The Boston Cooking-School Magazine (Vol. XV, No. 2, Aug.-Sept., 1910)Various
General
The Boston Cooking-School Magazine (Vol. XV, No. 2, Aug.-Sept., 1910)
Various
Cooking -- Periodicals; Home economics -- Periodicals
When the fall fruits came on, it had grown into such a fashion to send
the preserving out that the capacity of the Kitchen was somewhat
taxed. An evaporating outfit was added, that saved hundreds of bushels
of apples from absolute waste. A simple device for making unfermented
grape juice brought profit enough the first year to paint the town
hall, build over the stage and buy a curtain that never failed to
work.
The second year a "Sunshine" Laundry was added to the Kitchen, which
proved a great boon. Podunk had wrestled with the domestic problem,
but like the rest of the world had not solved it, and was left to do
its own washing.
As the name suggests, the "Community Kitchen" was established on a
coöperative basis, with the understanding that after all running
expenses were paid and each contributor had a certain share of profit,
proportioned to the amount of surplus material he contributed, all the
remaining profit was to go for the improvement of the town.
The "Kitchen" is now three years old and every visitor coming to
Podunk naturally wanders into the pretty new library on Main Street.
The sweet-faced librarian is always cordial and tells you with
unmasked pride that this is the first library built of fruit and
vegetables.
But complete regeneration came not to Podunk, until the Culture Club
became an active organization, impelled forward by the brain force of
the women of the community. Given a margin of leisure, it was
demonstrated that culture will flourish as persistently in rural
districts as in city precincts. Shakespeare and Browning were not
neglected, nor were Wagner and Mendelssohn.
Nature study, Domestic Economy and Civic beautifying opened new and
broad avenues of culture, and classes in these subjects were held
every week. The women of Podunk began to know their birds and to call
them by name. The church suppers took on a new aspect, for the
dietetic unrighteousness of four kinds of cake and three kinds of
sweet pudding, at the same meal, was openly discussed and frowned
upon. Deacon Wyburn, who had a tooth sweeter even than Jack's,
declared, at first, that this was heresy that should not be allowed to
enter the sanctuary. But regeneration came to the deacon as
indigestion departed.
And all of this happened, because Jack saw the need of an emancipation
proclamation and the people of Podunk availed themselves of its
freedom. I have always said that Jack was a man among men.
Fate
Great men live in word and deed,
Tho' the hand that sows the seed
No harvest knows.
Fixed as is the rolling sea
By its bounds, so this shall be
To thee and those;
Something lost and something won
E'er the life that hath begun
For thee shall close.
--_Grace Agnes Thompson_
Out of Chicken Pie
By Helen Campbell
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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