Shrum, Juanita

English

James Madison University

230 THE VIRGINIA TEACHER [Vol. II, No. 8 heart of a child will respond always to beauty, which is really the truest understand- ing and the highest appreciation. May K. Brigel VII A SUGAR-COATED PILL: HARD FACTS MADE EASY TO READ TABLE MANNERS "Table manners ain't what they used to be. I just can't keep up with the new-fan- gled ideas," I heard an old lady say the other day; and I thought if she was holding as fast to the old-fashioned table etiquette as she was to her ancient dress, she must surely be having a terrible time. But there is no need to be so distressed over the present situation, because it is cer- tainly a great improvement over the old table manners. We can only wonder how often the tea had to be turned over before by common consent it came to be considered best to leave the spoon on the saucer instead of in the cup. I have heard it said that about seventy years ago, if a guest laid his spoon in the saucer, the hostess was supposed to offer him more coffee at once, but if he left it in the cup, the hostess knew he had all the cof- fee he wanted. If some of us only had the power to turn back the universe several decades and dine with a family of seventy years ago, we would probably be more distressed at their table manners than the old lady was at the present manners. Let us imagine ourselves doing such a thing. We sit down at the table; father tucks his napkin in his vest and spread it out over his whole front, while the women pin theirs on their belts to prevent slipping. We won- der at such proceedings, but when the soup is served, the wbole family breaks bread into it. But worse than that, directly we sec mother cutting her lettuce, grandma eating with her knife. We gaze around to see What will happen next and across the table we see and actually hear grandfather sipping coffee from his saucer, and sister stabbing her pork with her fork as though it would not lie on the tines without being stuck! We wonder how people can be so ignorant, and while we are pondering over the situation, we hear dishes rattling. We see each one stack his dishes; then little daughter carries them to the kitchen. You hurry to follow suit and in your confusion, catch your sleeve in your coffee spoon and turn your coffee over. You are bewildered, but mother assures you it is per- fectly all right, while she leans back in her chair and takes the dessert from the side- board. At length the dinner is over; but be- fore you get up from the table, the tooth picks must be passed. Then the family spends a social half hour removing the food from their teeth and talking over the happenings of the day. You are glad, at last, to get away from such things and hide away in your room to think it all over. How you enjoy your next meal at home with its orderly and systematic serving. The dishes, except side dishes, are all passed to the left and the soiled dishes removed from the right, arranged on a tea Wagon, and taken to the kitchen. The remainder of the food is removed from the table and the table is crumbed before dessert is served. Truly, you say, we have made a great advance since our grandmother's day. Juanita Shrum The Department of Visual Instruction, recently established as a part of the Bureau of Education, in the last fiscal year establish- ed 42 centers for the distribution of moving- picture films. There was circulated and exhibited before 8,500,000 people a total of 4,927,000 feet of film. This is a big begin- ning for a branch of instruction which edu- cational experts have been very slow to grasp the importance of, and there will most likely be a steady growth of the work of this de- partment in the Bureau of Education. "The way to get and hold well-trained teachers is simple. Their tenure must be secure, their salaries attractive, and approp- riate teacher-training institutions must be readily accessible."—Survey report of North Carolina, made by the General Education Board. 

A Sugar-Coated Pill: Hard Facts Made Easy to Read

https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1807&amp;context=va-teacher

A Sugar-Coated Pill: Hard Facts Made Easy to Read

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