Cooking and castle-building

"By no means," I answered. "The aim of its projectors is to make it a model school for girls, where they may enter at an early age, and con- tinue as long as they please. I have no expecta- tion that any of our girls will linish their educa- tion at school. They will be taught that education is a life-work; that self-development and self- restraint are the primary objects of education ; and that, until they have perfectly developed all their faculties, and are capable of restraining their appetites and passions, their education vrill 1)c incomplete. Instruction will be given in all the branches usually taught in a lirst-class school for young women, and in many more, as well as in domestic or household economy. In short, Eme- line, the object is to establish a home-school worthy of the name, worthy of the nineteenth century, and worthy of the women of America." " Kate, notwithstanding the slur of the ' Demo- crat,' you know I've never had any affiliation with ' strong-minded women.' On the contrary, I have been decidedly opposed to most of their move- ments; but I like this school project of yours. It seems to me a great deal better for women to EDIBLES AND EDUCATION. 189 go to work to correct our social evils in some such practical way, than to go aboirt clamoring for the ballot, and scolding men generally for depriving them of their rights. Have you ever talked Avith Alice about it? Perhaps it would strike her favorably. And if it should — " " Why not go into it heart and soul yourself. Cousin Emeline?" I interrupted, eagerly. "Why not put your life and fortune into it ? Believe me, it would pay a great deal better than writing novels." " Pay ? " answered Emeline, interrogatively. " I never thought of making money out of my novels." " No, no, Emeline ; you misunderstand me. I think it will pay better than writing novels, in other ways than in money. It will pay in some- thins^ more endurins; than dollars and cents. I think it will pay in — " " But," interrupted Emeline, "the sun is setting — how beautiful ! — and Alice will be wondering^ what has become of us. Let us go home." 190 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING. CHAPTER XI. LITTLE THINGS. "Cousin Kate, are you going to ignore cake entirely in your cook-book?" asked Alice, one evening at tea, as she passed me the loaf-cake she had made a week before. "Even you sometimes indulge in eating cake." "Very true, Alice," I replied; "I enjoy this bread-cake, for instance ; and quite delight in o'ood srino-er-cake at times. But I am so dis- gusted with the prominence given in cook-books to cake over bread, and I everywhere see so much time and attention bestowed upon cake, and so little upon bread, that I am strongly tempted, in my cook-book, to treat cake of all kinds with silent contempt." "But," said Emeline, "since people will eat cake, why not tell them how to make a few varie- ties that are inexpensive and comparatively harm- less? This loaf or bread cake is, to my taste, better than the average fruit-cake, for it has a cleaner taste. Yet it doesn't cost quarter as much as the fruit-cake, and is easier made, isn't it, Alice?" LITTLE THINGS. 191