THE DOMESTIC ARTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 25 August 1909, Page 13

THE DOMESTIC ARTS.

THE WOMEN'S DEPARTMENT OF THE

POLYTECHNIC.

A correspondent, who Is strongly opposed to the decision of the University OouneH to establish a ohair of Domestic Economies, has directed our attention to the following description in " the Morning Post of the work that is carried on in London at tiro Polytechnic: — Of the actual inner working of the great technical schools find polytechnics of the country not much is known except by those whose kxt happens temporarily to be cast therein ; ye* there ar« very many persons interested in the educational output of these institutions Who would gladly avail themealvts of an opportunity of seeing for themsedvos the methods by which the results are achieved. The- recent Grroovenor House gathering on the teaching of the domestic .arte to women has given a fillip to the public interer-c in that particular branch of training. Moreover, the Board' of Education, in its newly issued regulations for secondary schools, has laid it do wn that in schools for girls th«- curriculum "must" for the future include provision for practical instruction in domestic subjects, such as needlework, cookery, laundry work, housekeeping, and household hygiene- In view of these later developments tk« authorities of Batteroea Polytechnic recently atforded opportunities for a semipublic inspection of the women's department during working hours, showing tibe teacher in the making. The Polytechnic, witn its 4500 students, is one of the busiest havea of educational industry in London ; its activities, are by no means confined to the matters ep«ci6ed- in the prospectus. The women's department, of whioh Miss M. E. Marcden is head, is but -a. brsuicih, although an important branch. Established in 188*. it has now a staff of over 30 teachers, oi whom nine devote themselves to the teaching of cookery, four to laundry work, six fco needlework and dressmaking, and three to chemistry; and there are teachers also of theory of educaiion, housewifery, millinery, hygiene, physiology, biology,' art, physice, and so forth. There are at present in the d.:i?artment 130 women students over 18 years of age qualifying to be teachera in the various branohes of domestic science. They are turned out as qualified instmiotors at an average rate of about 35 to 40 a year with diplomas which are peoognised by the Board of Education; and they go forth to pass on their knowledge through the schools of the Empire to succeeding generations; In the past 15 years over 400 diplomas have been granted, and the successful students now occupy resposisible positions in training colleges, secondary schools, technical institutes, and elementary schools, not only in the British Isles, but m the Dominions beyond the Seas. Hot the holder of first class diplomas in the various branches of domestic science there is still a healthy market. It is one of the few fields o£ women's work) not yet overcrowded. For most of the students who complete their training next month positions have already been secured. The departmont, with ite spacious kitchens, its laundries, its housewifery, needlework, dressmaking, and millinery rooms in full work, presented an extraordinarily interesting spectacle. Everywhere one met keen, alert young faces; everywhere there was method, neatness, and care. In the laboratories the qualities of milk were being tested by the students, and the number of micro-organisms in ordinary milk, boiled milk, pasteurised milk, and commercial sterilised milk were being determined. Ba-tteraea municipal milk, it is interesting to learn, cornea triumphantly out of the laboratory testa. During the first year the students in the training <k|partment attend a course of " science as applied to household work," which includes physics, chemistry, physiology, and hygiene lit the second session the scientific baeis of knowledge thus obtained is applied in the practice kitchens, laundries, housewifery rooms, and hygiene laboratories. In the third year fhe same subjects are treated in greater detail, special attention being devoted to bacteriology and the examination of foottetufts. Thus the scientific habit o! mirwl is developed Ln the coming teacher. But the diploma in domestic science cannot be obtained by scientific knowledge alone. The student has to prove in addition that she is proficient in the actual practical work of cookery, housewifery, and laundry work, and has bad definite and continuous training in teaching. One saw how thoroughly the process of training was carried out. Cooking in all its grades was in full swing; there was a bedroom in which practical demonstration of how to clean a room was being given ; there was a large model showing the working of the kitchen range and the whole hot water circulation in an ordinary house — a subject on which the average householder is woefully ignorant, and on Which he hae to submit himself to the tender mercies of ihe plumber; there were the laundries _in full operation; and tbe^3 were the- airy needlework, millinery, and" dressmaking rooms, in which the latest scientifio methods were being demonstrated. In all there was a spirit of enthusiasm which showed that bhe work was not mechanical, but had a real and (practical interest for both teachers and students.