SANITATION
Girl Scouts should do everything in their power to make and keep their
homes healthy as well as happy.
Most of you cannot choose your own dwelling, but whether you live in a
house, a cottage, a flat, in rooms, or even in one room of a house, you
can do a very great deal to keep it healthy and pure.
Fresh air is your great friend; it will help you to fight disease better
than anything else. Open all your windows as often as you can, so that
the air may get into every nook and corner. Never keep an unused room
shut up. You know what a stagnant pool is like--no fresh water runs
through it, it is green and slimy, and full of insects and dead things;
you would not care to bathe in it. Well, still and stuffy air in a house
is very much worse, only, unluckily, its dangers cannot be seen, but
they are there lying in ambush for the ignorant person. Disease germs,
poisonous gases, mildew, insects, dust, and dirt have it all their own
way in stale, used-up air.
You do not like to wash in water other people have used, but it is far
worse to breathe air other people have breathed. Air does not flow in
and flow out of the same opening at the same time any more than water
does, so you want two openings in a room--an open window to let the good
air in, and a fireplace and chimney to let the stale air out, or, where
there is no fireplace, a window open both at top and bottom. The night
air in large towns is purer than the day air, and both in town and
country you should sleep with your window open if you want to be
healthy. Draughts are not good, as they carry away the heat from your
body too fast; so if your bed is too near the window, put up a shelter
between it and the open window, and cover yourself more. At least one
window on a staircase or landing should always be kept open, and also
the larder and the closet windows.
[Illustration]
Tidiness
_Motto_: "TIDY AS YOU GO."
Half your time will be saved if little things are kept tidy. Have a
place for everything, and have everything in its place. If you are not
sure which is the right place for a thing, think "_Where, if I wanted
it, should I go to look for it?_" That place is the right one. Get into
the habit of always making hanks of any string you get, and keep them.
War must be waged against rats and mice, or they will multiply and loot
everything. If you have no mouse-traps, put a newspaper over a pail of
water, break a hole slightly in the center in the form of a star, and
place a bit of herring or cheese on the center tips of star to entice
the mouse. Let the paper reach to the floor, not too upright, for the
mouse to climb up. Try putting broken camphor into their holes; they
dislike the smell. Fly and wasp traps are made by tying paper over a
tumbler half-filled with water and beer or treacle. Break a hole in the
paper, and fit in a tube of rolled paper about one inch long and one
inch across.
Try to keep yourself neat, and see that the house you live in is clean,
sweet, and pleasant.
GOLDEN HEALTH HABITS FOR GIRL SCOUTS
Contributed by Dr. Thomas D. Wood.
1. Remember Fresh Air and Sunlight Are The Best Medicines.
Ventilate, therefore, every room you occupy. Germs cannot live more than
a few minutes in sunlight. Breathe deeply, sleep out, if you can. Work
and play as much as possible out-of-doors.
2. Be Not the Slave of Unhygienic Fashions.
Be proud to have efficient feet. Wear light, loose and porous, but
sufficient clothing.
3. Eat Slowly.
Do not eat between meals. Chew food thoroughly. Do not overeat. Remember
a Girl Scout is always cheerful and helpful. She eats what is provided
and is thankful for it. (She does not complain about her food.) If there
are any suggestions she can make, she reserves them until mother or the
(camp) cook is preparing the menu or the meal. Eat some hard, some bulky
and some raw foods.
4. Drink Pure Water at Frequent Intervals.
Remember that not all water that looks pure is free from disease germs.
Boil the water if the Scout leader (or older person) is doubtful about
it. The few minutes spent in boiling and cooling water is time well
spent. Do not drink water when there is food in the mouth.
5. Be Mistress of Your Time--Be Regular in Your Habits of Life.
Go to bed early enough to get sufficient sleep. Be in bed 10-1/2 to 10
hours each night. Get up in the morning promptly. Do not doze after it
is time to get up. If you have not had enough sleep go to bed earlier
the next night.
Be sure your bowels move regularly, at least once a day. If outside
engagements are so pressing as to conflict with your personal health,
remember you have an important "previous engagement" with yourself for
sufficient time for meals, sleep, out-of-door exercise and, if
necessary, rest.
6. Avoid Infection and Do Not Spread It.
Wash your hands always before eating. Use your handkerchief to cover a
sneeze or cough and try to avoid coughing, sneezing or blowing the nose
in front of others, or at the table. Do not use a common towel or
drinking cup, or other appliance which may contain disease germs.
7. Keep Clean.
The smell of flowers has been said to be their soul. Try to keep your
body as fresh as possible with the sweetness of cleanliness, not
perfumery. Take a sponge bath, shower or quick tub bath daily.
8. Play Hard and Fair.
Be loyal to your team mates and generous to your opponents.
Study hard--and in work, study or play, do your best.
9. Remember Dentist's Bills are Largely Your Own Fault.
Get the habit of cleaning your teeth and rinsing your mouth after each
meal. It is more than worth the habit.
10. Remember Silence Is Golden.
In solitudes poets and philosophers have touched the heights of life. It
is valuable for everyone to take account of stock occasionally with
oneself.
HEALTH
Exercises and their Object
The best results of exercise are to be had outdoors from the activity of
vigorous games. Some of us are so placed that we cannot have daily
recreation outdoors and it becomes necessary to give our bodies some
type of activity to keep them normal. More than half the weight of the
body is made up of muscular tissue. If this muscle is not used the
health of the whole body is affected. Exercise is a necessary condition
of health, just as food and sleep are. The body is very responsive to
the demands made upon it. In fact, each one of us can mold her own body,
very much as a sculptor fashions a statue. This is done by giving the
body proper care and the right forms of activity. A weak, infirm
physique is nothing less than a crime. It is the duty of each one of us,
both for our own sakes, and for the benefit of future generations, to
perfect our physical frame. It is a duty to be strong and beautiful in
body as well as in mind and spirit.
The Nose
Always breathe through the nose. Fifty years ago Mr. Catlin wrote a book
called _Shut your Mouth and Save your Life_, and he showed how the Red
Indians for a long time had adopted that method with their children to
the extent of a cruel habit of tying up their jaws at night, to ensure
breathing through the nostrils.
Breathing through the nose prevents germs of disease getting from the
air into the throat and stomach; it also prevents a growth in the back
of the throat called "adenoids," which reduce the breathing capacity of
the nostrils, and also cause deafness.
By keeping the mouth shut you prevent yourself from getting thirsty
when you are doing hard work. The habit of breathing through the nose
prevents snoring. Therefore practice keeping your mouth shut and
breathing through your nose.
Ears
A Scout must be able to hear well. The ears are very delicate, and once
damaged are apt to become incurably deaf. No sharp or hard instrument
should be used in cleaning the ear. The drum of the ear is a very
delicate, tightly stretched skin which is easily damaged. Very many
children have had the drums of their ears permanently injured by getting
a box on the ear.
Eyes
A Scout, of course, must have particularly good eye-sight; she must be
able to see anything very quickly, and to see it a long way off. By
practicing your eyes in looking at things at a great distance they will
grow stronger. While you are young you should save your eyes as much as
possible, or they will not be strong when you get older; therefore avoid
reading by lamplight or in the dusk, and also sit with your back or side
to the light when doing any work during the day; if you sit facing the
light it strains your eyes.
The strain of the eyes is a very common failure with growing girls,
although very often they do not know it, and headaches come most
frequently from the eyes being strained; frowning on the part of a girl
is very generally a sign that her eyes are being strained. Reading in
bed brings headaches.
Teeth
Bad teeth are troublesome, and are often the cause of neuralgia,
indigestion, abscesses, and sleepless nights. Good teeth depend greatly
on how you look after them when you are young. Attention to the first
set of teeth keeps the mouth healthy for the second teeth, which begin
to come when a child is seven and these will last you to the end of your
life, if you keep them in order.
If one tooth is allowed to decay, it will spread decay in all the
others, and this arises from scraps of food remaining between the teeth
and decaying there.
A thorough Scout always brushes her teeth inside and outside and between
all, just the last thing at night as well as other times, so that no
food remains about them to decay. Scouts in camps or in the wilds of the
jungle cannot always buy tooth-brushes, but should a tiger or a
crocodile have borrowed yours, you can make your teeth just as bright
and white as his are by means of a frayed-out-dry, clean stick.
_Learn how to make camp tooth-brushes out of sticks. Slippery elm or
"dragonroot" sticks for cleaning teeth can be got at chemists' shops as
samples._
MEASUREMENT OF THE GIRL
_It is of paramount importance to teach the young citizen to assume
responsibility for her own development and health._
_Physical drill is all very well as a disciplinary means of development,
but it does not give the girl any responsibility in the matter._
_It is therefore deemed preferable to tell each girl, according to her
age, what ought to be her height, weight, and various measurements (such
as chest, waist, arm, leg, etc.). She is then measured, and learns in
which points she fails to come up to the standard. She can then be shown
which exercises to practice for herself in order to develop those
particular points. Encouragement must afterwards be given by periodical
measurements, say every three months or so._
_Cards can be obtained from the "Girl Scouts" Office, which, besides
giving the standard measurements for the various ages, give columns to
be filled in periodically, showing the girl's remeasurements and
progress in development. If each girl has her card it is a great
incentive to her to develop herself at odd times when she has a few
minutes to spare._
My Physical Development
-------+--------+--------+----------------+------+---------+---------
|Date. |Weight. |Height. |Chest Expanded. |Neck. |Forearm. |Biceps. |
-------+--------+--------+----------------+------+---------+---------
| | | | | | | |
-------+--------+--------+----------------+------+---------+---------
| | | | | | | |
-------+--------+--------+----------------+------+---------+---------
| | | | | | | |
-------+--------+--------+----------------+------+---------+---------
| | | | | | | |
-------+--------+--------+----------------+------+---------+---------
| | | | | | | |
-------+--------+--------+----------------+------+---------+---------
Fill in this page quarterly, the progress shown should be a useful
incentive.
Games to Develop Strength
Skipping, rowing, fencing, swimming, tennis, and handball are all
valuable aids to developing strength.
Use also:--
Staff exercises, to music if possible. Maze and spiral;
follow-my-leader, done at a jog-trot in the open air. A musical
accompaniment when possible. If done indoors, all the windows in the
room must be kept open top and bottom. Sing the tune.
FLAGS.--Choose sides; each player lays down a flag or a handkerchief at
her own goal, and each side tries to capture the flags of the other;
once she touches the opponent's flag she cannot be taken prisoner, but
goes back with the flag to her side.
Players can rescue a prisoner by touching her in prison. Players should
keep moving as much as possible all the time, and try to evade being
captured.
PRACTICE throwing at a mark. Put a pebble on the top of a staff and
stand at a certain line so many paces off.
Morris dances (old English country dances) and the folk-songs.
ENDURANCE IS USEFUL
Have you not often heard of accidents on the ice? In the winter of 1895
some schoolgirls were sliding on a frozen canal, when one girl twelve
years old ventured into the middle. Then there was an ominous cracking,
and in a moment she was struggling in water many feet deep.
Miss Alice White, a teacher, happened to witness the accident.
Notwithstanding the warnings of several persons standing on the
towing-path, who assured her it was most dangerous, she at once went on
the ice and approached as close to the hole as she dared with safety.
She then lay down at full length, so as to more equally distribute her
weight, and tried to seize the struggling child. But under her weight
the ice broke, and the brave girl was precipitated into the cold water.
The bystanders shouted to her to forsake the child, and at least save
her own life, but she did nothing of the kind. She held on to her
precious burden, and literally fought her way out. Piece after piece of
the ice broke off, but she at length reached the bank in a state of
great exhaustion. Her hands were cut in many places by the sharp ice,
but they were wounds of which any one might well have been proud. Miss
White was only sixteen years old, and it was the second time she had
saved a life.
Laying a pole or a branch across the hole is a good plan.
An Easy Way to Grow Strong
It is possible for any girl, even though she may be small and weak, to
make herself into a strong and healthy woman if she takes the trouble to
do a few body exercises every day. They take only about ten minutes, and
do not require any kind of apparatus.
This should be practiced every morning, the first thing on getting up,
and every evening before going to bed. A girl of ten years should weigh
at least fifty pounds, the average height at that age being forty-nine
inches. The value of this exercise is much increased if you think of the
object of each move while you are doing it, and if you are very
particular to breathe the air in through your nose. A great many people
who are pale and ill are made so by living in rooms where the windows
are seldom opened and the air is full of poisonous gases or germs. Open
your windows, especially at the top, every day to let the foul air out.
Do not exercise immediately _after_ eating; let your meal be digested.
Girls who have not done these exercises before should begin them
gradually with care, bit by bit, doing more every day. Brush your hair,
clean your teeth, wash out your mouth and nose, drink a cup of cold
water, and then go on with the following exercises.
It is best to carry these out with as few clothes on as possible, either
in the open air or close to an open window. The movements should be
executed vigorously.
First Series
EXERCISE I.
Stand erect, hands at side.
Count 1. Bend knees deeply with trunk held vertical.
Count 2. Straighten knees and return to an erect position.
Count 3. Let the body fall directly forward until it reaches an angle of
45 degrees, advancing the left foot a long stride to catch the weight of
the body, and bringing the closed hands to shoulders, palms forward,
elbows close at side, shoulders drawn back and chest out.
Count 4. Bend at the waist without moving the legs and touch the floor
with both hands.
Count 5. Return to the third position.
Count 6. Stand erect.
Repeat ten times, using first one foot, then the other. At the end of
one week use this exercise fifteen times. Continue to increase the
repetitions by fives each week until you can do thirty.
EXERCISE II.
Take five deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling, filling the lower part of
the chest, and at the end of the breath expelling all the air you can.
Second Series
EXERCISE I.
Run in place, that is go through the movements of running without
gaining ground, twenty steps, rest a minute and do fifty counts.
EXERCISE II.
Lying on the back, hands at side, raise the body and touch the toes with
both hands, ten times.
EXERCISE III.
Count 1. Charge sideways, raising the arms sideways to a vertical
position.
Count 2. Bend and twist to the left, touching the floor with both hands
on the left side of the foot.
Counts 3 and 4. Make the return movements.
Repeat ten times in each direction.
EXERCISE IV.
Deep breathing eight times.
Third Series
EXERCISE I.
Bend knees deeply, fifteen times.
EXERCISE II.
Lying face downward, hands at side, raise the head and chest from the
floor as far as possible.
EXERCISE III.
Lying face downward, head resting on the folded arms, raise each leg
upward and backward from the hip with straight knee, ten times.
EXERCISE IV.
Lying on the back, hands under head, raise both legs with straight knees
to a vertical position, toes pointed upward, ten times.
EXERCISE V.
Charge obliquely forward left, arms in line with the body and rear leg;
touch the floor and return, making it a four-count exercise.
Repeat ten times in each direction.
EXERCISE VI.
Run in place for one minute, rest and repeat.
EXERCISE VII.
Take ten deep breaths.
HOME LIFE
Housewifery
Every Girl Scout is as much a "hussif" as she is a girl. She is sure to
have to "keep house" some day, and whatever house she finds herself in,
it is certain that that place is the better for her being there.
Too many odds and ends and draperies about a room are only dust-traps,
and rugs or carpet squares, which can be taken up easily, are better
than nailed down carpets. Keep all the furniture clean and bright. Fresh
air, soap, and water are the good housewife's best allies. Bars of soap
should be cut up in squares, and kept for six weeks before being used.
This hardens it, and makes it last longer.
In scrubbing boarded floors, the secret is not to deluge the floor;
change the water in the pail frequently.
In the work of cleaning, think out your plan beforehand, so as not to
dirty what has been cleaned. Plan certain times for each kind of work,
and have your regular days for doing each thing.
PASTE-BOARDS AND DEAL TABLES.--Scrub hard the way of the grain. Hot
water makes boards and tables yellow. Rinse in cold water, and dry well.
SAUCEPANS.--New saucepans must not be used till they have first been
filled with cold water and a little soda, and boiled for an hour or so,
and must be well scoured. After basins or saucepans have been used fill
them at once with cold water to the brim; this will prevent anything
hardening on the saucepan, and will make cleaning easier.
[Illustration]
Needlework
"A stitch in time saves nine." We cannot agree with this favorite
saying, because it saves so many more than nine, besides saving time and
preventing untidiness.
Tailors, who are such neat workers, will say that they never pin their
work first. If you are not a tailor, it is much better to place your
work, before you begin, with plenty of pins. You will never get straight
lines or smooth corners if you do not plan and place it all first, just
as it has got to be, and tack it there.
Have you noticed that thread is very fond of tying itself into a bow;
but this can be prevented by threading the cotton into the needle before
you cut it off the reel, making your knot at the end you cut.
In rough measures, one inch is equivalent to the distance across a
twenty-five-cent piece, and a yard is from nose to thumb, as far as you
can reach. Needlework is good for all of us; it rests and calms the
mind. You can think peacefully over all the worries of Europe whilst you
are stitching. Sewing generally solves all the toughest problems,
chiefly other peoples'.
Pillow lace needs a little more attention, but is a lovely art which
girls can easily master. The writer was taught to make the flowers of
Honiton lace by a little Irish girl, and the variations you can invent
are endless. You would find a good sale for insertion lace of the
Torchon patterns. Make your own pillow, and buy some cheap bobbins to
begin learning with, and do not try fine work at first. Learn to spin
wool and thread; a spinster can earn money in this way.
The Girl Scouts' Patch
We don't know whether you ever did such a thing as burn a hole in your
dress, but we have, and if it is in the front, oh, dear! what will
mother say. Now, there is a very good way that Girl Scouts have of
making it all right and serviceable; they put in a piece and darn it in
all round. If possible, get a piece of the same stuff, then it will not
fade a different tint, and will wear the same as the rest. You may undo
the hem and cut out a bit, or perhaps you may have some scraps left over
from cutting out your dress.
The piece must be cut three or four inches larger than the hole, and
frayed out on all four sides. Trim the hole with your scissors neatly
all round quite square with the thread. Then lay your piece over the
hole--of course on the back or "wrong side"--and tack it there with
cotton. Now take a darning needle, and thread each thread in turn, and
darn each one into the stuff. If the ends of stuff are very short, it is
best to run your needle in and out where you are going to darn, and
then, before pulling it through, thread it with the wool. This patching
is excellent for table-linen.
We once had an aunt who was a thorough old Scout, and was rather proud
of her mending. She always said that she didn't mind what colored cotton
you gave her to sew with, because her stitches hardly ever showed, they
were so small, and also she put them inside the stuff. If she was
putting on a patch to blue stuff, she could do it with red cotton, and
you would never have noticed it on the right side; her stitches were all
under the edge. Or else she sewed it at the back, on the wrong side, so
that it looked perfectly neat.
If you are not able to match the wool for a darn, it is a good plan to
use the ravelings of the stuff itself. Sometimes, away in the country,
you can't go to a shop and you have nothing like the piece you want to
mend. A Scout would turn it inside out and undo a little of the hem, and
ravel out the edge. Suppose you were to cut a hole in the front of your
blue serge skirt; if you darn it with the ravelings of the turnings of
the seam or the hem, that will be exactly the same color and the same
thickness as your dress. No wool you could buy would match as well. Or
if you want to mend a jersey or knitted gloves, you never could buy such
a good match--the same sized wool and the tints.
[Illustration]
Damask table-cloths should be darned to match the pattern, following the
flowers of the design, and large holes may be mended like the "Scouts'
Patch" just described. To sew on buttons properly, leave them loose
enough for the iron to push. On washing articles have your threads long
enough to make a little stalk to the button, which is wound round before
finishing. Your needle should be sloped out to all sides, so as to take
up fresh stuff farther out than the holes in the button.
Scouts may make many useful presents in their spare time, such as
cretonne covered blotters or frames, mittens, warm felt slippers (for
which woolly soles can be bought), pen-wipers, pin-cushions, and
needle-books. They could also make articles for their hospitals, such as
night-clothing, soft caps, handkerchiefs, pillow-cases, and dusters.
HOME COOKING
There is a legend in Turkey that when a rich man is engaged to marry a
lady he can break it off if she is not able to cook him a dish of dates
in a different way every day for a whole month. A friend of ours did
somewhat the same in trying a new cook; he always tested them with
nothing but cutlets for a fortnight. The real test of a good cook is to
see how little food she wastes. She uses up all the scraps, and old bits
of bread are baked for making puddings and for frying crumbs; she sees
that nothing goes bad, and she also buys cleverly. Those who do not
understand cookery waste money.
Perfect cleanliness and neatness should be insisted on, or your food
will be bad and unwholesome.
Eggs
Is an egg lighter or heavier when cooked? An experienced cook is
experienced in eggs. There are "new laid" eggs which are fresh and
"fresh" eggs which are not; there are "cooking" eggs which are liable to
squeak. Eggs are safe in their shells, and think you don't know whether
they are fresh or not, or whether they are raw. Any egg can be thrown
out of a first-floor window on to the lawn without the shell breaking;
it falls like a cat, right end upwards, and this is not a boiled egg,
either! You can tell that because it will not spin on the table, so it
must have been a raw egg. A cooked egg would spin.
To tell a stale egg, you will see it is more transparent at the _thick_
end when held up to the light.
Fresh eggs are more transparent in the _middle_. Very bad eggs will
_float_ in a pan of water.
Poached Eggs
Break each egg separately into a cup. When your water is boiling fast,
drop in an egg sharply. Use a large deep pan, with salt and vinegar in
the water. Lift the egg very carefully in a ladle before it is set too
hard. Place the eggs all round a soup plate, pour over them a nice sauce
made with flour and butter, a little milk, and some grated cheese and
salt.
STOCK POT.--Keep a pot going all day, into which you can put any
broken-up bones or scraps left over, to make nourishing broth. Clean
turnips, carrots, and onions improve it. Before using let it get cold,
so as to skim off the fat.
HOME HEALTH
Contributed by Dr. Thomas D. Wood.
~1. Dust~ (carries germs and bacteria)--
a. Must be kept out of the house by
1. Being careful not to bring it in on shoes or clothing.
2. By really removing the dust when cleaning, not just brushing it from
place to place with dry brushes and dust cloths.
b. Tools needed--
1. Vacuum cleaner (if possible).
2. Brooms and brushes of different kinds.
3. Mops.
4. Dust cloths of cotton, outing flannel and wool.
5. Soft paper.
c. Methods of cleaning--
1. Cleansing and putting away all small movable articles first.
2. Wiping walls, pictures, floor, furniture, woodwork, etc., using damp
cloths and brushes, if possible, so that no dust can fly, and
gathering all dust on a dustpan that has a damp paper on it to
collect dust.
3. Airing and sunning each room while cleaning.
4. Wiping window shades at least once a week.
5. Cleaning hangings often and laundering table and cushion covers.
6. Keeping every corner, drawer, and closet aired, cleansed, sunned and
in order at all times to prevent accumulation of dust, germs and
household pests.
7. Keeping all bathroom furnishings spotless and sweet, always drying
after cleansing.
8. Scalding all cleaning tools and drying in sunshine, if possible,
before putting away.
~2. Care of the Bedroom--~
Hygiene of the Bedroom--
1. Substances that tend to make the bedroom unhealthy are--
a. Excretions from lungs, skin, kidneys.
b. Street dust that has settled on clothing in day.
2. Relation of personal habits to healthfulness of the bedroom--
a. Leave outside wraps outside bedroom, if at all possible, at least
until they have been well dusted.
b. Never put into the closet clothing that has been next to the
skin during the day. Such articles should be aired by an open
window during the night.
c. A bath each day at some time and a thorough cleansing of face, hands
and feet before going to bed will prevent much dust and body
excretions from accumulating on bed clothing.
3. Preparation for the Night--
a. Remove counterpane and fold carefully.
b. Protect blanket by covering with a sheet or other light covering.
c. Open windows from top and bottom.
d. Hang used clothing to air.
4. Care of Room on Rising--
a. Remove bed clothing and hang by open window in the sun.
b. Air night clothing before hanging away.
c. If a washstand is used, empty all bowls and jars, soap dishes, etc.,
wash and dry them before leaving the room for breakfast.
d. When thoroughly aired, make the bed and put the room in order.
5. Making the Bed Properly--
a. Mattress must have been turned. There should be a covering for the
mattress under the first sheet.
b. Put on the under sheet, tucking it securely under mattress at top,
bottom and sides.
c. Put on upper sheet and blankets, tucking in at bottom only.
d. Turn upper sheet down over blankets.
e. Cover with counterpane and place on well-beaten pillows.
6. Weekly Cleaning--
a. Mattress, rugs, and unwashable hangings should be removed to
some place in outdoor air and sunshine, beaten and dusted.
b. Closets must be cleaned and dusted first, then used to store all
small articles from room after they have been thoroughly cleaned.
c. Clean walls, pictures, woodwork, floors, windows and shades.
d. Put room in order.
e. Such care of the rooms of a house make regular "housecleaning"
spells unnecessary.
~3. Kitchen Sanitation--~
a. Do not wash--
1. Iron (range).
2. Brass and copper.
3. Tin.
4. Zinc.
5. Aluminum, nickel, silver.
To clean metals of grease, use kerosene, gasoline, benzine, naphtha,
chloroform, soap suds.
b. Care of Sink--
1. Pour dishwater through a sieve.
2. Greasy water must be changed into a soap or dissolved before being
poured down to drain.
3. Flush sink drain three times a week with boiling sal soda solution,
one pint sal soda to three gallons of water. Use at least two quarts.
c. Kitchen needs same treatment for general cleanliness, removal of
dust, etc., as other rooms and walls. Woodwork--floor should be
often washed thoroughly in hot soapsuds, rinsed and dried to be
sure no germs develop where food is being prepared.
d. Care of Ice Chest--
1. Should be emptied and thoroughly washed and dried at least twice a
week to make it a wholesome place for food.
~4. Cellar--~
1. Must be kept as free of dust and rubbish as the kitchen.
2. No decaying vegetables or fruit must be found in it.
~5. Door-Yard and Out-Building--~
1. Grass and growing things, especially if sprayed with water daily, will
help keep dust out of houses.
2. Rubbish of any kind should be burned, for it is in such places that
flies and mosquitoes breed.
3. Grass should be kept cut and lawns raked to keep mosquitoes from
breeding.
4. No manure from domestic animals should be allowed to be exposed on the
premises, for in such material the typhoid fly lays its eggs.
5. Barns and out-houses should be screened.
~6. To Clean Fruits and Vegetables--~
1. Garden soil is the home of a multitude of small forms of life,
many quite harmless, but some organisms causing disease. For
instance, germs of tetanus are found in dust and soil.
2. Top-dressing or fertilizer used to enrich the soil may contain such
disease germs.
3. If fruits or vegetables come from the market instead of the garden
they are quite as likely to have dust and bacteria clinging to them.
4. It is necessary, therefore, to wash all vegetables and fruits
thoroughly before using.
~7. How to Wash Fruit and Vegetables~--
1. Put berries and small fruits in a colander, a few at a time, and dip
lightly down and up in a basin of water, being careful not to crush
the fruit.
2. Wash strawberries with hulls on.
3. Firm fruits, as grapes, cherries, etc., can be washed by standing
the colander under the cold water faucet for some time.
4. Lettuce is best washed under the cold water faucet and celery needs
scrubbing with a brush.
5. Apples from exposed fruit stands should be soaked for some time and
carefully dried.
~8. Fresh Foods Are Best--~
1. Celery, cabbage, apples, pumpkins, beets, squash, white and
sweet potatoes, etc., can be kept fresh for out of season use if
carefully cleansed and stored away in a dry, cool, dark place.
~9. Methods of Preserving Foods--~
1. Salting.
2. Pickling.
3. Refrigeration.
4. Canning.
5. Preserving.
6. Drying or evaporation.
~10. Method of Preserving Eggs--~
1. Packing in coarse salt.
2. Cover with water-glass in large stone jars, set in cool place.
~11. Care of Milk--~
1. Use certified milk or inspected milk.
2. Wash bottle top before removing cover.
3. Pour milk in pans that have been scalded and drained dry in the
sun or, in damp weather, by the stove.
4. As soon as cool enough put in refrigerator or in coolest place
possible, as milk spoils very quickly unless kept cold.
~12. Care of Meat--~
1. Wash thoroughly as soon as it arrives.
2. Place on clean pan of aluminum, porcelain or some such ware.
3. Place in refrigerator until ready to cook.
~13. General Rules For Care of Food--~
1. Keep food clean--(personal cleanliness, washing food).
2. Keep food dry.
3. Keep food cool.
4. Care for food left from each meal. If carefully put away it can be
used and not wasted.
Inspected Milk--
1. Comes from sanitary farms where cows, cases and bottles are reasonably
clean; the rules are much less strict than for certified milk.
2. Cannot by law contain more than 500,000 germs in each teaspoonful,
while certified milk contains not more than 50,000 germs.
Pasteurized Milk--
1. Method recommended by Department of Health of Chicago. In a small tin
pail place a saucer.
On the saucer stand the bottle of milk (leaving
the cap on the bottle). Now put sufficient hot
water (not so hot as to break the bottle) into the
pail to fill same to within three or four inches of
the top of the bottle, and then stand the pail and
its contents on the top of the stove. The instant
the water begins to boil remove the bottle of
milk from the pail and cool it as rapidly as
possible. Keep the bottle of milk in the ice box
and keep the cap on the bottle when not in use.
When you remove the cap do so with a clean
prong, and be careful that the milk side of the
cap does not come in contact with anything dirty.
None but inspected or certified milk should be
used.
Milk should be kept covered with clean cheese
cloth to prevent dust getting in.
Water--
1. Water will carry germs of typhoid fever, cholera, etc.
2. Boiling and cooling all water that might be suspected.
Unprotected and Exposed Food--
a. Prevention--
1. Be sure of a pure water supply (inspection of Board of Health).
2. Cleanse all foods properly before eating.
House Fly--
a. Why it is a Disease Carrier--
1. Breeds in filth where disease germs are found.
2. Construction of feet, legs, body, wings, etc., favorable for
catching and holding great numbers of filth and disease germs.
b. How to Fight the Fly--
1. Catch all flies that get in the house.
2. Keep food covered.
3. Trap flies out of doors.
4. Screen all windows of houses, barns or out-buildings.
Mosquito--
1. Carries germs of malaria and yellow fever.
2. Turn over every pail or tub that may hold water.
3. Pick up old tin cans and bottles and put them where rain cannot fill
them.
4. Screen rain barrels and cisterns so mosquitoes cannot get to the water
and lay eggs.
5. Screen the wash water if it is left standing over night.
6. Change water every day in drinking pans for birds and animals.
Rats--
Prevention--
Get rid of them by trapping and killing.
HINTS TO HOUSEKEEPERS
HOW TO CLEAN WIRE WINDOW SCREENS.
_Rub down with Kerosene oil outside and inside._
THREE PRIMARY COLORS _are, Red, Blue and Yellow._
POLISHING FLOORS
_One quart of turpentine to one quarter (1/4) pound of beeswax. Warm,
taking care not to let any fire reach the turpentine. Rub in the floor
with flannel and polish with hard brush. A little powdered burnt umber
mixed in gives a nice brown stain._
TO PUT AWAY FLANNELS
_First thoroughly air and beat them, then wrap up with cedar chips,
refuse tobacco, or camphor, and wrap in newspapers, being careful to
close every outlet to keep out moths._
Babcock Test
_The Babcock test is a test for determining the butter fat in milk._
_Bottles are devised which are known as Babcock milk bottles, and are
registered to show the per cent. of fat in milk. A certain amount of
milk is mixed with a certain amount of Commercial Sulphuric acid of a
specific gravity 1.83 which is added by degrees and thoroughly shaken up
with the milk. Enough distilled water is added to fill the bottle. The
mixture is then centrifuged in a Babcock Centrifuge, and the centrifuged
fat read in per cent. on the neck of the bottle._
_The Official Travelers' Babcock Test can be purchased from the Creamery
Package Manufactory Co., Chicago Ill., and costs between $5.00 and
$6.00._
_All utensils used in dairy work should be sterilized by steaming or
boiling for five minutes._
How to Cure Hams
Rub one tablespoonful of Saltpetre into the face of each ham; let it
remain one day. Literally cover the ham with salt and pack it in a
closed box. Leave it in box as many days as there are pounds to the ham.
Take it out, wash in warm water; cover the face of the ham with black
pepper, and smoke it ten days with green hickory or red-oak chips.
Care of Children
_Mrs. Benson writes: "There is no way in which a girl can help her
country better than by fitting herself to undertake the care of
children. She should learn all she can about them, and take every
opportunity of helping to look after these small Girl Scouts and Boy
Scouts of the future."_
An infant cannot tell you its wants, but a Scout with a knowledge of the
needs of children, what to feed them on, and the rules for good health,
may save many a baby, for she never knows how soon the precious gift of
some child's life may be placed in her hands.
Baby does not know that fire will burn, or that water will drown one, so
you need to guard him. Baby requires the proper food to build up a
healthy body. He prefers milk for the first months of his life, and even
up till three years old he takes mostly milk; and as a baby cannot
digest flour, bread, corn-flour, and such things are so much poison to
him. They may injure a little baby's health for life. As has been said
to older children, let him keep quiet after eating. Even up to three
years old, Baby's food must be chiefly milk--biscuits, puddings, and
fruit being gradually added. He is very particular about his milk being
fresh and good. Baby is extremely punctual. He feels it keenly if you do
not feed him at the fixed hour, and will very likely let you know it,
and woe betide you if he finds out that you have not properly scalded
out his bottle before and after each meal.
[Illustration]
When his digestion is not right, his appetite will not be so good.
Digestion means that the food you eat is turned into muscle and brain
and bone.
We eat onions to make bone, and oats to make brain, but Baby must not be
allowed such food till he is older. What is _indigestion?_ It means not
only uncomfortable pains in the middle of the night, but also that you
have not used up the food you ate, and that food is going bad inside
you, and making bad blood. Eat only the foods that you know you can
digest comfortably. Do not give Baby too much at a time, or he will not
be able to digest it, and keep him to plain food.
Air
Sun and air are life-giving. Put a pale withering plant or human being
into the sun, and each will recover health. Give a baby plenty of fresh
air, out of doors if you can, but avoid draughty places. Air the rooms
well. You know, too, that the air inside the bed-clothes is impure, so
do not let Baby sleep with his head under the sheet; tuck it in under
his chin. You remember what air did in curing illness in the case of the
expressman's children. He had two boys and three little girls all
beginning to have consumption, and constantly requiring a doctor at
great expense. He got the happy idea of putting them all into his cart
when he started out very early on his work, and he drove them about
every morning till school time. Every one of them soon got well, and
became strong and healthy.
Bath
No one can be healthy unless she is extremely clean. Baby will want his
bath daily, with soap and warmish water. He likes to kick the water and
splash, as long as you support his head. Before starting on this
swimming expedition, you should have all his clothes, warm, by you, and
all that you will want must be within reach, and he expects a warm
flannel on your knees to lie on. You must carefully dry all the creases
in his fat body for him, with a soft towel.
Illnesses
What will you do when you suddenly find that baby is ill. Call in the
doctor? Yes--that is, if there is one. But when there is no doctor! You
will at once think of all the First Aid you have learnt, and what you
know of nursing.
Drugs are bad things. You may ruin a child by giving it soothing drugs
and advertised medicines. They sometimes produce constipation. Never
neglect the bowels if they become stopped, or you may bring on
inflammation. Children's illnesses often are brought on by damp floors;
you can trace them to the evening that the boards were washed. A flood
of water could not dry without damping the room and the children.
Bowed legs come from walking too soon. It does baby good to lie down and
kick about, for crawling and climbing exercise his muscles.
The best remedy, if you find a child suffering from convulsions, is to
place it in a warm bath, as hot as your bare elbow can endure.
Childhood is the time to form the body; it cannot be altered when you
are grown up.
Clothing
Children's clothes should be warm but light, and the feet and legs
should be kept warm and dry. To put on their stockings, turn the toe in
a little way, and poke the toes into the end, then pull over a little at
a time, instead of putting the foot in at the knee of the stocking. Put
the left stocking on the right foot next day, so as to change them every
day.
Flannelette is made of cotton, so it is not warm like wool, and it
catches fire easily, as cotton-wool does.
Rubber is most unhealthful, and causes paralysis. Don't sit on rubber or
on oilcloth unless covered, and never put rubber next to the skin.
Thermometers
[Illustration]
To convert a given number of degrees Fahrenheit into Centigrade, deduct
32, multiply by 5, and divide by 9. To convert into Reaumur, deduct 32,
multiply by 4, and divide by 9. To convert degrees Centigrade into
Fahrenheit, multiply by 9, divide by 5, and add 32. To convert Reaumur
into Fahrenheit, multiply by 9, divide by 4, and add 32.
The diagram shows corresponding degrees.
Beat of Pulse per minute
Pulse beat for normal person:
Infant before age of one year, 130 to 115 beats per minute.
Infant up to two years of age, 115 to 130 beats per minute.
Adult, 70 to 80 beats per minute. Adult in old age, 70 to 60 in normal
health.