The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 19, 1903, Page 11

THE SUNDAY CAIlLL. 11 i F /) TWELVE 4/ OCLoCK HARD Corre_ PHoro BY STANFORD NooN AT REOOING PRIMARY HE school lunch is the problem. Itisa bject over which mothers * waxing warm in the mothers’ bs, over which doctors are the- over which teachers are is the question of the hour nd all the while the mccepts wha t ‘the up heads. merica carry in the 00l Here endeth the lunch 1eth . the dyspep- doctors have firmly y s maybe it is a pie that tempts, a n ple, brave with billows of meringue. ¥ g erica when this sum total of its lunch. says that she has seen a sessed just one nickel candy and make an entire purchase. It Is like the tle girls and boys wish for y . but it is not hygienic. Mrs. Walker, principal of the Marshall Primary School, says: “I wish we could the school lunch basket containing bread and jelly and good, sensible sand- wiches made of lamb, roast beef or corned beef. 1t ought to have a bottle of milk instead of coffee. Plenty of fruit should e in ft. And no cakes—none whatever. tter of the school lunch 1s worth thinking about.” be a vest difference be- unch that is and the to be. m make a popular cents’ worth —nice, big All the principals and the doctors seem same thing about coffes and with the former, on with the ugh Miss Deane of the Red- ding Primary finds that her flock is in- ed to the milk tipple for the most part “‘On the whole they seem to bring things she says. “Sandwiches, milk and fruit are the chief articles.” M. M. Murphy of tne Irving Scott y Scheol says: *Tt ien’t so much is put up for the children as how is only a nickel or wt 5 r. The more the It is put up that I want to find fault with. worse As soon as For ance, they have meat sandwiches, bel! has and the lines have passed which sounds well enough, but some of possessor of the cost races reet to the nearest attractive them are enough to frighten any appetite just to look at them. Great chunks of bread on each side of an ungainly chunk pink cake fn ©f meat. Ugh! I don't see how the dow with littie sheils of fros g Poor little things eat them. I know I the edge &nd jelly in the couldn’t touch a crumb of them.” cracks. Maybe the loaf costs two bits Dr. Mary Page Campbell was asked to and maybe the luncher has just that discuss the ideal school lunch from the amount. It takes less than two minutes physician’s standpoint and this is what to own the cake and not much longer to she sald: aybe there is & bea the w all aro EVERY BoDY . “It's hard to talk about the idesl bas- ket lunch when there is nothing ideal about such a meal. Every child should &0 home to lunch. This is the sort of thing however, that is & waste of breath to talk about and I am practical enough to realize that Many children live so far from home that they cannot possibly get home, eat and return In the time al- lowed. Or If they do they will have to boit the meal so rapidly that it ls worse than a cold lunch. “In Boston the problem has been solved, or partially so, by the little lunch sta- tions near the school bulldings where soup is sold to the children for vo small a sum that it is possible to all. It is good, whole- sbme, steaming hot soup that does the Ifttle bodies good from top to tos. This furnishes the heat which nature craves in a meal, and cold adjuncts can be car- ried in a basket. “Some day I hope to see a kettle of s00d-soup raising & hearty steam within sight of every San Francisco school. But until that comes about we must face the problem as it stands. Hundreds of our children carry a cold lunch to school. “What shall the basket contain? “In the first place, there should be something to drink with the meal, and this something should be milk. A bottle, of fresh milk can easily be put up In the morning. It is far less trouble than coffee because there is no cooking about it. Let the bottle of cold coffes be ta- booed. It Is absolutely unwholesome. If the child has acquired a liking for it, then the taste is unwholesome and should be overcome. “Let the basis of the lunch be bread and butter and sandwiches. Cut the bread thin and spread it thinly. Thers is a great deal In putting up a lunch daintily. Perhaps it does seem as if chil- dren are willing to eat anything, they are so much more the gourmand and less the gourmet than their parents. But nev- ertheless they are affected by the way thetr food Is prepared. Their appetite will be keener and the benefit from the food greater If it Is tempting Instead of mussy. “The sandwiches may be made of good, tender meat; of cheese, or of nuts. Cheese and nuts contaln an Immense amount of condensed nourishment. If the little folks care for it there is not the least harm in letting them have a pic! 1t must be a good pickle: not one ordinary grocery store kind, put up in )C/AOOL_JUNCAH some kind of chemical vinegar, but eme that you know to be seasomed with pure spices and pure vinegar. “Now for the lunch besket cup. This cup (or, better yet, a jelly glass with & ugktly fitted cover) may be made the charm of the basket, for it may reveal & delighttul surprise every day to tempt the young appetite. Don’t say that it is too much bother to think up new daintles. Set your wits to work. The resuit will pay. “Different forms of sago, rice and taploca can be put into the little glass jar. These may be the simplest and Wholesomest puddings, slightly sweet- ened. They are full of nourishment and palatable as well. “Macaroni is another {dea for your sup. It may be cooked with sither tomatoes or cheese. A little meat ple, with a light, flaky erust, is delicious and wholesoms, too. When the youngster carries this he wom't need meat sandwiches. Bread and butter is enough. Try to make the parts of the lunch harmonize In this way, just as much as If you were preparing & menu for guests. “Mayonnaise is an article that I some- times hear people speaking of as too rich for children. It is nothing of the kind. What could be more valuable than eggs and olive ofl? Don’t be so afraid of foods of this kind—the children are not inélined to eat any great amount of them if left to their own devices. Mayonnaise is good on many kinds of sandwicaes, but it is better to let the child carry it in & little cup and spread it when noon are rives, as it soaks Into the broad if 1§ stands long. becoming unpalatable. “Children need sweets for fusl. Remem- ber that every morning when you pack the basket. The sweets should be fur- nishad in very moderate quantities, but they should not be forgotten or conm- demned. A slice of light sponge cake or a few simple cookies are best. With the cake should be plenty of fruit, and so you have a good dessert. “Bear in mind the value of & varied bil} of fare. This involves much thought, but it is entirely possible. A cold lunch fs, at best, less cheerful than a meal at a table. Do your best to brighten the basket by frequent noveltles. And wrap each article separately so that flavors won't mix and make an unappetizing mess of the whole.” " HUNERY YWHERE Goop JIcESTIOMN WAITS o APPETITE.