATION". 181 and is to be as charming and attractive as it can be made. Everything about it will be con- venient, comfortable, cosy. The housekeeping department will be administered with great care ; and the girls will see, every day and all the time, housework properly performed. The table will be abundantly supplied with the best food, pre- pared in the most careful manaer, after the most approved methods. In short, my ideas are, that study, under proper conditions, is conducive to thorouofh health ; that the hio^hest mental culture is productive of the most perfect physical develop- ment ; and that young women, Avhile being qual- ified for the duties of life, can be developed mentally and physically, and inspired with a genuine, abiding love of domestic as well as intel- lectual pursuits. Emcline, you may consider me an enthusiast : but I expect to live long enough to see these theories of mine, if you choose to call them such, demonstrated as facts at this Home- School, or home and school combined."

AI-modernized reading of the original text

" True," I replied, " but you know ' Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.' And that which is true of hands is equally true of brains and hearts. If you don't wish Alice to think about Gerald, and fall in love before her time, give her something else to think about, and something to do. Now, if you were to become heartily enlisted in this school project of mine, who knows but she might join in the work also, and become so enthusiastically interested in it, that love would be put away from her thoughts forever." "No, — not forever, I hope," said Emeline ; " that would be too long. But what is this school project you speak of? Do you seriously contemplate taking charge of a school for girls ? " "Seriously, I do," was my reply. "Heretofore, as you know, I have done a good deal of talking ; hereafter, I propose doing some honest work. It seems to me of vital importance that girls should be thoroughly instructed in the domestic arts. Of these, I consider the culinary department the most important. But a practical knowledge of all of them is essential to the comfort and well-being of a household. Glance over the homes to which you have free entrance. Look at the slack, slovenly way in which most of them are ordered. Housework is considered drudgery of the meanest sort, and is pushed aside whenever possible ; or, if not, is done in a fretful, complaining spirit. Servants, as a class, are poorly educated in their department ; but the average servant who professes to do general housework, is fully up to the capacity of the average mistress. Where a servant habitually makes poor bread, serves badly cooked food, or does her work generally in a sleazy, slipshod manner, you will find the mistress powerless to correct the evils, because of her ignorance of the proper methods. Here, emphatically, "knowledge is power" ; and Bridget misrules the household, because her ignorance is less dense than the ignorance of the mistress. Now, in this school of mine the girls are to be taught home duties and domestic work ; and, at the same time, to be inspired with a love of them." "How?" asked Emeline, all attention. " Insensibly, in a thousand ways," I continued. " In the first place, the school is to be a home ; and is to be as charming and attractive as it can be made. Everything about it will be convenient, comfortable, cosy. The housekeeping department will be administered with great care ; and the girls will see, every day and all the time, housework properly performed. The table will be abundantly supplied with the best food, prepared in the most careful manner, after the most approved methods. In short, my ideas are, that study, under proper conditions, is conducive to thorough health ; that the highest mental culture is productive of the most perfect physical development ; and that young women, while being qualified for the duties of life, can be developed mentally and physically, and inspired with a genuine, abiding love of domestic as well as intellectual pursuits. Emcline, you may consider me an enthusiast : but I expect to live long enough to see these theories of mine, if you choose to call them such, demonstrated as facts at this Home- School, or home and school combined."

Cooking and castle-building