The New Student's Reference Work/Domestic Science

Domestic Science.  The same principles that led to the introduction of manual training into the American public schools for boys led to the institution of domestic-science departments for girls.  We are at last learning the lesson that the common work of life may be done both scientifically and artistically and that thus the plane of our living may be greatly elevated.

In the manual-training high-schools of our larger cities domestic science (including domestic art) usually constitutes an important department.  Some of the main branches taught under this heading are sewing, dressmaking, millinery, history of costume, drawing, household-design, cooking, dietetics, purchase of commodities, house-sanitation, laundry-work, general household-economics and the care of young children.  Emphasis is placed upon a mastery of the underlying principles rather than upon the acquirement of mere skill in the practice of the art.

The opportunities in this line at the present time are very promising.  Schools and colleges in many parts of the country are opening new departments of domestic science and calling for well-equipped teachers.  There also is a growing demand for experts in dietetics in our hospitals and philanthropic institutions.  A normal-school course in domestic science lasts three years, and includes educational subjects, such as psychology and the history of education, in addition to the regular technical work.

Many institutions in our large cities are now offering excellent courses in domestic science.  A few of the most noteworthy are the Teachers’ College, the Manhattan Trade-School for Girls and the Girls’ Technical High-School in New York; Pratt Institute, Brooklyn; the Manual-Training High-School of Kansas City; Downer College, Milwaukee; the State College of Agriculture at Ames, Iowa; and the Minnesota Agricultural College.