The Library of Work and Play: Guide and Index
by Cheshire Lowton Boone · English · Gutenberg #46445 · 405,906 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The Library of Work and Play: Guide and Index
Author: Cheshire Lowton Boone
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Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIBRARY OF WORK AND PLAY: GUIDE AND INDEX ***
Transcriber's Note: This book is a summary and index to a series of
books that can also be found in the Project Gutenberg collection.
Details of these books can be found in the notes at the
end of this volume.
THE LIBRARY OF WORK AND PLAY GUIDE AND INDEX
THE LIBRARY OF WORK AND PLAY
CARPENTRY AND WOODWORK
By Edwin W. Foster
ELECTRICITY AND ITS EVERYDAY USES
By John F. Woodhull, Ph.D.
GARDENING AND FARMING
By Ellen Eddy Shaw
HOME DECORATION
By Charles Franklin Warner, Sc.D.
HOUSEKEEPING
By Elizabeth Hale Gilman
MECHANICS, INDOORS AND OUT
By Fred T. Hodgson.
NEEDLECRAFT
By Effie Archer Archer
OUTDOOR SPORTS, AND GAMES
By Claude H. Miller, Ph.B.
OUTDOOR WORK
By Mary Rogers Miller
WORKING IN METALS
By Charles Conrad Sleffel.
[Illustration: Wireless Station and Workroom of George Riches,
Montclair, N. J. George made most of the Apparatus at Home or in the
School Shop]
_The Library of Work and Play_
GUIDE AND INDEX
BY CHESHIRE L. BOONE
[Illustration]
GARDEN CITY NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1912
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION
INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN
COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N. Y.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CRAFTS IN THE LIFE OF A PEOPLE 3
II. THE CULTIVATION OF TASTE AND DESIGN 16
III. THE REAL GIRL 28
IV. THAT BOY 47
V. A HOUSE AND LOT--ESPECIALLY THE LOT 67
VI. VACATIONS, ATHLETICS, SCOUTING, CAMPING, PHOTOGRAPHY 78
INDEX 85
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Wireless station and workroom of George Riches _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
An example of furniture such as boys like 4
Clay pots made for germination experiments 5
The work of children between ten and eleven years of age 5
Two examples of furniture grouping for the porch or outdoors 18
The numerous photographs suggest disorder and dust 19
An interesting curtain which might be duplicated by any girl 20
Since flowers are so beautiful in themselves, is it not worth
while to arrange them with judgment? 21
A school garden in Jordan Harbour, Ontario, Can. 28
Domestic science class 29
The work of girls in the public schools 30
A children's garden gives fresh air and sunshine 31
All children love to play at being "grown up" 32
Girls must sometime learn of the conventions and customs of
domestic arrangement 33
A boys' camp with Ernest Thompson Seton 48
The play idea very soon grows toward the representation of
primitive though adult customs and actions 49
A typical boy's workroom and shop 50
The kind of shop which one may have at home 51
The kite fever is an annual disease 52
Pump and waterwheel 53
Boat made by Percy Wilson and Donald Mather 54
These are the forerunners of numerous other electrical
constructions 55
A real derrick in miniature 56
Waterwheels and fan 57
A self-recording telegraph receiver 58
Wireless station and workroom of Donald Huxom 59
An electrical soldering iron and glue-pot 60
Waterwheel connected with model lathe 61
Excellent examples of high school work 62
A manual training shop 63
The machine shop 64
The study of aeroplane construction 65
A successful machine 64
Finished aeroplanes 65
The boy who does not love to camp is unique 68
This and other illustrations of homes, show such places as
people make when they care about appearance 69
Even the most beautiful house must have a background 70
One should build a house as one builds a reputation 71
Trees, shrubbery and lawn form the frame of the picture 72
There was a time not long since, when people built houses
according to style 73
A school garden 74
The Watchung School garden 75
There is a fascination about raising animals whether for sale
or as pets 76
Two more illustrations which will suggest plans for the future 77
Every child, and especially the boy, needs active outdoor
exercise 78
Organized play (woodcraft) under Ernest Thompson Seton 79
More woodcraft. Has the boy had a chance at this kind of
experience? 80
Even the technical process of photography has been
reduced to popular terms 81
In these days photography has become so simplified
that every child can use a camera to advantage 81
THE LIBRARY OF WORK AND PLAY GUIDE AND INDEX
[Illustration]
CHAPTER I
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CRAFTS IN THE LIFE OF A PEOPLE
There was never a time in the history of the world when each race,
each nation, each community unit, each family almost, did not possess
its craftsmen and artists. In every instance, these so-called gifted
members were by no means the least important citizens; their names
appeared again and again in the stream of tradition as wonder workers
and idols of the people. This is still true in the very midst of a
materialistic age, when money and mechanics work hand in hand to
produce the most in the least time for economic reasons, and when the
individual worships "hand-made things." They may even be poorly made
or bizarre, but "handwork" satisfies the untutored. Now it is quite
possible for the machine to produce a bit of jewelry, textile, or
woodwork--even carving--quite as pleasing as any made by hand alone,
and it is being done every day. But the machine-made article must
be produced in large quantities (duplicates) for profit, whereas the
work of hand alone is unique. There lies the reason for reverence of
"handwork." It is always individual and characteristic of the workman
in style or technique and has no duplicate; it is aristocratic. Among
the primitives, the pot, necklace, or utensil was wrought by infinite
labor, and, being valuable because unique, was embellished with all
the wealth of current symbolism. It was preserved with care and became
more valuable to succeeding generations as a tangible record of race
culture and ideals. And so down to the present time, the handiwork
of the craftsman and skilled artisan has always stood as the one
imperishable record of racial development. The degree of finish, the
intricacy of design and nicety of construction are evidences of skill
and fine tools, well-organized processes, familiarity with material and
careful apprenticeship: the pattern, color, ornament, and symbolism
point to culture, learning, and standards of taste and beauty. A crude
domestic economy, rude utensils, coarse, garish costume and of simple
construction, are characteristic of an undeveloped social order. In
fact, all the arts of both construction and expression exhibit at a
given period the degree of civilization; art products are true
historical documents. Since then through their arts and crafts it
is possible for one to know a people, does it not follow that one
entrance to sympathy with the ideals and taste of the present time
is through practice in the arts? Of course a considerable mass of
information about them can be conveyed in words, especially to adults
who have passed the formative period in life and have not the same
_work_-incentive as have children. But even the adult never really
secretes much real knowledge of the arts unless he has worked in them.
He acquires rather a veneer or artistic polish which readily loses its
lustre in even a moderately critical atmosphere: he learns artistry
and the laws pertaining thereto as he would learn the length of the
Brooklyn Bridge or the population of El Paso. He merely learns to talk
about art. But children learn primarily and solely by _doing_, and the
foundations of taste and culture need to be put down early that they
may build upon them the best possible superstructure which time and
opportunity permit.
[Illustration:
Copyright, 1909, by Cheshire L. Boone
An Example of Furniture such as Boys Like and which They Can Make Under
Direction]
[Illustration:
Copyright, 1909, by Cheshire L. Boone
Clay Pots Made for Germination Experiments in Grade IV. of the Public
School. The Boys of this Grade Built a Small Kiln in which these Pots
were Fired]
[Illustration: The Work of Children between Ten and Eleven Years of Age]
The foregoing paragraphs will perhaps have opened the way for
questions: "What kind of knowledge is of most worth? Why do
children--practically all of them--try to make things, and what is
their choice?" And when these queries have been answered so far as may
be, do the answers possess immediate value?
At the outset it will be evident that no sort of knowledge will be of
much avail until it is put in such form that the student can use it to
advantage. Mere knowledge of any kind is inherently static--inert and
often seemingly indigestible, like green fruit and raw meat. One too
frequently meets college graduates, both men and women, equipped with
so-called education, who are economic failures. These people are full
of information, well up to date, but they seemingly cannot use it.
Their assortment of knowledge is apparently in odd mental sizes which
do not fit the machinery of practical thinking as applied to life: it
is like gold on a desert isle. What the boy and girl need and desire
is (1) a favorable introduction to the sources of information, and (2)
the key to its use. They will have to be shown simple facts and truths,
and have their mental relations and importance explained. By gradually
introducing new knowledge as occasion offers, the field of study is
sufficiently widened. Children profit little by books and tools alone:
they crave encouragement and some direct constructive criticism. In
such an atmosphere their endeavors become significant and profitable,
and the accumulated learning will be applied to business or economic
ideas which result in progressive thinking, which uses information as a
_tool_, not an end in itself.
If then the arts of a people stand as monuments to its beliefs and
ideals, an intimate understanding of some of the arts ought to
be provided for in every scheme of education both at home and in
school. The child is by nature interested in the attributes of things
associated with his life and upbringing. He wants to know about them,
how they are made, and learn their uses by means of experiment. The
elements of science, mechanics and natural phenomena, business and
household art, and finally play (which is often adult living in
miniature)--these comprise a large portion of the subject matter
which is of prime importance to children. It is just such material as
this which bids fair to serve in the future as the basis for public
school curricula, simply because of its strong appeal to youth and its
potential worth in forming the adult.
The boy makes a kite, a telegraph outfit, or sled in order to give to
his play a vestige of realism. He seeks to mold the physical world to
personal desires, as men do. Incidentally he taps the general mass of
scientific facts or data and extracts therefrom no small amount of
very real, fruitful information. The result possesses marvelously
suggestive and lasting qualities because it came through effort;
because the boy wanted above all things to see his machine or toy
_work_, _move_, or obey his guiding hand, he was willing to dig for
the necessary understanding of the problem. His study brought about
contact with numerous other lines of work which were not at the time,
perhaps, germain to the subject, but were suggestive and opened various
side lines of experiment to be considered later. Therein lies the lure
of mechanics and craft work, gardening, outdoor projects, camping,
etc.: the subject is never exhausted, the student can never "touch
bottom." There is always an unexplored path to follow up. The intensity
of interest in mechanical things and in nature is the one influence
which can hold the boy in line. Turn him loose among mechanical things
where nicety of fitting and accurate workmanship are essential and
he appreciates construction immediately, because it is clear that
_workmanship_ and _efficiency_ go hand in hand. It is very much the
same with the girl: she may not enjoy the tedium of mere sewing, but
when the sewing serves a personal end, when sewing is essential to her
greatest needs, these conditions provide the only, inevitable, sure
stimulus to ambition and effort.
The school of the past, and often that of the present, has sought to
produce the adult by fertilizing the child with arithmetic, grammar,
geography, and language. The process resulted in all kinds of crooked,
stunted, oblique growth, the greatest assortment of "sports" (to use
a horticultural term) the world has ever seen. It isn't intellectual
food the child needs most (though some is very necessary); the real
need is intensive cultivation. Within himself he possesses, like the
young plant, great potential strength and virility, enough to produce
a splendid being absolutely at one with his time and surroundings;
he simply requires the chance to use the knowledge and opportunities
which lie at hand. It is, then, the common subjects of every-day
interest--science, business, nature and the like--which are the sources
of knowledge which has greatest worth to children.[A] They are the
valuable ones because they are of the type which first attracts and
holds the child's attention; they are concrete. Through them one may
learn language and expression, because one has something worth saying.
The second question, "Why do children like to make things and what is
their choice?" in the light of what has been said practically answers
itself. Children work primarily in response to that law of nature
which urges the young to exercise their muscles, to become skilful and
accurate in movement, for the sake of self-preservation and survival.
It is another phase of the same law which makes one carry out in work,
in concrete form, the ideas which come tumbling in from all conceivable
sources. The child can only think and learn in terms of material
things. Finally, the child's interests, the things he desires to make
and do, are such as will minister to his individual or social needs,
his play and imitation, and such as will satisfy his desire to produce
articles of purpose. The need may be a temporary, minor one, but every
child is stubborn on this one point, that everything he does must lead
to utility of a sort; through such working with a purpose he in time
rises to an appreciation of beauty and other abstract qualities.
Now this complex condition of child and school and society, in
which there is seemingly so much waste--"lost motion"--has always
existed; the facts are not new ones by any means. It is a condition
where the child is always curious, inquisitive and ready to "hook
a ride" on the march of business, science and learning, but the
school sternly commands "learn these stated facts because they are
fundamental" (philosophically), while society, represented by the
parent, alternately abuses the school, which is collectively his own
institution, or spoils the child by withholding the tools for learning
easily. In the meantime the child, with the native adaptability and
hardiness of true need, thrives in barren, untoward surroundings,
and matures notwithstanding. In other words, the school and society
have always tended toward misunderstanding--toward a lack of mutual
interest. In this period of uncertainty, of educational groping, the
child is found in his leisure hours pushing along the paths which
connect most directly with life and action, shunning the beaten but
roundabout highways of custom and conservatism.
The deductions are evident and clear-cut. If one accepts the foregoing
statement of the case, and there is ample evidence in any community
of size, it will be clear that certain definite opportunities should
be opened to the boy or girl to make the most of native talent and
enthusiasm. Encourage the young business adventurer or artisan to make
the most of his chosen hobby (and to choose a hobby if he has not one
already), to systematize it, develop it, make it financially profitable
if that is the desire; but first, last and all the time to make it
a study which is intensive enough to satisfy his or her productive
ambitions. At this age (up to the high school period) the boy or girl
may not have been able to decide upon a profession or business, but
he is working toward decision, and he is the only one who can choose.
Instead of trying to select an occupation for him, father and mother
would do well to put the child at the mercy of his own resources for
amusement, recreation and business, merely lending a hand now and then
in their full development. It will preserve the freshness of youth
beyond the ordinary time of its absorption by a blasé attitude toward
the world, and lead toward a more healthy and critical kind of study
than the haphazard lonesomeness, or the destructive gang spirit of the
modern community.[B]
Perhaps it would not be amiss to indicate just how this unofficial
study may be promoted, and to name the resources of the parent for the
purpose. First of all, nine children out of ten will definitely choose
a hobby or recreation or indicate some preference, as photography,
animal pets, woodwork, electricity, drawing, sport, one or more of
the domestic arts, collecting coins, stamps, etc.; there are as many
tastes as children. The child may get his suggestion from the school
or companions. Any legitimate taste should be actively encouraged and
supplemented by books which really explain and by tools and materials
with which to use the books. If it is a shop he wants, try to give him
the use of some corner for the specific purpose so that the occupation
may be dignified according to its juvenile worth. Second, endeavor to
emphasize the economic and social significance of the work done and
urge right along some definite aim. If a boy wants a shop, or pets, see
that they are kept in condition, attended to, and if possible give some
measure of tangible return on the outlay of money and energy. Third,
connect the boy's or girl's chosen avocation with real living in every
possible manner. Girls are rather fond of those decorative arts which
contribute to artistic pleasure, and should they make experiments with
stenciling, block-printing, and the like, have them use them also in
embellishing their own rooms, the summer camp or club. Fourth, make
the child feel that a given hobby is not to be satisfied for the mere
asking. Put some limit on the money expenditure until it is clear that
the interest is genuine and honest, and that the child is either
producing results which are sincere, or acquiring real knowledge. Fifth
and last, but perhaps most important of all, support the school in its
effort to solve the problem of formal education, because the heavy
burden rests there. It is quite essential that the home give the boy
and girl every possible chance to develop along original and specific
lines at their own pace, to experiment with the world's activities in
miniature, and establish the probable trend of individual effort for
the future. But this can only supplement and point the way for the
formal training which the institution (school) gives. The school, being
democratic and dependent upon the general public for existence, takes
its cue therefrom, and creating ideals in consonance with public needs
perfects the method of reaching them. When father and mother believe
in a vigorous, efficient education, rooted deeply in the child's
fundamental attitude toward the world and its affairs, then will the
public approve and urge the proper kind of organized training. Even so,
the school cannot really educate the child--he educates himself through
the agents aforementioned--it simply organizes information and gives
the pupil access to methods of using facts and ideas.
In closing this chapter there is one more word to be said concerning
the main theme. The arts and crafts[C] of expression and construction
fulfil that precise function in the child's preliminary training
which they did in the early history of the race. They indicate just
that degree of manual skill and constructive ability of which both
the youthful individual and the young race are capable; they serve as
indices and guides to the development of design, taste and constructive
thinking. As the child matures he may elevate a given craft to an art
or science, but the early familiarity, the simple processes, he should
have, because they are essential to childhood. Hence, the large amount
of handwork in the kindergarten and primary school; it is the necessary
complement to academic work and balances the educational diet.
FOOTNOTES:
[A] For the elaboration of this question as it concerns girls see
Chapter IV.
[B] Both boys and girls have clubs, societies and organizations, which
are useless, enervating or merely harmless when they exist without
purpose. If, on the other hand, the aggregate energy can be collected
into profitable channels, these same gangs or societies are a real
source of education and training. Any organization without consistent,
sustained purpose is a waste of social energy. Baseball is worth while,
but the merits of high school fraternities are doubtful.
[C] It will be evident that the term _crafts_ as here used is a more
comprehensive term than when employed in connection with the arts and
crafts furore of the past few years. Any kind of manual occupation
may be a craft; if it involves a measure of art and science it may
become more than a craft. But with children the craft stage, which is
characteristic, includes many occupations which may not even be true
crafts as the term is ordinarily used.
CHAPTER II
THE CULTIVATION OF TASTE AND DESIGN
It will be evident to the thinking man or woman that art or any phase
of it is not to be taught successfully as a profession through books.
The very most that one can expect from reading is a knowledge about art
matters and acquaintance with the conventions and rules which obtain
therein. But even this slight result may be the precursor of a fuller,
more intimate familiarity with the principles of good taste and design.
One may be able to say "that is a beautiful room" or "a fine garden"
or "a charming gown" and yet be unable to produce any such things. How
is it possible then to _know_ if one cannot _do_? The answer is that,
_potentially_, every individual who really sees and appreciates beauty
can produce it through some form of artistic expression; the power to
execute and the power of invention are merely undeveloped. And as for
the artist or craftsman who can make beautiful things, but who cannot
explain how he does it--he is unique, like the mathematical genius;
he just sees the answer; it is a gift. Though there are born in every
generation a few with the divine spark of genius, the mass of men
and women has always learned by effort. In other words, it has been
possible to _teach_ the subjects which were found necessary to culture
and education; it is quite possible to present the ordinary phases of
art to the lay mind in such a way, even through books, that one may
have worthy ideals, and a healthy point of view. The present chapter
will be devoted to showing how books such as these[D] for boys and
girls can contribute to the development of taste.
Frankly, taste has much less to do with fine art than with the
arrangement and choice of the ordinary externals of living. Of course
fine art does in the last analysis pass judgment upon form, color
and design in clothes, furnishings and architecture, but the common
home variety of taste is derived directly from custom, comfort,
and convention, not from art at all. Only in the later stages of
refinement does the lay mind succumb to direct supervision by art.
On the other hand, all conventions and ideals are the result or sum
total of general experience, in which art has played its part, and
has left some impress on the individual, giving rise to belief in a
few principles so common as to be accepted by all. Principles of this
kind are not always serviceable or effective, because they are not
stated in precise language, and cannot therefore become standard. In
truth, so far as design is concerned, there are very few absolute rules
for guidance, and a book like "Home Decoration" cannot tell the child
or parent how to make a beautiful, inspiring home. Its mission is to
create the desire for fine surroundings, to suggest ways and means for
studying design, especially those phases of decoration associated with
the crafts, and above all such a book invites and helps to maintain a
_receptive attitude_ of mind toward artistic matters. In the effort
to produce work of merit, one becomes critical, and seeks reasons and
precedents for judgment. This is the beginning of design study: and the
fact that one has real interest in taste is indicative of the desire of
the cultured mind for ideals. If a child is allowed to grow up in the
"I know what I like" atmosphere, without reasonable contact with choice
things, and without the necessity for selection based upon reason,
there is small chance that such a child will ever acquire any sense of
fitness or taste in material surroundings.
[Illustration: Two Examples of Furniture Grouping for the Porch or
Outdoors. These Few Pieces Suggest Comfort, Cleanliness and Moderate
Expense]
[Illustration: The Numerous Photographs in the Upper Illustration
Suggest Disorder and Dust. They do not Decorate. Sometimes a lack of
Small, Insignificant Objects like these is the Secret of Successful
Decoration]
The aims of all practical books for boys and girls may be summarized
about as follows:
(_a_) To absorb the overflow of youthful energy and turn it into
profitable channels.
(_b_) To develop organized thinking and accomplishment, and eliminate
wasted, aimless, non-productive action. This is the complement to
the routine of formal training in academic subjects, which are in
themselves, normally un-useful.
(_c_) To explore the field of accomplishment in order to select
intelligently a future occupation.
(_d_) To develop and foster standards and ideals of efficiency,
comfort, enjoyment, beauty and social worth. This last purpose includes
taste and is the one of concern here.
The peculiar æsthetic standards which interest young people are of
the most practical kind. They apply every day and to everybody. And
they are fundamental. The illustrations given below will indicate the
common-sense way in which design should be approached:
_Color._ The tones of the color scale have not yet been systematized so
well as those of music, but each year students of design and artists
move a little toward agreement. Now, suppose one wishes to use two
or more tones in a room, how may harmonious effect be secured? The
very word "harmony" means _agreement_, and suggests _similarity_,
_likeness_, _relationship_. Therefore the tones one would use in the
embellishment of a room should possess some common _quality_ for the
harmonizing element. Each tone having that quality as characteristic is
similar in that one respect to all other tones having the same quality.
Hence they are related in a way. The relation may be made strong or
weak by the manipulation of the bond which holds the tones together.
For instance:
Red and green are not related at all. By mixing gray with each, red and
green become related through gray. By mixing yellow, orange or blue,
etc., with red and green, the relationship may be established in the
same way.
Yellow and green have a common quality--_yellow_, and in so far tend
toward harmony. But it may not be a pleasing one, and it will be
necessary to bring them still closer together by introducing other
bonds, as gray or a color. Yellow is very light and green is dark: they
will work together better if brought nearer together in value.
[Illustration: An Interesting Curtain which might be Duplicated by
almost any Girl--If She Wanted Curtains]
[Illustration: Since Flowers are so Beautiful in Themselves, is it not
Worth While to Arrange Them with Judgment?]
It is by such simple means that all color combinations are brought into
line and rendered satisfactory. No rule can be given for mixing or
choosing the actual colors, but it is a safe rule to select those of
a kind in some respect. The popular belief in low-toned (grayed) color
schemes is a sound one, and the principle can be used very comfortably
by the amateur decorator in furnishing a home. She can have any colors
she wishes, and make them pleasing, if she will unite them by some
harmonizing tone. Of course, all grays even are not rich and beautiful,
but they are better than unadulterated color. Mr. Irwin in one of his
breezy skits quotes the æsthete as saying: "Good taste should be like
the policeman at parade; he should permit the assembled colors to make
an orderly demonstration but not to start a riot." The moment the
unskilled amateur tries to use white woodwork, red wallpaper, and gilt
furniture in combination, he or she courts failure simply because the
choice lacks the pervading tone which would modify the three. There are
ways to secure harmony even under the most adverse conditions, but the
technical details are not pertinent here.
Another characteristic which stands in the way of harmony is
_emphasis_. The moment any one tone becomes greatly _different_ from
its neighbors in value or otherwise, it stands out, attracts attention,
just as in material objects, unusual, curious shapes and sizes invite
notice, often beyond their just dues. Hence a brilliant yellow house,
a bright green gown, large figured wallpaper, are over-emphatic.
Clothes, which by their color and style are loud in their clamor for
inspection, are out of key and bear the same relation to surroundings
which foreign, exotic manners and customs bear to domestic conventions.
And ordinarily one does not seek such prominence.
This question of taste is a vital one to children, and these books
about "Needlecraft," "Home Decoration," "Outdoor Work," "Gardening,"
etc., are indirectly most useful because they put the child in a
_position to choose_. The girl who sews and helps run the home is
bound to cross the path of design a dozen times a day. She is faced
with problems of arrangement, color and utility at every turn. Her own
clothes, her room, the porch and garden, whatever she touches, are
inert, lifeless things which await artistic treatment. It is when the
child is faced with the problem of personal interest and pleasure that
these elementary conceptions of design may be proposed.
_Form and Line._ Each year fashion decrees for both men and women
certain "correct" styles. At slightly longer intervals the shops offer
new models of furniture, hangings, jewelry, pottery, etc. Have these
new things been devised to meet a change in public taste? Not at all;
they are inventions to stimulate trade. Most of such productions are
out of place, incongruous, in company with present possessions. One
must have a pretty sound sense of fitness and selection in order to use
them to advantage or to resist their lure. As single examples, many of
the new things are beautiful in color and line, though they may have
nothing whatever in common with what one already owns.
One chooses a given pattern in furniture first, because of its
_utility_; second, because of its harmony in line and size with
other furniture already owned; and third, because of its intrinsic
beauty. It is much less difficult to furnish a house throughout than
to refurnish an old room in consonance with others already complete.
All the household things need not be of one kind, though the closer
one clings to a clear-cut conception of harmony (relationship of some
kind) the better the result. Hence clothes may either beautify or
exaggerate personal physique, and the garden may attach itself to the
house and grounds or stand in lonely, painful isolation. Down at bottom
design aims to assemble elements and parts into proper groups, and in
the common questions of home decorations and dress the student can
usually work on just that simple basis. It is usually the incongruous,
over-prominent, conspicuous, or isolated factor in decoration which
causes trouble.
This fragmentary discussion will perhaps suggest some of the benefit
which may come from the pursuit of crafts and occupations. The
illustrations here given are in some detail because it is so easy
to overlook design at home and in common things. Everything is so
familiar there, one is so accustomed to the furniture, rugs and their
arrangement, that it never comes to mind that the situation might be
improved. It must be remembered that, when children begin to apply
design to their own handicraft, their fundamental conceptions of beauty
originate in the home. Either the children must lose faith in home
taste, or, as they grow and learn, be allowed to bring their new-found
knowledge back into the home and "try it on." This is where the craft
does its real work. The true privilege conferred upon children by the
possession of such books as these on various special occupations is a
chance to obtain, first-hand, individual standards of perfection and
beauty. Before this they have merely accepted the home as it stood,
with no thought of what was choice or otherwise.
Since taste and design are merely implied, or indirectly included in
the several volumes, save "Home Decoration," the latter should be used
as a supplementary reference in connection with the others. As has
already been said, it is not possible or advisable to systematically
teach good taste. It will be better and more effective to just
_include_ taste in the several activities the child undertakes.
When the girl begins to make things for herself, help her to select
materials which are appropriate in every way. Have her seek materials
for the purpose. Have her _choose_ decoration and color rather than
take the first handy suggestion or copy the plans of another. She would
do well to experiment independently. The girl should create her own
room down to the last detail, not make everything herself, but plan
it, plan its arrangement, its color (tone) if possible, and make those
small decorative articles like pillows, runners, curtains, etc. But
before beginning such a comprehensive experiment in decoration have
her look about a bit and note the conditions imposed. The light and
exposure, size of the room, furniture which must be used, treatment of
hangings--these are all stubborn factors, but they respond to gradual
treatment. Then the room is hers in reality. The boy's attitude toward
taste is totally different. He cares less than the girl for the charm
of tone and arrangement; he is quite willing to despise the niceties of
decoration. He must approach the question obliquely through interest in
the efficiency of a given effort; he appreciates the utility phase of
design most of all. The boy will come to see gradually that his pets
and chickens should be decently housed, and that it is good business
to do so. He should not be allowed to impose upon his own family or
their neighbors a slovenly yard or garden. He will find that those
tools work best which are sharp and clean and always in place. His
final lesson in design grows out of association with his mates. When
he begins to go to parties, to enter the social world in a small way,
a new body of conventions in taste appear and he must be taught to
appreciate them if he would be well liked. But the real training in
design arises from manual work--the playthings, toys and utensils the
boy makes for _use_. They need not be beautiful nor is there excuse for
clumsiness in construction. One cannot expect even the mature child to
take much interest in design in the abstract, but when he meets the
subject on a common-sense basis, as a part of some personal problem,
design--even taste in color and form--acquires definite standing in his
esteem. It has earned the right. Hence a liberal contact with youthful
amusements and occupations encourages both boy and girl to build
ideals of working, and among these ideals taste is bound to appear
in some guise--usually unbidden. The book on design or decoration
is but a reference, an inspiration, a stimulant, never a text of
instruction. The ability to choose, to secure appropriate, beautiful,
accurate results, is largely a by-product of judicious reading combined
with persistent effort. It remains for the parent to skim off this
by-product as it appears and infuse a little of it into each problem
the child presents for inspection.
FOOTNOTE:
[D] Library of Work and Play.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER III
THE REAL GIRL
_What Is the Ideal Home?_
[Illustration: A School Garden in Jordan Harbor, Ontario, Canada. Any
Child Who has had this Experience, Who Has Produced or Helped Nature
to Produce such Wonderful Things, will be Richer in Sympathy for Fine
Things]
[Illustration: Domestic Science Class. These Girls not only Cook but
Learn about Foods, Housekeeping, Entertaining, and Themselves Keep Open
House at the School Occasionally]
Strange as it may seem, most of the plans for industrial training,
the majority of school courses of study, and probably seventy-five
per cent. of the books on the crafts and arts have been devised for
the use of boys. Now there are hosts of girls in this world, probably
as many girls as boys, and these girls are just as keen, intelligent,
ambitious and curious about things and how to make them, as are
boys. In very early childhood when both boys and girls have the same
interests, similar books of amusement are used by both. But as girls
develop the feminine point of view and need the stimulus of suggestion
and aid in creative work, the literature for them seems meagre; they
have somehow been passed by save for a manual now and then on cooking
or sewing, left as a sop to their questioning and eagerness. This state
of affairs is more than unfortunate, it is fundamentally wrong for
two very good reasons. (1) The girl up to the age of twelve or thirteen
has practically the same interests, pleasures and play instincts as
the boy. She is perhaps not so keenly alive to the charm of mechanical
things as the boy, but like all children regardless of sex, she seeks
to be a producer. She is just as much absorbed in pets and growing
things, in nature, in the current activities of her environment, and
requires the same easy outlet for her play instincts as the boy. (2)
The girl, when a woman grown, becomes the creator of the home, and too
often enters upon her domestic career with a minimum of skill or taste
in the great body of household arts, which in the aggregate, give us
the material comforts and homely pleasures. Moreover, since she, as a
girl, probably did not have the chance to satisfy her play desires and
consequently never learned to _do things_ herself, she is at a loss to
understand the never ceasing, tumultuous demands of her own children
for the opportunity to experiment. To quote Gerald Lee in the "Lost Art
of Reading," which is one of the real modern books: "The experience of
being robbed of a story we are about to read, by the good friend who
cannot help telling how it comes out, is an occasional experience in
the lives of older people, but it sums up the main sensation of life
in the career of a child. The whole existence of a boy may be said to
be a daily--almost hourly--struggle to escape being told things ...
it is doubtful if there has ever been a boy as yet worth mentioning,
who did not wish we would stand a little more to one side--let him
have it out with things. There has never been a live boy who would not
throw a store-plaything away in two or three hours for a comparatively
imperfect plaything he had made himself...."
When one goes deep enough--below the showy veneer of present-day
living--one comes to agree with Mr. Lee. The normal child, especially
the boy, is potentially a creator, a designer, discoverer, and we have
committed the everlasting sin of showing him short cuts, smoothing away
difficulties, saying "press here." No child can survive the treatment.
Father and mother have the very simple obligation to furnish the place,
raw material (books, tools, etc.), and encouragement.
[Illustration:
Copyright, 1909, by Cheshire L. Boone
The Work of Girls in the Public Schools, Montclair, N. J. These Girls
are only Eleven Years of Age]
[Illustration: A Children's Garden gives Fresh Air and Sunshine, and
Best of All, Brings Nature very Near. To Be Really Happy One Must Make
Nature's Acquaintance]
For these reasons, if for no other, the girl ought to have a permanent
outlet for her native ingenuity and constructive skill in such crafts
and occupations as are adapted to her strength, future responsibilities
and possible interests. A home should comprise other elements
than food and clothes, which are bare necessities; and though these
may be expanded and multiplied, becoming in their preparation real
art products, they alone are deficient in interest. Look over any
well-ordered household, note the multiplicity of things it contains
which are primarily woman's possessions, and collecting all one knows
about them, the amount of real knowledge is surprisingly small. How
much does the embryo housekeeper know about textiles, curtains,
carpets, hangings, linens, brass, china, furniture? Where do all
these charming things come from? Many of the hangings, table linen,
embroidery, etc., are home products. They cannot be bought at all. The
simple stenciled curtain which one likes so much draws attention by
virtue of its personal quality. To have such things in any abundance
the girl must create them, and this she is more than willing to do.
How may one explain the restful atmosphere of certain homes
visited? How many housewives have intelligent insight concerning
home management and administration; of simple domestic chemistry or
sanitation? Yet these are vital elements in the domestic machine.
One never mistakes a proper household, orderly, smooth running for
the showy establishment--gay outside and sad inside. Even the most
untutored child unconsciously responds to the healthy influence of
selected material environment and conditions, when these are combined
harmoniously. There are systematic ways of creating pleasant rooms,
fine grounds, comfortable places for living, places imbued with the
spirit of contentment. The people who produce such places are seldom
the professional decorator, landscape architect, and hired housekeeper.
It is the woman of the family, who, having practised some of the arts,
or at least been their disciple, has learned to appreciate order
and love beauty. Therewith comes an almost instinctive knowledge of
how to use them to advantage. One can never really have beautiful
baskets, pottery, sewing, gardens, until one has made them. One surely
cannot appreciate the true worth of clean linen, a spotless house,
and perfect routine anywhere so thoroughly as in one's own house. It
naturally follows that the girl, like the boy, should be a producer,
not a mere purchaser, of personal or domestic commodities. She may
have unlimited means, but the place where she lives as a girl and the
home she seeks to create in adult life will always be impersonal,
detached, _hotel-like_, unless she personally builds it. She must know
the structure, composition, and functions of inanimate things; this
knowledge comes easiest and persists longer through use and experience.
[Illustration: All Children Love to Play at Being "Grown Up," even
Beyond the Time of Childhood. These Girls will make Real Women, because
They are Normal and Happy]
[Illustration: Girls must sometime Learn of the Conventions and Customs
of Domestic Arrangement, and too often Their Only Opportunity Lies in
such Classes as These]
There is a good bit of psychology behind the suggestions offered, and
the reasoning is simple. All our ideas, our plans, and conceptions
are just ideas and nothing more until they have been worked up into
concrete form--put to test. There is nothing tangible about an _idea_.
But living is real; hence all the details which comprise living are
real too and mere thinking about them without action is futile. One
must execute, arrange, and experiment with the raw materials of
everyday use. The result is either pleasant or otherwise; if otherwise,
the effort has somehow failed, and one should do it again and learn
thereby; if pleasant, one is the richer and happier for a bit of
success, and is warmed by the presence of mere accomplishment.
This last phrase reveals the nub of the whole question--accomplishment.
Material surroundings and comforts of course go far to make one
happy, and they are the evidence of success, but the ideal home is
also composed of people each of whom is or should be a contributor
to the work of the world. The ideal home contains no drones, and
therefore no discontent. Now the girl cannot plunge headfirst into
the maelstrom of domestic management. She must learn her strength
and acquire confidence, and there are simple occupations for early
years, occupations which train the muscles, sharpen the wits;
occupations which through suggestion gradually lead to a wider and
wider intellectual horizon, and which, by a cumulation of information
and experience, mature both judgment and taste. These occupations form,
as it were, some chapters in the unwritten grammar of culture and
efficiency whereby the girl grows in self-reliance and maturity.
There are, for instance, a number of crafts which, in their delicacy of
technique and the artistic worth of the finished product, are splendid
occupations for girls, and some few of which every girl should know.
The girl who cannot sew is an object for sympathy; it is the typical
feminine craft for the reason heretofore named--that one cannot know
how things should be unless one is familiar with the process involved.
Gowns are manufactured of pieces of cloth cut in proper shape and
sewn together in some, to the male, occult fashion, and this complex
operation only explains itself even to a woman by going through
the experience. One has always been accustomed to think that the
accomplished mistress is also an expert needle-woman or skilled worker
in textiles of some kind. Products of the needle and loom have always
been her intimate, personal possessions, and the charm of old hangings,
lace, needlecraft of all kinds, rests in the main on this personal
quality. Without a doubt the most precious belongings of the young
girl are her own room with its contents of decorations and furnishing,
and the garments which emphasize her inherent feminine charm. It is
not only a girl's right, but her duty, to maintain her place as the
embodiment of all that is fresh, cleanly and attractive. To this end
clothes and the various other products of the needle contribute not a
little; a clean-cut, thorough experience in manufacturing things for
herself is the best assurance of future taste, which will spread out
and envelop everything she touches. It is much the same with clothes
and furnishings as with other matters, what one makes is one's own,
characteristic, appropriate, adequate, with the touch of enjoyment in
it; the purchased article is devoid of sentiment, it is a makeshift and
substitute.
Then by all means let the girl learn to sew, learn to do for herself,
to study her own needs and desires, to find as she progresses, ways
to master the details of woman's own craft, and it is hoped, lay up a
store of just the sort of experience which will enable her to supervise
the work of others in her behalf when the time comes. But sewing,
valuable as it is in connection with the young girl's problems, is not
the only craft at hand. In recent years craftworkers have revived a
number of old methods of using or preparing textiles for decorative
purposes, and some of these have proven increasingly worth while in the
household. Stenciling, block-printing, dyeing, decorative darning, and
even weaving itself, since they have been remodeled and brought out in
simple form, offer opportunities to the wideawake girl. The results in
each case may be very beautiful, and perhaps more in harmony with the
individual taste and scheme of living of the particular girl than any
materials she could buy, because they may be designed and executed for
a specific place. Few people, least of all a child, work just to be
busy; there is always a motive. With the girl it is a scarf, a belt,
collar, curtain, or sofa pillow; is it not well worth while if she
can make these for herself or her room, in her chosen design motif,
(as rose, bird, tree, etc.) and color? It may be an ordinary design,
peculiar color, but they satisfy a personal sentiment which, by the
way, can be modified and improved as time goes on. One must needs allow
children to begin with the bizarre, distorted, seemingly unreasonable,
archaic desires they have and cross-fertilize these with better ones
in the hope of producing a fine, wholesome, sturdy attitude of mind.
Among the minor crafts which may be a source of real pleasure and
good taste, two are prominent: pottery and basketry. The technique,
decorative possibilities, and functions of the finished products as
elements in household economy and ornament place these crafts high in
the list of those especially suitable for girls, though boys and adults
do find them equally interesting. Pottery is so closely associated with
flowers and growing things, with the decoration of fine rooms, with
choice spots of color, and with those receptacles and utensils which
belong to the household, that it makes a strong appeal to the feminine
mind. Here is a craft which vies with textiles in age and beauty of
design, and possesses even greater charm of manipulation because it is
plastic. One can imagine no finer outlet for creative effort.
Lastly, there is the eternal, magnificent, womanly craft--home-making.
When one stops to think that the home is the one imperishable, absolute
social unit, the power which creates it must take rank with other
vital forces of constructive economics. Mothers' clubs and women's
organizations of divers kinds, or, rather, the individuals who comprise
such societies, are continually drifting into the discussion of the
worries, difficulties, and trials which attend the household. The
instant household routine becomes awkward or inadequate it affects
adversely each individual member of the family, and naturally the
mistress who is responsible shoulders a burden. There are times when
the maid leaves, or the cooking goes wrong, or the house is cold, or
just a time when one gets started for the day badly. There are times
when the innate perversity of humans and material things runs riot.
One is led to believe that such untoward occasions, since they have
been in the past, will in all likelihood continue to crop up to the
end of time, though one cannot find any good reason why they should.
There are homes unacquainted with any household rumble or squeak,
where the domestic machinery is always in order, and flexible enough
to care for sudden overloading, or absorb any reasonable shock. In
many such places, devoid of servants and confined to a modest income,
the mistress is ever an expert; the chances are that her daughters
will be equally resourceful. Really, the only sure way to bring up an
adequate number of fine, competent, resourceful wives and home-makers
is to train them definitely for the profession. The girls must be made
acquainted with every detail of the business which they will surely
inherit. The people who would live in hotels and frankly abandon
home-making themselves merely emphasize the charm of the household,
because hotels have nothing in common with homes.
It seems rather strange that a business so old as housekeeping does
not, and never has, applied to its development the laws of commercial
enterprise. When the community or corporation state sees the need for
workmen, foremen or directors, it tries to educate individuals for the
purpose. The supply of competent men and women is not left to chance.
Whereas, womankind trusts to a very fickle fortune, that every girl
will somehow learn to steer the domestic craft and be conversant with
methods of preserving family ideals. Contrast the far-sighted plans of
business to fill its ranks with the casual training the average girl
undergoes to fit her for the future. What is her chance of success? Is
it reasonable to suppose that one who has never made a home, or even
helped actively to run one made for her, can on demand "make good?" It
is a lasting tribute to the inherent genius and indefatigable patience
of the modern woman that she has achieved so much with a minimum of
experience.
Hence, in order to properly equip one's children for a practically
inevitable future, let the girls into the secret of domestic planning;
let them know of costs and shopping, income and expenditure; of
materials and uses; the care of possessions, repairs and cleaning;
try to show them that the menu is not a haphazard combination of
ingredients and foods, but a conscious selection of viands which will
entice the appetite, furnish proper nutrition and accord with the
season. By all means emphasize the fact that housekeeping, like any
business, can be systematized so that the hundred and one activities
may succeed one another in orderly procession through the weeks and
months. Wash day and housecleaning should be absorbed into the domestic
program, and never present their grisly features to the home-coming
male, with sufficient trouble of his own.
Recent issues of the magazines have contained much discussion of
the household tangle, and most of them have ended with the slogans
"industrial education," "back to the kitchen," and such. Granted
that girls need this training, and that schools in time will give
it; granted that the social position of the servant is a source
of discussion and friction; that the demands of modern living are
exacting; and, finally, granting the insistent prominence of all
the other economic disturbances, who is, in the last analysis, to
blame? Would a business man think for one moment of handing over any
department of his affairs to one not trained for the particular duties
involved? Industry in every branch seeks men and women _fitted_ to
take charge of even minor matters. And when trained assistants are
scarce the obvious policy is to prepare other promising workers for
such special places. On the other hand, mothers too often prepare
their daughters for marriage, not for home-making, seemingly blind to
the fact that marriage is an inert, barren, static condition, save
in the stimulating atmosphere of a fine home. How can the servant
question ever be settled by untutored girls who get no closer to the
domestic question than fudge, welsh rarebit and salted peanuts? The
_school can and does_ now, in all well-ordered communities, give a very
satisfactory formal, technical training in domestic art and science.[E]
There students learn to cook and sew; they learn a good deal about
food values, dietetics and simple food chemistry, simple sanitation,
etc. But the management of a real house, system and everyday routine,
that fine sense of adjustment to the conditions as they exist--these
essentials can only be learned in the home itself. The efforts of
the school can largely supplement but never replace home guidance,
experience and _responsibility_. Keeping house ought to be a science
and art rather than a game of chance.
_Definite Suggestions_
In the "Library of Work and Play," to which the present book is the
introductory volume, one will find a collection of books replete with
suggestion. But these are not manuals, or courses to be followed from
end to end, because children do not _profit most_ by such a plan.
The child is like a pebble dropped into still water. It communicates
its energy of momentum to the surrounding fluid and makes a circular
ripple, which in turn makes another and wider ripple, until the energy
is exhausted. In much the same way the child, landed in the midst of a
more or less inert material world, acts upon it with energy, _which,
however, is never exhausted_, producing the results which become more
and more extended. He begins in the middle of a given subject and works
in all possible directions, which gives one the clue to how to make the
most of books like these.[F]
If the girl has not already indicated a decided preference for
some recreation or play, place at hand the books which show the
possibilities open to her. It would be well for one to go over them
rather carefully first in order to know what they contain. Let the girl
take her leisure in searching the chapters and illustrations for the
suggestion which strikes a responsive chord. Ofttimes it will be quite
in order to point to chapters which have a bearing on some personal
need or desire. At any rate, the book or chapters which seem to be
most significant at the time should be followed up. Read over with her
such a volume as "Home Decoration" or "Housekeeping." Let her discuss
the plans offered and try them out in her own home. Every girl wants
and should have a dainty, inspiring, beautiful room of her own, and as
she grows older she also wants the rest of the house to match, so that
she can entertain her friends with pride and confidence. If one will
take "Housekeeping," "Home Decoration," and "Needlecraft" as texts,
and select from them first those suggestions which are _immediately
apt_ in a particular home, the girl will shortly find herself looking
at home problems from several different and very important angles. But
it is desirable also that the study be taken up first in a very simple
way, in order to tie it to real living and needs. New curtains, pillows
for the porch or den, stenciled scarf, the decorations and menu for a
small party, additional linen: these are some of the problems always
coming up, which may be used as a beginning. And once the start is
made the girl should have the chance to try other experiments along
the same line. Read with her the chapter on menus and marketing, or
housecleaning, and turn the house over to the daughter for a time
to manage--absolutely. There is nothing in the world which children
love more or which develops them more quickly than responsibility,
and the mutual consideration of household affairs gives the girl real
partnership in the domestic business. She may use the "Housekeeping"
book as a kind of reference, to be sought when new problems in
management fall to her share.
The question of home decoration is so vital that it deserves special
statement. The text[G] deals with all those details of interior
furnishing and embellishment which indicate taste. All of these are
not equally important, nor do they interest all girls to the same
extent, and in using the book one can profit most by the study of those
topics which touch the individual or particular family. But everywhere
there is the problem of furniture arrangement, wall decorations, color
schemes, and the skilful use of flowers, pottery and textiles. Give
the young people, and especially the girls, an insight into how the
interior should be treated. Have them look up pertinent questions in
the text and then try their 'prentice hands at creating a pleasant,
restful, homelike house with the furnishings at hand plus whatever they
can make or secure. Really, the book is as much a volume of suggestion
for the mother, to which she can refer her daughter, as a text for the
child. There is very keen interest in taste in recent years, among
young people as well as parents, and the elements hitherto lacking
have been (1) accessible information and (2) opportunity to "try it
out." Offer that opportunity; a flat is just as fruitful a field for
experiment as a house, perhaps more.
The active participation in outdoor life, nature-study propaganda
and the multiplication of popular scientific (nature) literature
has greatly opened another field to children--that of raising pets,
gardening, etc. Here the boy or girl will readily make some choice at
an early day, if there has been any contact with such things. If not,
a volume of this kind[H] will be a real stimulant and inspiration, as
it should be, not a lesson manual. Place the book in a child's hands,
help him look over the conditions, available ground, cost, care, etc.;
let him send for circulars and catalogues, or if possible visit some
one interested in the same hobby and the experiment is under way with
irresistible momentum. It is a godsend to any child to give him a
simple, direct statement of what can be done; he furnishes the steam
and imagination for future development, and father and mother comprise
the balance wheel of the business. This volume and the one on "Outdoor
Sports" contain a mass of information which touch the interests of
practically all boys and girls at some time in their first sixteen
years. When the child is old enough to launch out in any personal
undertaking, old enough for even minor responsibilities, when he or she
expresses the desire for possession and money, then give them books
like these. Let them soak in and digest. Encourage only those requests
which are convincing, but give them all the scope possible. Every child
will eventually select the pastimes which are best for her though she
may stumble in doing so; she will make fewer mistakes, and waste less
time if she have access to books which will crystallize and guide her
ambitions.
FOOTNOTES:
[E] As the High Schools of Springfield, Newton, and Brookline, Mass.;
Cleveland, Ohio; Los Angeles, Cal., among others. And the elementary
schools of practically every well-organized community.
[F] "Library of Work and Play."
[G] "Home Decoration."
[H] "Outdoor Life."
[Illustration]
CHAPTER IV
THAT BOY
"The prime spur to all industry (effort) was and is to own and use
the finished product."--HALL.
One day the pedagogue, who was a learned man and addicted to study,
shut himself up in his library, bent on devising a method for training
boys into men. This master was well versed in the sciences so that he
could follow the stars in their courses, make the metals and substances
of the earth obey his will, and guide the plants in their growth from
seed to blossom. Nor was this scholar lacking in sympathy for the
arts, if they were not too fine, for his desires all led to systems
and orderly arrangements of matter, and those subjects which would not
succumb to analysis he looked upon coldly.
[Illustration: A Boy's Camp with Ernest Thompson Seton. There Was Never
a Boy Who Did Not "Make-Believe," and Here the Play Spirit, under
Stimulating Guidance, Becomes a Powerful Factor in Developing the
Appreciation of Community Effort]
[Illustration: The Play Idea very soon Grows Toward the Representation
of Primitive though Adult Customs and Actions, in which Several Join
a Common Body or Company. Hence City Gangs which Merely Seek Romantic
Expression]
Hence in this problem of education he made a careful survey of the
history and development of learning from the beginning--seeking
those ideals and standards of culture which had been approved for
the _scholar_, because scholars have always been held in high esteem
by those patrons who, being ignorant themselves, wanted scholarship
nearby. It was found in the course of his delving that the sciences
had originated and developed in about this order, mathematics,
astronomy, geology, botany, biology, etc. The arts of expression had
of course developed as a group, but chiefly through literature from
the beginning. There seemed to be a good deal of recent interest in
machines and engineering, and of course certain classes had always
tilled the soil, because one must have food; but the study of these
activities could not lead to culture, because culture had always had
to do with thinking, not manual labor. Therefore it became clear to
the master that up to the present time, since the end of all scholarly
ambition had been a profession (law, medicine, theology, etc.),
education must be a very simple matter. All one had to do was to
prepare certain capsules of mathematics, grammar, Greek and Latin, and
a few, very few, odd pellets of science, etc., and at stated intervals
stimulate the boy's mental organism with the various toxins in
rotation. Were these subjects not the very basis of culture, and what
would be more logical than direct systematic presentation of the
fundamental principles? If the patient did not respond nothing could
be done but to use more medicine, more lessons; there could be but one
line of treatment. With this question settled the good savant signified
his readiness to instruct youth in such branches as were desirable for
the educated man, and pupils came in numbers to obtain the precious
learning, for the pedagogue was favorably known as a great scholar. But
these pupils who came, like the master, happened to live in or about
the year 1912, when the chief interests of the people were business,
science, and engineering; when transportation and communication had
become highly developed and systematized; when farming and agriculture
were almost arts, the whole welfare of the nation rested on industry,
and utility held high rank as an element in culture among the people
who worked. Even when a boy of this period did not seek industrial
honors and follow in the footsteps of his father, he must needs be
interested as a citizen in so important a source of prosperity. Hence
the children who set out to become pupils of the learned teacher were
alive to the business and activities of their time and surroundings,
and were more than willing to learn when the learning led to a useful
end. But the scheme proposed by their mentor was such a queer scheme.
Of course it was better to go to school than do nothing and one must
study a few things, but how much more fascinating and worth while to
talk about birds and animals, trolley cars, the railway, electricity,
machines, and doing things with a purpose, than to discuss impossible
stories written by people who evidently knew very, very little about
young people, to learn unending pages of numbers and definitions and
facts, which, since one had no use for them, were speedily forgotten to
make room for better material?
[Illustration: A Typical Boy's Workroom and Shop. Pride of Personal
Possession Develops rather Early and the Boy Should Have a Place of His
Own]
[Illustration: The Kind of Shop which One May Have at Home]
Now these children were obedient and reverent toward learning and did
the tasks assigned them by their master, but in their leisure hours
they did a good bit of experimenting along other lines, and found
several other studies which were not in the master's scheme much more
to their taste. Animals and pets were not only nice, live, soft, downy,
fuzzy things to play with, but they had such queer ways and were so
useful that one could talk about them forever. And then if one raised
numbers of them, often neighbors would desire to purchase, and behold,
a business began whereby it was just possible one could make a profit
now and then. Again, it was fine if one had even a few tools so that
one could put together the toys and playthings _necessary_ to
every-day amusement. Of course it was needful to measure and calculate
and scheme about materials and costs, but all this scheming led to
real purpose, while the questions proposed by the teacher were just
questions after all and it couldn't make much difference whether one
found the answer or not.
Now the usual thing happened. Because of their reverence for
traditional learning and respect for its apostle the youths continued
to attend upon the master and go through the ceremonial form of
intellectual purification. But really their hearts were outside,
wrapped up in the work of the world, where they had found just the
tonics which were good for them.
In just so far as the school and home open ways which "enable the
student to earn a livelihood and to make life worth living" do we see
the passing of the old type school (suggested above) and ideal of
training. Not only are there comparatively few in this world capable
of receiving high polish through the so-called culture studies, but
the definition of culture has changed; now _any activity is cultural
which arouses one's best efforts_. Moreover, the boy of the present
is on the lookout for a new type of instructor, one born of the new
era of industrial success, a teacher who will unlock the mysteries of
modern nature, science, engineering and business, and who will make it
possible for the student to find his special abilities or bent at an
early age. It is no argument at all to say that the boy is too young
to know what is best for him, that the mature mind is the only safe
guide. The adult teacher and parent becomes a true guide only when he
uses as a basis for guidance those qualities and instincts of childhood
which cannot be smothered or eradicated. The child, whether boy or
girl, knows instinctively some of the kinds of information which do
not agree with him, because they possess no significance at the time
and he cannot assimilate and fatten on them. The child needs a new
and more nutritious mental diet. Father and mother cannot be of great
_direct_ assistance because, strange to say, they are not experts with
_children_, they merely know _a child_ (their own) passably well, but
they can provide a most effective, indirect, contributory stimulus
through outside opportunities for healthy play and experiment which
will supplement the formal instruction of the school. And children of
all ages up to the time they go to college need some strong outside
interest, or group of them, which will serve as a finder to
determine the trade, profession, or business of the future man.
[Illustration: The Kite Fever is an Annual Disease. Common to
practically the Whole Country. But it is a Disease which Flourishes
only among Normal Children, chiefly Boys]
[Illustration: Pump and Waterwheel. A Type of Mechanical Problem which
the Boy May Begin With, Both In and Out of School, because It Touches
His Keenest Interest]
The children who enter the school, from whatever grade of society or
given race, are all much alike--lively little animals that sleep, eat
and talk continuously, and play, though play and expression are one
and the same. They do what all animals do--keep on the move, acquire
muscular skill and precision, and endeavor by every possible means to
express their ideas and convey them to others. This expression takes
on a constructive phase when children play at store, keeping house,
fire engine, and make toys of paper and cardboard, and such amusement
is the forerunner of that intense mechanical interest which overtakes
boys about the age of ten or eleven.[I] Girls have an equally positive
leaning which is characteristic and will be noted elsewhere. Watch
any group of boys of average parentage and surroundings and make a
list of the things they construct for themselves, for their own ends.
In any such list extending over a period of several months will be
found, according to locality, such things as wagons, sleds, whistles,
kites, dog houses, pigeon roosts, chicken coops, boats, guns, etc.,
etc. The young artisan uses whatever raw material he can; he is
chiefly concerned with the plan, and makes the best of conditions and
materials. The things he makes are always for real use, a principle
held in high esteem in all the arts. In making these toys the boy
acquires some exceedingly valuable information and a physical skill
and perfection which can only be secured at an early age. He learns
about things, about raw material, about tools and utensils common to
every household; he gets on speaking terms with the fundamental laws of
mechanics and, more than one would imagine, develops a real ingenuity
in molding material to his immediate needs. The construction of a bird
house or kite is in itself simple enough, but the boy has to spend
considerable effort in finding out how to do it, which is beneficial.
Moreover, this constant struggle to get into tune with his physical
environment and subdue it results in a considerable independence,
confidence, and resourcefulness, which under moderately favorable
conditions will produce a boy alert to the world in which he lives and
full of the spirit of investigation--the critical attitude. Such a boy
will not lean on others for either learning or pleasure.
[Illustration: Boat Made by Percy Wilson and Donald Mather, Montclair,
N. J., Independent of Adult Assistance. The Method of Construction,
which is Unique and Sound, was Devised by the Boys]
[Illustration:
Copyright, 1910, by Cheshire L. Boone
These are the Forerunners of Numerous Other Electrical Constructions,
Many of Which are Produced Out of School, in the Home Workrooms and
Shops]
Actually, however, the modern boy has not been encouraged along
these lines, nor has he been taken very seriously in those activities
which affect him most; hence his struggle toward any real efficiency. A
prominent man once said:
"When I was fifteen years of age I could break wild horses to
saddle or harness, and teach kicking cows to stand while they were
being milked. I could fell trees and drop the tree in any direction
desired. I knew the relative value of all native woods, appreciated
the differences in soil, grains, fruits, and simple minerals. I could
use the draw-shove, adze axe, broad axe, cross-cut saw, sickle and
cradle. I could make a figure-four trap, an axe helve, a neck yoke,
axe yoke, whiffletree, clevis, and could braid an eight-strand cattle
whip. We used to mend our harness on rainy days and I could make a
wax-end and thread it with a bristle, and use a brad-awl. I knew
how to construct an ash-leach and to make soft-soap, apple butter,
and pumpkin pies. I knew the process of weaving flax and wool, of
making and burning brick. I knew on sight and had names for a score
or more of birds, and had a good idea of the habits of squirrels,
skunks, wolves, and the fishes that swam in the creeks. I knew how to
cure hams, shoulders, and side-meat: to pickle beef and cover apples
with straw and earth so that they would keep in safety through the
most severe winter, and open up in the spring fresh and valuable. Of
course my knowledge was not of a scientific order, and I could not
have explained it to another, because I never knew I had it."
How many boys or girls of the present time possess anything like this
sum of _useful knowledge_--useful for the conditions in which they
live? There was a time when children had to learn in order to survive,
and now that the necessity is removed and children are simply allowed
to grow without purpose, the boy and girl inevitably lose one of the
best elements in their training unless new opportunities are opened.
It is not difficult to see how the boy's interest in construction grows
and expands; mere acquaintance with boys will furnish the data. At a
comparatively early stage the youthful experiments are naturally sifted
to a few specialties, which assume prominence either because of the
boy's reading or the type of locality in which he lives. From time to
time his interest may shift, investigating one subject after another,
always seeking the unknown avocation. The process will probably lead in
time to a more or less fitting selection of trade or profession. How
else is the boy to find himself?
[Illustration:
Copyright, 1909, by Cheshire L. Boone
A Real Derrick in Miniature, Operated by Means of a Waterwheel (at the
right). The Lifting, Turning and Handling of the Bucket are Controlled
by Levers Attached to Spools (in the middle section). This Sort of
Thing is Part of Regular School Work]
[Illustration: Waterwheels (lower illustrations) and Fan (upper
illustration), made by Public School Pupils]
After he has passed through the preliminary stages of mere play and
haphazard amusement the boy becomes conscious of the mysterious,
unusual forces of electricity; they hold even adult attention and
wonder, but the boy, being more impressionable and confident,
immediately forages for information, reads enormously, and experiments.
He takes in the whole subject with a vim and sureness that is _de
facto_ evidence of its intrinsic worth for study purposes. And in
a much shorter time than adults would require, he has mastered the
fundamental laws and is eager to put this wonderful force to work,
to make things move. He has the same attitude toward steam and gas
engines, water motors, and studies them with the same intensity
of purpose. Here are dynamic elements which appeal to the human
appreciation of _power_ and which may be harnessed, subdued. The idea
is comparable to the ancient reverence for fire, water and the storm.
Since modern science has organized engineering and mechanical knowledge
and simplified it, the student can have at his disposal just the books
and periodicals needed to unlock this storeroom of mystery; these
publications were written for the purpose. But there are several other
openings for creative effort which appeal no less strongly, and among
which both the boy and girl may choose, with complete confidence that
there will be ample room for initiative, ingenuity, and utilitarian
bias.
Every child loves to go camping, and in common with his elders reveals
the close connection with primitive life in general through the
pleasure derived from the simplicity of camp life. There in the woods,
where conveniences are few, every device and construction counts the
utmost, and its purpose is apparent. The whole spirit of such living
is more in harmony with child nature and longings than the modern city
home; it supplies the craving for physical freedom and places the boy
or girl almost entirely on his own resources. What he obtains in the
way of pleasure comes from his own efforts and is correspondingly
precious. The boy especially finds in camp just as much chance for
mechanical skill as elsewhere. Temporary furniture, utensils, cooking
conveniences, the shelter, traps, etc., are suggestive. And lastly
the unconventional, untrammeled outdoor life stands in that same
relation to the boy as it did to the savage (because boyhood is a
primitive stage); he puts forth his strongest endeavors to conquer
the elements, the climate, the earth, and growing things; to provide
himself with food and shelter--in other words, to survive as the savage
sought to survive. The idea is truly epic. No wonder the child expands
and develops under the simple responsibilities imposed, and absorbs
woodcraft with such astonishing ease. The recent extraordinary growth
of the summer camp among boys' schools, and the results suggested in
the writings of Ernest Thompson Seton, are, with the unfolding of
industrial education, two pointed examples of the shifting view of
education in the home as well as school. Probably no outside agency
will in time become so effective for good as the Boy Scouts, whose code
is based on a very primitive framework suited to boys. During a recent
visit to California, and while crossing the flat prairies of Kansas,
the writer saw a company of scouts at work. It was borne in upon the
observer that there was an organization which fitted every locality,
every climate; it appealed to _boy_, not _creed_, _social order_, time,
or _adult dogma_.
[Illustration:
Copyright, 1910, by Cheshire L. Boone
A Self-recording Telegraph Receiver. An Excellent Example of what the
Juvenile Mechanical Mind will Attempt. The Number of Boys Interested in
such Projects is Considerable]
[Illustration: Wireless Station and Workroom of Donald Huxom,
Montclair, N. J. This, too, Indicates how Boys Square Themselves with
Scientific Progress]
One should at least mention athletics in this connection, because of
the excellent physical benefit in both activities. Athletics, however,
contains an element which is all-important--team work. And no restraint
is so much needed, nor so cheerfully heeded for that matter, by the
restless boy and girl as a community of effort. The elimination of a
purely selfish personal point of view is very difficult to bring about
with the best of children, because they are wrapped up in their own
affairs, and nothing serves to introduce them to the rights of others
and the value of concerted action for a common good so well as sport.
The kind does not matter. Any well-conducted, clean enjoyment of this
kind develops that mental pliability and willingness to _take a part_
which is a fundamental of citizenship. Incidentally leaders arise, and
the beginnings of organization dawn. It is a great day when the boy
learns his first code of signals in the ball team!
[Illustration:
Copyright, 1910, by Cheshire L. Boone
An Electrical Soldering Iron and Glue-pot, made at Suggestion of
Instructor for Use in School Shop]
[Illustration:
Copyright, 1909, by Cheshire L. Boone
Waterwheel Connected with Model Lathe]
There is one more side (at least) to the boy and girl
business--_earning money_. It is nothing short of marvelous that
this desire for personal income, however small, has not been taken
seriously. Why do children want to earn money? For the best reason in
the world, _independence_. Man's entire existence from the earliest
age down to the twentieth century has been one long struggle toward
it--toward survival. First he had to combat the elements and animals,
then his fellows, for possession of food, lands, water, raw materials,
and wives. When he found that possession of certain commodities added
to his importance and therefore comfort and safety, and especially
to his privilege, he sought wealth and its freedom. Now the boy and
girl follow stages in development toward similar independence, and
among the privileges most desired is that of money or possessions
of value. If they earn it, the amount represents so much work and
gives the coins a fixed worth which cannot be established in other
fashion. Moreover, this desire for income (rather than money) is
one characteristic of the child between the ages of thirteen and
fifteen years. His power of reasoning and organization are developing
rapidly, and it is the time when adult ideals and actions first look
attractive. The time is ever ripe for launching the boy or girl into
any avocation which holds their fancy, that they may forget their own
oblique tendencies to laziness, stubbornness, wayward action, and
selfishness; these are all characteristic of the stage. Sex changes
too play no inconsiderable part, because the boy's companions are for
a time all masculine. Business of some kind is just what he needs, and
if that business is profitable, a powerful motive is supplied. Perhaps
the keenest interest is that in nature, and most children at some time
have desired pets--chickens, rabbits, pigeons, dogs, song birds. There
is scarcely a town or city condition where some animal hobby cannot
be pursued without disturbing others' peace of mind. But it should be
looked into seriously as a business, a miniature counterpart of other
like enterprises. The disposal of personal service and products to
others brings the child in close contact with numbers of adults and
adult standards and business connections. It fosters responsibility
and places upon the child the burden of proof, to show that he is
entitled to a place as a valuable member of society. And just here it
may be well to say, even if the child does not need the money he earns,
it will be the most precious he will ever own, because since it came
through effort, it will be spent with due caution.
The vegetable and flower garden may be made to yield similar returns
and such products are always salable. In addition, every house, every
yard, every farm is in constant need of repairs, changes and care which
the alert boy or girl can furnish. The development of such odd tasks
into a business parallels the development of every large enterprise
which began in a modest way. It fosters the best of personal and civic
ideals, and tames the restless, self-conscious energy of youth into
smooth and profitable channels through which to journey in peace to a
sane maturity.
[Illustration: Excellent Examples of High School Work which is Really
Profitable. These Machines will Work and Develop Power which can be
Measured]
[Illustration: A Manual Training Shop]
Is it any wonder that education is so ineffective at times? In the
light of present-day appreciation of physiology and psychology it is
increasingly clear that education has furnished an impersonal, rather
stilted system of stuffing along restricted lines for a warm-hearted,
all-inquisitive, nature-loving human animal which automatically refuses
to be nourished thereby, and forages elsewhere. Although the child's
judgment can by no means be followed concerning what is best for
him, his instincts and possible future will serve as a most excellent
guide. His early training must take into account those interests
which are most keen and lasting and use them as the framework for
instruction, and all subsequent stages of training involve a distinct
obligation to build upon this elementary foundation, with a view to
social worth. Most children will have to earn a living (the girl
usually helps by managing the home), and this necessity is preëminent.
But whether rich or otherwise, the ideal of social worth remains for
all. And the least the home can do is to nurse childhood's efforts
and experiments in play and occupation which lead finally to mature
judgment and conceptions.
_How to Use Books with Boys_
Boys probably obtain more help from books than girls do because they
are more self-reliant, more assertive and impatient. And as has
been indicated, more books have been written for boys, but the same
general method of use is common to both. The boy too finds in the book
of crafts, mechanics, science, or sport a stimulant and incentive.
He reads it much as he would a story of adventure. No matter what
his greatest enjoyments may be, the perusal of accounts of others'
juvenile activities widens the productive horizon in a way not to be
ignored, and for this reason "How to Do" books of all kinds are a
serious element in the boy's life, at a time when he is less concerned
with what to do than with how to produce something. But there is a
danger in this catholicity of interest: it may become dilettantism.
The boy may merely potter or fuss with one hobby after another, more
because he cannot supply the need for more and more information, than
because he does not care. Hence it is worth while from time to time to
add more fuel to the flame of ambition in a given direction, to provide
books and tools, a working place or shop, and open the way for progress
in some stated direction.
[Illustration: The Machine Shop. Public School, Montclair, N. J.]
[Illustration: The Study of Aeroplane Construction, Public School 77,
N. Y. City. This Toy is Full of Possibilities for the Live Boy]
[Illustration: A Successful Machine]
[Illustration: Finished Aeroplanes. Public School 77, N. Y. City]
Specifically, books like those on "Mechanics, Indoors and Out,"
"Electricity," and "Carpentry," and parts of "Outdoor Work" may be
considered as of one type. When he receives the books the boy will
spend days in absorbing their contents, maybe dreaming a bit over the
possibilities in view, and finally, by a process which will always be
unintelligible to the adult, will light upon a problem or group of them
that meets his wishes, as the kite for instance; all he needs from then
on is human sympathy with the, to him, important undertaking, and
he will gallop through all phases of the kite construction and devices,
aeroplanes, propellers, forms of motive power, probably bringing up
short at the steam or gasoline engine, which opens another chapter.
The really important item connected with the use of such books is to
keep the young mechanic on one thing at a time. A bit of judicious
questioning now and then, always aimed at a group of related problems
upon which he may be engaged, will keep his mind working connectedly.
His efforts will then be cumulative in effect. Visits to the aero park,
the museums, to the shops and technical schools, and to the local power
plants are other distinct aids which should be invoked to supplement
and emphasize reading and experiment. In some of the cities model kite
and aeroplane contests are held at regular intervals, and these put
boys on their mettle to succeed. In fact the proper way to use books
of this kind is to _let the boy use them_; let him begin in the middle
of the book and work outward or at the end and go backward, but see
that he has books which present the subject vividly, simply. Provide
him with the essential tools and materials and a place to work. About
the surest way to make a success with boys is to let them have a room
or corner of their own where they can work to their hearts' content,
where they can store their precious belongings, and where companions
may come and talk over things. Really the book is inadequate alone.
Unless one provide the opening for action, books but aggravate and
excite the mind, mockingly spur the student on to "do." Hence with the
book goes a tacit obligation to provide means and place, even the most
modest, for putting the book to test.
There is yet another phase to this use of books, and it is one which
the boy will usually meet, if the texts are adequate. It is this:
whatever the young student does best will be the result of real desire,
real personal enthusiasm. It is a fallacy to suppose that the boy
interested in tools should always put up shelves, mend the door, or
fix the fence. He will execute these tasks cheerfully, but they are
not the subject of his dreams. On the other hand, if the desire be to
earn money, to have a small business of his own, fences and shelves
and plant stands may be the most interesting things in the world to
him, because they are _means_, not _ends_. Hence the printed book is
no teacher or trainer of children, no direct guide to future vocation,
but is the very essence of inspiration, the foundation from which the
young secures nourishment for day dreams and ambitions, out of which he
patiently weaves the rich fabric of experience.
FOOTNOTE:
[I] This bias toward mechanics has already been noted by teachers and
parents, but in recent years has assumed unusual significance because
of the extraordinary development of industry. This, combined with the
researches of modern psychology and pedagogy, has introduced a new, a
powerful motive into teaching.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER V
A HOUSE AND LOT--ESPECIALLY THE LOT
The past decade has witnessed a movement, just now taking aggressive
shape, which is unique--the interest in outdoors, nature study,
farming, summer homes, sport, and what is termed the simple life. It
is a movement filled with the greatest promise of any among the host
now claiming attention, and bids fair to soothe the tired nerves and
over-stimulated minds of a frantically industrial age. Busy men and
women, particularly the men, who once thought their affairs would
become hopelessly muddled if they were not at the desk each and every
day, now indulge in sport, farming or gardening, and horticulture.
They have become convinced of the benefits of fresh air and consequent
health, and have a calmer, more serene outlook on life as a whole. It
has become "quite proper" now to live in the "country," even though the
country is represented by a lot 40 × 100, for one may have a garden
which produces wonders even on such a lot. Indirectly, people get the
desire to fix up their homesteads, to plant hedges and vines, to have
window boxes and put on a kind of apologetic style which develops into
conscious pride ultimately. One cannot play with such an avocation long
without learning a bit more about nature in general, and without any
conscious resolution drifts into keeping chickens or pets as a kind
of pleasurable refuge from mundane things. All this activity is much
more than a fad; it points to a recurrence of the primitive instinct to
always bridge the ever-widening gaps between nature and the human, who
is merely an extra-developed animal himself. Children always possess
in a marked degree a love for outdoors, for animal life, for growing
things, and fight hard during the early years to satisfy the desire.
When they cannot achieve results at home, the surplus energy is worked
off by harrowing the neighbors. Steam will do a great deal of work when
under control, but if one allows steam to accumulate it must get off
sooner or later, and children are under steam always.
[Illustration: The Boy Who does not Love to Camp is Unique. This
Illustrates one of Ernest Thompson Seton's Camps where Boys Come in
Contact with Nature at Her Best]
[Illustration: This and Other Illustrations of Homes in This Chapter,
Show such Places as People Make when they Care about Appearances]
The adult, when he becomes a city dweller, takes his nature study
in stiff two-weeks' doses, fishing or shooting, plus all the modern
gastronomic tidbits he can carry, and accumulates a fine crop of
scientific fables and sunburn. This is not real rest, not even the
best acquaintance with nature; rather it is a sort of primitive spree,
inherited in garbled form from tradition as a seasonal necessity.
The truly fine side to the nature movement lies in its influence on
everyday living through a sound regard for what nature can do at her
best, and the resultant modification of taste in general. It is a
questionable satisfaction to make a whirlwind campaign into nature's
midst for a few short weeks, comfortably supported by the consciousness
of urban conveniences in the end, when there is the possibility of
bringing nature to our very doors, almost to the hearthstone. Nature is
complacent and excellent company when offered a suitable welcome.
The ideal home is ideal throughout--outside as well as in. There is no
vital difference between the kind of pride which demands clean linen
and that which craves beautiful lawns (to be used however), beautiful
flowers (also to be enjoyed), trees and porches for shade and rest.
The kind of nature too which really rests and enthuses one is the kind
which may be enjoyed for twelve months in the year; in other words,
gardens, grounds, and trees which belong to the climate, to the
locality, and, being hardy, commend themselves at all seasons.
[Illustration: Even the Most Beautiful House must have a Background to
Soften the Conventional Lines and Areas of Construction]
[Illustration: One should Build a House as one Builds a Reputation,
Gradually, Allowing Ideals and Execution to Expand and Develop
Together. Then the House and Grounds will Appear at Their Best]
But nature is no designer. The landscape gardener and the amateur must,
by their united efforts, bring an artistic plan to bear upon nature's
offerings, using her trees and flowers and the contour of the ground,
and create an environment which pleases. The result should not only
be fine of itself, but should furnish a proper and rich background
for the house which is the centre. There are in existence numerous
periodicals devoted to country living, farming, gardening, animals,
sports, and the special suburban problem, and also a very distinguished
library dealing with similar types. These have a surprisingly wide
circulation, probably because they are as a class guiding the public
taste in such matters instead of following it. This literature has in
a few short years uncovered a new public interest in matters allied to
nature, notably in home architecture and surroundings, and there is
distinct evidence at the present time of improvement in architectural
style. Domestic buildings are more appropriate in material and design
than ever before, and are such as seem to be in tune with the somewhat
informal suburban or village surroundings. Formerly architectural
style was imported from abroad, and with it came a certain few odd
fragments of landscape gardening, full of patterns, floral arabesques
and geometric arrangements, imitation Renaissance, urns and alert
iron dogs to guard the dooryard. One can still find houses with ugly
mansard roofs, stiff, forbidding doorways, and gloomy windows, the
whole perched high on a hill, or at least elevated above the street,
suggesting in every feature the barrenness of the artificial. It is
art at its worst. The effort was further emphasized by the consistent
designers through formal, wax-like landscape accessories, tender
budding plants, cast-iron benches and garden ornaments, which must
surely be blood kin to the modern steam radiator and art cook stove.
There was nothing human about such a place: it always suggested the
hereafter. But the new, healthy, public interests in outdoors, in a
joyous life, have banished those artificial shells and substituted a
type of dwelling which is planned for living. And the outside aspect of
the house gives one the impression that it belongs to that particular
spot, for those people for home purposes. Of course all houses are
not so successful, but one finds a good many nowadays. It was bound
to come, because when people began to study nature, to live closer to
their flowers and animals, to want green lawns and pleasant hills,
they soon sought a type of shelter which would nestle close to the
ground and look hospitable and inviting. Architecture and gardening
are more closely related than one would first imagine, and it is
questionable whether one can deal successfully with one and ignore the
other.
[Illustration: Trees, Shrubbery and Lawn form the Frame of the Picture,
and a Bad Frame will Spoil the Finest Picture]
[Illustration: There was a Time Not Long Since, when People Built
Houses According to Style. They Now Build for Pleasure and Comfort,
Producing the Finest Style of All]
In previous chapters the discussion of children and their training has
touched lightly upon certain points which may well be elaborated a bit
here. Most of the child's waking hours would virtually be spent out of
doors; no house is large enough. And it was urged that these intense
outside activities would be excellent foci for most profitable study.
No yard, however restricted, is too small to accommodate some hobby
which will absorb the child's energy and aid in generating constructive
skill and judgment. The matter of pocket money is also very important
and becomes a powerful motive when properly used. But there is another
and more mature point of view concerning the home as a whole, which
should not be discarded. _Every child should learn to so respect and
value his own personal property and affairs that he will respect those
of others, neighbors for instance._ He will not do this unless his
own efforts and experiments are taken seriously, or unless his home
grounds and living are maintained at top condition, or unless he
grows to appreciate a beautiful physical environment. The lawn, the
garden, poultry house and stable ought to be in perfect trim all the
time. It is better taste to have them so, and it is good business. One
cannot succeed with raising pets or animals in unsanitary quarters,
or inadequate shelter. It will not be difficult to develop proper
ideas of taste and charm in the grounds about the house if one begins
with the boy's and girl's own business and steers that to a decent
working basis. Ragged grounds, unkempt lawns, weeds, littered porches
and hopeless, tired-looking flowers--all persistent manifestations of
neglect--leave on the youthful mind ineradicable impressions which
undermine good taste.
Most boys and girls dislike any kind of work which is mere drudgery,
and most children in these days shy at work for ends other than
their own, because they have found that they can have privileges and
amusements without responsibility or other return to their parents. The
solution lies in the restoration to the boy of a feeling of personal
responsibility and pride, restoring to him and his sister the rights
of ownership to things and privileges earned, and make the children
something other than social puppets. Make their youthful occupations
count. Among those occupations one finds a number which are equally
fascinating to both children and adults.
[Illustration:
Courtesy of Miss Annie Washburn
A School Garden. If Children Cannot Expand at Home, the Public School
is Under Obligation to Satisfy the Need for Outdoor Occupation]
[Illustration:
Courtesy of Prin. F. C. Clifton
A School Garden. Watchung School, Montclair, N. J.]
Probably no accessory to the home is more to be valued than the garden,
especially the flower garden. It adds so much of color and variety to
the whole scheme, and helps to bring the house into intimate relation
with the grounds. The finest gardening has probably been due to
feminine influence, and every girl can draw from practical experience
with growing things a delicacy of taste and wealth of knowledge to
apply to ends peculiarly her own. The latent intuitive feminine outlook
often remains undeveloped in these days, and no craft will preserve and
stimulate it more than gardening. There is a reaction just now against
the formal flower beds of tender plants, a patch of exotic color
dotting otherwise irreproachable lawns, though the florist would like
to keep such arrangements in fashion, for he is seldom a true artist.
But better standards of living, a fresher study of nature, a more
personal, intimate architecture, have brought into them many of the old
garden ideals where the garden belonged to the mistress of the house
and showed it. The garden has a most significant history. It has always
been a centre of family life, and among the Romans was in fact the
element about which the household revolved. Here the family rested and
visited, worked and played. The dwelling was built around it, with
living rooms which opened on its walks and fountains, bringing the
family together in the most intimate way. The early Dutch and English
colonists brought to America a similar taste for this soothing adjunct
to the home and early put into effect such garden plans as their
limited resources permitted. And always it has been the women-folk of
the community who have kept the garden alive with persistent belief
in its harmonizing influence on the family. Not infrequently the
children learned their first lessons in business, in ownership and in
responsibility, there. Gardening is one of the oldest and simplest of
crafts and may not be overlooked in seeking a pathway for youthful
energy.
Perhaps the boy or girl would rather grow fruits or berries,
vegetables, raise pigeons, keep bees--one and all are equally good.
This is the essential fact: every boy and girl should come into direct
and positive contact with some of the important natural phenomena and
life. Growing things have to be cared for, they must have food, water
and protection. One cannot play with them when one feels like it;
they need attention every day. The obligation is a pleasant one, but
nevertheless it is an obligation and gives a much needed lesson in a
way that sticks.
Any occupation around the home, if it be one which ministers either
to the pleasure, comfort or profit of individual members, is quite
likely to knit that family into a more compact group. It keeps the
children more at home. The interchange of service and advice which
brings into relief the interdependence of the individuals stimulates
this one of the important characteristics of domestic society. There
has been an indication in recent years to lay upon the schools the
entire training for manhood and womanhood. It is expected to teach
manners and ethics, to give the proper kind of academic information,
to formulate character, to even teach "nature." It is impossible to do
this. The finest character, habits of study, executive ability, and
the social attitude must be started and nursed to strength, if not to
maturity, at home. Five hours each day under incomplete authority can
accomplish little else than formal instruction. Even the beginnings
of technical and scientific training have their roots deep in these
childish hobbies which originate and flourish at home, where a deep
obligation rests upon parents to make the most of this early time.
It is a lead the school can follow, but never originate. The school
represents the average educational ideal of a given community, and when
schools are inefficient, languish and give indifferent service, it
is an excellent index of the local culture standard. Therefore, when
parents develop to their highest pitch the enthusiasms and abilities
of childhood, when they foster family life and enrich it so that every
member, particularly the younger ones, become active participants, and
feel that they too have work to contribute to the general welfare, then
and then only will the school by force of public sentiment revise its
own standards.
[Illustration: There is a Fascination about Raising Animals whether for
Sale or as Pets. To the Child this Occupation Acquires the Dignity of a
Real Business]
[Illustration: Two More Illustrations which will Suggest Plans for the
Future]
For reasons such as these every home should be a kind of unofficial
training school, in which the courses are mostly elective. Some outdoor
hobbies which the children will enjoy should be maintained, and, on
however small a scale, the house and grounds should be planned with
this in view. The city boy and girl will have somewhat limited choice,
but even there one can enjoy several hobbies, even in a flat. One can
at least grow things, for there are few corners, even in a city, so
dark that some plants will not flourish.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER VI
VACATIONS, ATHLETICS, SCOUTING, CAMPING, PHOTOGRAPHY
[Illustration: Every Child, and especially the Boy, Needs Active
Outdoor Exercise. This kind has much to recommend it]
[Illustration: Organized Play (Woodcraft) under Ernest Thompson Seton]
The boy of to-day is at a real disadvantage in his struggle for
health and happiness. He is always a primitive at heart, surging in
the direction of direct physical expression, showing almost on the
surface the simplicity of savage instincts, to live close to the
earth, be outdoors, perform feats of strength and skill, hunt, fish,
camp and play at doing the essential acts of life. Through succeeding
generations society has perfected a veneer of convention which glosses
over the crudities of childish abandon, and as they (children) grow,
the polish becomes thicker and more lasting, even so as to make the
individual a "ready-to-wear" being. But at intervals, even in adults,
one finds the periodic plunge into camp and field. That vacations
do not always supply the benefit which doctors would, but cannot,
is rather the fault of brevity than of the outings themselves. Boys
can, as a rule, enjoy vacations without responsibilities, they can
have ample scope for the close acquaintanceship with the simplicities
of outdoor living. One of the first true signs of summer is the tents
and crude shelters in backyards of our suburban villages. It is the
nearest approach to a normal, sane existence the child can make. No
proper child omits to play "Indian" or "hunter" in his early years,
and no youth ever quite outgrows the keen pleasure of sleeping in the
open, companioned by the sighing of the night. One recent experience
of the writer, camping among the giant redwoods of California, where
one could before going to sleep have a last look at the stars framed
by the wondrous trees, and drift to unconsciousness to water music
in the gorge way down below, was a time never to be forgotten. It is
such experiences as these in the open which both keep and restore
one's mental balance; they breed cheerfulness and optimism, develop
friendships. And the boy is not so very particular about the place,
provided there is water and woods, some companions, and things
to do. He loves to swim and should learn. He wants to be of some
account and have a part in the camp, learn how to make camp, protect
things, prepare for weather, engineer the routine of camp life.
Probably no institution outside formal educational institutions is
likely to have more vital influence on boys of the future than the
Boy Scouts, already mentioned, a marvelous scheme to organize this
play spirit. It takes hold of the most primitive instincts in child
life, develops them to the highest pitch of efficiency, and turns
the enormous energy generated thereby into useful channels by the
simplest of devices--service. But be it noted, service for which the
need is perfectly plain. The boy gets the finest of physical training
imaginable and readily cultivates moral virtues which have been the
despair of teachers and parents.
[Illustration: More Woodcraft. Has the Boy had a Chance at this kind of
Experience?]
[Illustration: Even the Technical Processes of Photography have been
Reduced to Popular Terms]
[Illustration: In These Days Photography has become so Simplified that
every Child can Use a Camera to Advantage]
In general, the vacation cannot be more profitably spent elsewhere than
outdoors. If a boy cannot actually go into the woods, away from home
and the restrictions which modern living must of necessity impose, then
the next best thing is pastime or amusement which requires outdoors
for a setting. There is much to be said for each and every one of the
sports common at the present time, baseball, tennis, football, golf,
boating, riding--they are all good--and every healthy child will take
part in one or more. Now a book about sport can never teach a boy or
girl how to become skilful; it cannot explain the mystery of the golf
stroke or pitched curve, but it can and does awaken the spirit of
trial and test. It suggests that there is possibly a right way to
do things; to play even, if one would succeed. The book may tell of
the necessity for team work and organization, for system and regular
living, and observance of rules made by others. In other words, the
book acts through suggestion, very seldom directly; and for the same
reason that one gives children books on mechanics, sewing, pets and
gardening, that they may learn of the dignity and worth of these
occupations, so also does one recommend books of sport and games,
which surely are the more valuable when taken in all seriousness. It
is through their games, involving dependence upon the confidence in
others, that children acquire the best traits of character.
Aside from the inherent return in physical well-being derived from
amusement in the open air--one can use this kind of medicine twelve
months in the year--such pastime possesses a second quality of no mean
importance; it brings one, ofttimes unconsciously, into communication
or hailing distance at least of that nature which is so charming. It is
easy to see the beauties of birds and flowers and skies, in camp; and
the dynamic loveliness of crisp fall weather, even in a great city, is
evidenced out of doors by the animation of passersby. But one cannot
read about the beauties of beneficent nature; one must enjoy them
personally, and is led on to do so through those pastimes which take
place in the open. Several of these have been mentioned, and there is
one other: photography.
Photography has almost ceased to be a science; it is a habit. One
goes to the store, invests in a comfortably small parcel and a book
of instructions which says "press here," and that is about all. The
fine succeeding details are minor matters. Whether one merely "presses
the button" or goes the whole road and really makes the picture,
photography has come to be a regular accessory to sport and enjoyment.
No doubt it is evidence of human vanity, but it takes so mild a form
and is the source of so much pleasure that the world needs it, to
preserve the thousand and one scenes and incidents which comprise the
background of life.
[Illustration]
INDEX
SYMBOLS USED
*--ILLUSTRATED
A--OUTDOOR WORK
B--MECHANICS, INDOORS AND OUT
C--CARPENTRY AND WOODWORK
D--HOME DECORATION
E--ELECTRICITY
G--GARDENING
H--HOUSEKEEPING
K--OUTDOOR SPORTS
M--WORKING IN METALS
N--NEEDLECRAFT
INDEX
PAGE
Accounts
balancing, H 90-91, 99
charge accounts, H 98
check book method, H 97
credits, recording, H 96
dairy accounts, A 242
debit and credit, H 90
department method of keeping, H 92-94
housekeeping, H 87-100
How to keep household accounts, by C. W. Haskins, recommended, H 99
personal expense account, specimen, H 92
poultry raising, A 168, 172
_See also_ Allowances; Income
Acorns, care of seed for planting, A 48
Aeronautics. _See_ Aeroplanes; Balloons; Flying machines; Kites
Aeroplanes, B 158-185*, C 67-83*
balance problem, B 169
biplane
making toy model, C 68-74*
principle of construction, B 173-175*
Bleriot monoplane, B 171-173*
engines, types used, B 173
construction principles in general, B 170-171
controlling direction of, B 168-169
gyroscope principle applied, B 169
making models, B 180-184*, C 67-83*
management not difficult, B 177
Maxim's aero-curve, B 166-167*
monoplane
making a model, B 180-184, C 75-83*
principle of construction, B 171-173*, 175-177
motive power for toy model, B 182-183, C 72, 81-83
planes
aspect ratio, B 167, 170
shape of, B 164-168
propeller blades
making for a model, B 182, C 70-72*
position on machine, B 169-170
Santos Dumont monoplane, B 175-177*
testing a model, B 183
triplane, B 180
Voisin biplane, B 173-175*
why aeroplanes fly, B 163-168, 195-197
wind velocity table, B 198
wireless telegraph control a possibility, B 169
_See also_ Balloons; Flying machines; Kites
Ageratum, planting, G 84
sowing and blossoming time, G 161
Agricultural clubs
book about, A 519
organizing, A 452-454
Agricultural pests. _See_ Insect pests
Agriculture. _See_ Dairying; Domestic Animals; Drainage; Fertilizers
and Manures; Flower gardening; Forestry; Fruit gardening;
Irrigation; Soils; Trees; Vegetable gardening; Vegetables
Alaska sable, skunk skin, A 484
Alcohol as a cleaning agent, H 124, 135, 359
Airships. _See_ Aeroplanes; Balloons
Alarm clocks, electric, E 302
Alfred, King
story of the burned cakes, H 16
Algae. _See_ Seaweed
Alligator wrench, making, M 276
Allowances
how to manage, H 80
Alloys
definition of, M 208
Almonds
food value, H 255
Alternating currents. _See_ Electric currents
Althea (Rose of Sharon)
characteristics, G 356
Aluminum
extraction from clay, E 263
utensils
advantages, H 202
care of, H 206
Ammeter, E 25-34*
construction, E 25-29
how it measures electricity, E 29-30, 32-33
shunt, use of, E 32-33
Ampere, Andre Marie
Ampere's rule, E 30-32
Amusements. _See_ Games; Sports
Andirons
forging, M 363-370*
how to use, H 225
Andrew, Saint
story of the loaves and fishes, H 32
Anemometer
making, C 162-165
Anemone
Japanese, characteristics, G 333, 365
wood anemone, G 343
Angora goat, A 109-110
book about, A 517
Animals
feeding motherless animals, A 268
tamed versus domesticated, K 177
training, A 248-270
fear versus kindness, A 256-257
wild animals, A 259-263
_See also_ Domestic animals; Pets; also names of animals,
e. g., Birds, Newts, Toads, etc.
Annealing
copper bowl, M 21
definition of, M 208
steel, M 307-309
tools for, M 11-12*
Annuals (Plants)
blooming after frost, G 330
climbing, G 331
definition of, G 160
for cut flowers: table, G 329
for heavy soils: table, G 329
for rocky places: table, G 332
for sandy soils: table, G 328
for shady places: table, G 331
for sunny places: table, G 332
fragrant: table, G 330
self sowing, G 331
value of, G 316, 359
what to plant, G 322
Annunciators, Electric, E 68-71*
Antique furniture. _See_ Furniture
Ants
development from the egg, A 393-395
garden pest, G 283
habits, K 147
household pests, H 361
Anvil
metal workers' tool, M 10*
Apartment houses
heating by electricity, E 125
how to have a play house in, H 8
Apiculture. _See_ Bees
Apple
distance to plant trees, G 258
food value, H 255
saving seeds from cider making, A 50
surplus used for cider vinegar, A 413
wood for canes, A 59
Applique
embroidery, N 198-202
honiton lace, N 237
leather, N 83, 85*
overlaid work, N 200
underlaid, N 201
Apricots, dried
food value, H 255
April
birds, K 175
blooming plants, G 364
Aprons, making, N 26-30
bands and strings, N 28-30
gathering, N 26-28*
sewing apron and work bag combined, N 31-33*
Aquarium
care of sick fish, K 166
cost of ready-made boxes and globes, K 163
feeding fish, K 166
making a water-tight box, K 160-162
stocking a self-sustaining aquarium, K 164-166
what to keep in, K 161
_See also_ Gold fish
Arago, Francois Jean
wave theory of light, E 345
Arbor vitæ
characteristics, C 542
Arbors. _See_ Pergola
Arbutus
gathering and conserving, A 93
Arc lamp. _See_ Electric lamp--Arc
Archery
practice of, K 329-331
Architecture
adapting the plan to the purpose, D 6, 13
American city versus country homes, D 365-367
bungalow, plan and elevation, C 465*
dining-room plan, D 9
floor plan, D 8*
hall plan, D 9
kitchen plan, D 10
Living-room plan, D 9
A model house, D 3-33
pantry plan, D 12
plan in relation to decorations and furnishings, D 12-13
principles of design, D 4-5, 13-16
wall areas, considering, D 12
_See also_ Building; Carpentry; Cottages; Foundations; Pergola
Archimedian screw, B 143-145*, 344*
Armatures
ammeter armature, E 29
dynamo armature, E 9, 11-13
Arrowhead (Plant)
characteristics, G 366
Art
copyrighting works of art, B 426
Arthur, King
The King's Kitchen: story, H 20
Artichoke
indoor planting time, G 233
Arts and Crafts. _See_ Basket making; Bead work; Block printing; Brass
work; Copper work; Embroidery; Lace making; Leather work; Metal
work; Iron work; Silver work; Stenciling
Arum (Plant)
characteristics, G 366
Ash
characteristics, C 564
strength of wood, C 496
Ash tray
copper work, M 85*
Ashes
fertilizing value, A 433
Asparagus
insect pests, G 287
Aspidistra
indoor plant, G 196
Assisi, Saint Francis of, H 25
Association foot ball, K 331
Aster
characteristics of New England aster, G 365
half hardy plant, G 317
sowing and blossoming time, G 161
starting, G 137
Athletics
all around athletic championship, K 328-329
best college record, K 336
Olympic games, events, K 372
rowing record, K 383
training rules, K 11-12
value of, K 5-6
Atlantic cable
laying, E 65-66
Atmospheric pressure. _See_ Barometer
Attic playhouse, H 5
Atwater, W. O.
Principles of nutrition; quotation, H 251
Auger
bit, C 194*
screw principle, B 156
August
blooming plants, G 365
Australian boomerang, B 232-234*
Automobiles
gasolene consumed per mile, B 401
making frame for one and two cylinder motors, B 396-401*
making toy automobile, C 62-66*
Aviation. _See_ Aeroplanes
Axe
selecting, K 96-97
Azalea
indoor plant, G 197
B
Babylon
proposed irrigation works, B 247
Baby's breath (Plant)
characteristics, G 329, 365
Bachelor's buttons. _See_ Cornflower
Backing enamel
definition, M 208
Bacon
cuts, H 270
food value, H 250, 253
for basting meat, H 357
Bacteria in soils, G 222
Baden-Powell, Sir Robert
Organizer of the Boy scouts, K 20
Badminton (Game), K 332
Bags
braiding, N 295-296*
raffia hand bag, N 272-273*
stenciled, N 81*
Bait
fish bait, K 130-136
_See also_ Trapping
Baked beans
food value, H 257
Baking
cake, H 303
principles and process, H 283-284
thickness of food, H 276
Baking powder
composition and use, H 301
how to retain strength of, E 267
Ball
one old cat, K 375
_See also_ Base ball; Basket ball; Call ball; Cricket; Foot ball;
Hand ball; Hand polo; Hat ball; Hockey; Japanese fan ball;
LaCrosse; Polo; Push ball; Racquets; Roley Boley; Skittles;
Squash; Tennis; Tether ball; Volley ball
Ball bearings
principle of, B 28
Balloon vine
characteristics, G 331
Balloons
history, B 161-162
making paper balloons, B 369-373*
Balsam
characteristics, G 332, C 539
gathering, A 65
sowing and blossoming time, G 161
Baltimore belle, story of, N 74-76
Baltimore oriole
as insect destroyer, A 457
Bananas
food value, H 255
Band saws. _See_ Saws
Bandy (Game), K 332
Bantams
breeding and care, A 217-218
game bantams, A 217
Bar, Horizontal
making a pull up bar, C 270*
Bar pins
silver metal work, M 171-174*
Barberry
characteristics, G 355
picking, A 16-17
jelly, receipt, A 17, 18
Barometer
complex, how to make, B 258-261*
construction of, B 231-232*
inventors of, B 256
purpose of, B 261
simple, how to make, B 256-257
theory of, B 256
water barometer, how to make, B 257-258*
Base ball, K 244-266*, 332-334
art of playing, K 262-263
balls, standard, K 262
base hit, K 333
bases, K 333
bats, K 262
batsmen
left-handed, K 259
qualifications, K 260
training, K 250
batting, K 260
captain's duties, K 249-250
catcher, K 254-255
diamond, K 333
laying out, K 260-262*
doubtful balls, providing for, K 258
"fan", K 266
first baseman, K 255
gate receipts, K 264
ground rules, K 265
home run, K 333
innings, K 334
choice of, by contesting team, K 264
manager's duties, K 249
methods, old and modern, K 247-248
national game of America, K 244
nine, K 245, 332
opponent's methods, learning, K 259
outfielder, K 257-259
pitcher and pitching, K 246*, 247*, 251-254
positions, K 245, 333
scores, K 264, 333-334
second baseman, K 256
shoes, K 264
short-stop, K 256
signals, K 248
team, how to organize, K 249
third base, K 257
training rules, K 250
two-bagger, K 334
umpire, K 245
uniforms, K 263
visiting teams, expenses, K 264
what makes a game, K 264
Basket ball rules, K 334
Basket making
materials for, N 242-243
porcupine quills for, A 69
raffia work, N 250-252, 255-261*
rattan basketry, N 243-248*
reed flower baskets, G 61-64*
sweet grass baskets, A 64
Bass
bait for, K 135
Basse-taille
definition, M 208
Basswood
characteristics, C 560
Basting meat, H 283, 357
Basting stitches, N 6*
Bath tubs
cleaning, H 155
sanitation, H 217
Bathroom
care and cleaning, H 155-156
Baths
electric shower baths in a summer camp, E 244-247
summer camp device, E 160-162
Bats
usefulness of, K 149
Batteries, Electric. _See_ Electric batteries
Bayberry
description of bush, A 19
dips, making, A 20-21
leaves for sachet, A 65
Baywood
staining mahogany, C 489, D 230
Bead work, N 278-294*
chains, N 279-285*
curtains, N 292
cushion covers, N 290-293
daisy chains, N 279-282*
loom, home-made, N 282-284*
portieres, N 290-293
purse, N 285-290*
stringing the beads, N 278
Beam action, C 496
Beams, wooden
strength of materials, B 45
Bean bag
rules of game, K 336
Beans
bush beans, varieties, G 297
experiments in growing, G 119-122
food value, H 250, 254, 255
insect pests, G 288
planting seeds
depth and distance, G 42
distance of drills apart, G 297
eye downward, G 117
quantity to plant, G 36
time to plant, G 234
pole beans
ornamental value, G 296
varieties, G 297
seeds
age for planting, G 34
germination per cent., G 33, 233
germination time, G 32
soil, G 119, 296
_See also_ Lima beans; String beans
Bearings
anti-friction, B 326*
Beck-iron
definition of, M 208
Bedbugs, H 363-364
Bedell, Frederick
discovery that the same wire carries two currents, E 187
Bedroom
atmosphere, H 158
care of
morning work, H 146-155
night preparation, H 154
personal responsibility, H 53
furnishings for a girl's room, H 54
furniture, designs for, D 57-58*
guest room, H 367
_See also_ Beds; Closets
Bedroom electric heater, E 126*
Bedroom slippers. _See_ Slippers
Beds
bough beds, K 65*
camping outfits, K 64-66*
designs, D 60*, 373*
doll's bed of pasteboard, and fittings, H 11-12
making fittings for a doll's bed, N 50-56*
making up a bed, H 54, 149-155
Bed spread. _See_ Counterpane
Bee balm (Flower)
habits and characteristics, G 333, 347
Bee-hive. _See_ Bees
Bee-keepers Association, value of, A 326
Bee stings
prevention and cure, A 317-318
Beech nuts
characteristics, A 37
gathering, A 38
Beef
cuts and their uses, H 268-269
food value: table, H 252
Beef tea
making, H 278
Bees, A 287-336
books about, A 518
brood chamber, description, A 302*, 303
what goes on in, A 304-307
buying, hints about, A 294-297
cost of colony, A 288
development from the egg, A 393-395
diseases and enemies, A 322, 325
egg-laying, A 305
feeding, spring and fall, A 321
hives
arranging, A 292
drone and queen trap at entrance, A 316*
entrance to, A 303
kinds, A 297, 300-304, 325
modern, A 301-304*
observation hive, A 325, K 169
old-fashioned, A 300
opening
how to open, and remove frames, A 315-318
reasons for, A 314
putting together, A 298
supers, A 302*
ventilation, A 294
where to place, A 290-291
hiving, A 313-314
honey
harvesting, A 316
making, A 322-323
plants which supply, A 322
supply for hives, A 319
uses of, A 326
honeycomb cells, A 315-316
how bees work, A 324-325
how to approach the hive, A 303
Italian, A 296
keeping
how to begin, A 287-290
supplies for first year, A 296-298
life, length of, A 306
locating the hives, A 290-291
marketing the honey, A 326-327
nucleus, meaning, A 296
observation hives, A 325, K 169*
products of the hives, A 322-325
profit in, A 299-300, 334-336
protecting from wind and sun, A 291-292
queen bee
clipping wings, A 316
locating, A 316
rearing, A 331-333
testing, A 304
runaway swarms, securing, A 288
shipping, A 294
smoking, A 314-315
success with bees: stories, A 328-336
swarm catcher, home-made, A 310-313*
swarming
reasons for, A 304
time and process, A 307-309
to prevent, A 315
varieties, A 295
wax making, A 323
wintering, A 319-321*
worker bees, development of, A 305-306
Beeswax for cleaning irons, H 317
Beetles
development from the egg, A 393-395
extermination of pests, G 117, 285, 287, 292
mounting specimens, A 384*
Beets
boiling, G 298
cooking preparation, H 293
food value, H 255
insect pests, G 288
planting seeds, G 298
depth and distance, G 42
quantity to plant, G 36
time to plant, G 234
seed
age for planting, G 34
germination time, G 32
soil preparation, G 298
transplanting, to avoid, G 122, 298
Begonias
bedding plant, G 324
window box plant, G 193
Bell, Alexander Graham
inventor of the telephone, E 274
Bellflower
habits and characteristics, G 346
Bellicent
mother of Gareth, H 21
Bellows
blacksmith's, M 216*
metal worker's, M 12*
Bells
brass work, M 145-147*
_See also_ Electric bells
Belt buckle
copper work, M 88-90*
designs for, M 195*
Belt pin
copper work, D 350*
Belts
knotted raffia, N 273-274
Irish crochet, N 335-337*
tooled leather, designs and process, D 324-328*
Bench
double seat for summer house, C 422-424*
riverside, B 158
selection of wood for, C 409
stationary outdoor bench, C 408-409
_See also_ Settees
Bench hook
making, C 139-142
Bench stop, C 139
Bench work. _See_ Carpentry; Whittling
Berries
food value, H 255
picking, A 8-20
seasons, A 8
washing, H 295
_See also_ names of berries, e. g., Raspberry; Strawberry;
Thimbleberry; etc.
Bessemer steel. _See_ Steel
Bethsaida
Story of the loaves and fishes, H 32
Bezel setting, M 152-157*, 163*, 176
Bicycle
sprocket wheel, B 327*
Biennials
definition, G 160
what and how to plant, G 322
Binding edges and seams, N 51*
Biplane
construction, B 173-175*
making a toy model, C 68-74*
Birch
aspen leaved, C 558
bark, removing, A 66-67
uses, A 67
black or sweet birch, C 557
blue or hornbeam, C 559
gray, C 558
kinds and characteristics, C 556-559
red, C 557
staining mahogany color, D 230
white, canoe, or paper birch, C 557
yellow, C 557
Birds
April birds, K 175
attracting the birds, A 454-459*
bath, making, C 219*
books about, A 519
crows as pets, K 176
eggs and nests, collecting, A 460
enemies, A 460-461, K 174
flight, theory of, B 195-197
game preserve, creating, A 464-465
houses
building, C 213-220*, K 174-175
location, C 213
suiting the birds, C 219
supports for, C 218
March birds, K 175
May birds, K 176
migration, K 175
nesting time, K 176
non-migrating, K 176
protecting fruit from, A 461
protection and care of, A 458-459
song birds, attracting, A 454-457
unlawful to cage, K 173
that stay all winter, K 175
traffic in skins, A 459-460
training, A 263-265
value as garden pest destroyers, G 280, A 455-457
Bit and brace. _See_ Carpentry and Woodwork--Tools
Bites of insects
treatment of, H 364
Bittersweet, A 56
Black bass
bait for, K 134
Blacksmithing, M 215-357
equipment, M 215
fuel, M 229
fullering, meaning, M 225
iron used, M 230-232
tools, M 222, 224-226*, 228, 229
_See also_ Forge; Forging; Horseshoeing; Iron work; Tempering; Steel;
Welding
Blankets
campers' outfit, K 66
making for doll-bed, N 54*
washing woollens, H 324, 328
Bleeding heart
characteristics, G 335, 365
Blood root
habits and characteristics, G 343
Blindman's buff (Game), K 337
Block and tackle. _See_ Pulleys
Block printing on fabrics
designs and process, D 99-106*
laundering articles, D 107
materials used for, 107
Blood stains
removing, H 360
Blotting pads
leather, design and making, D 335-338*
metal corners, making, M 122-124*
making and carving hand blotter, C 125-127*
Blow pipe
metal workers' tools, M 12*
Blowing engines
diagonal catch and hand gear, B 315
Blue flag. _See_ Iris
Blue printing
leaves and flowers, A 360-361
Bluebell
characteristics, G 364
Blueberries
burning over land, A 13, C 514
canning factories, A 12
picking, A 13
varieties, A 13
where found, A 11, C 514
Bluebird
insect destroyer, A 456
migration, K 175
Bluets, G 341
Bluing clothes, H 18, 320
Boards. _See_ Lumber
Boat building, B 84-109*
carvel ribbon built boat, B 89
centre line of shaft, B 90
decks, B 91
dimensions of the _Mocking Bird_, B 68*
displacement, B 89
exhaust pipe
fitting up, B 97-98
pet-cock, B 99
under water, B 98-99
expansion chamber, B 98
floor boards, B 91
keel
block for, B 76
laying and setting up, B 85-87*
keelson, B 86*
knees, B 91
"knock down" system, B 66, 68
launching the boat, B 134, 136-138
laying off the profile, B 90
lettering the name, B 131-132
materials and dimensions, B 90-93*
motor
dimensions, B 95
installing, B 93-95*
motor bed, fitting, B 91, 97
offsets, table of, B 92
patterns, buying, B 62
plan and section of the _Mocking Bird_, B 66-68*
propeller shaft, installing, B 93
section of launch, B 89*
sections, spacing of, B 91-92
sheathing, B 89*
skeleton, fitting posts together, B 88*
steering gear, B 346*
stem, B 86*, 90
thwarts, B 91
unloading materials, B 84-85
varnishing the boat, B 112
_See also_ Screw propeller
Boat house building, B 36-64*
covering the frame, B 40
doors and windows, B 37
foundation, B 36*
frame, end and side, B 37-40*
pier, constructing, B 19, 76
roof, B 40-42
slides or ways, B 44-45
Boats
fishing boats, fitting and cost, K 140
_See also_ Boat building; Canoes and Canoeing; Launch; Screw
Propeller
Bob sled, K 223*
Bob white
migration, K 176
planting seed birds, A 464
Bo-bo and the roast pig, H 18
Bobolink
migration, K 176
Bog plants, G 366
Bohnenberger's machine, B 334*
Boiling
meats and fish, H 278
principle and process, H 277
seasoning, H 279
vegetables, H 279
Boiling point of liquids, H 277
Bolsters, H 152
Bolts
forging, M 240-244*
Book case
designs, D 53*, 151*, 177*, C 351*
"knock down" design and construction, D 150-156*
mission style, C 352
staining the wood, D 236, 237
with adjustable shelf, design and construction, C 350-353*
with glazed doors, design and construction, D 176-180*
_See also_ Book rack
Book cover
limp leather design and making, D 342-345*
Book mark
copper work, M 128*
Book rack
copper work, M 121*, D 351*
folding, designing and making, C 247-249*
wall rack, designing and making, C 347-350*, D 156-161*
Book shelves. _See_ Book case; Book rack
Book supports
copper work, M 121*, D 351*
Books
care of, H 349
Boomerang, Australian
making, B 232-234*
Boone, Daniel
wilderness traveler, K 51
Bootees
knitted, N 363-366*
Bordeaux mixture
receipt, G 121, 294
uses, G 282, 288, 291
Boring. _See_ Drilling and Boring
Bossing up, M 208, 419
Botany
collecting native plants in California, A 96-98
_See also_ Flower gardening; Flowers
Bottles
killing bottle for insects, A 378-380*, K 151*, 154
washing, H 183
Boulder up (Game), K 345
Boulders
moving on rollers, B 18-19*
raising, B 15-17*
Bow and arrow, K 329
Bowling
lawn bowling, K 366
Bowls. _See_ Brass work; Copper work; Metal work; Pottery
Box elder
characteristics, C 548
Box furniture, C 475-478*
Box kite. _See_ Kites
Box making
design to resemble books, C 397*
dovetail joints, C 315-318*
drawing instrument box, C 240*
hinging a lid, C 239
knife and fork box, C 223-226*
nail box, C 206-209*
pencil box, making and carving, C 106-108*
proportions, C 235
seat and chest combined, C 476*
simple box, C 40*
toilet boxes, C 315-318*, 235-241*
_See also_ Copper work; Inlaying; Metal work; Wood carving
Boy Scouts of America, K 19-49*
activities, K 43
ambulance badge, qualifications for, K 27
aviator badge, qualifications for, K 28
badges, K 27-36
bee-keeper's badge, qualifications for, K 28
blacksmith's badge, qualifications for, K 28
bugler's badge, qualifications for, K 28
campaigning, K 43
camps, routine and model programme, K 46-49
carpenter's badge, qualifications for, K 29
clerk's badge, qualifications for, K 29
cook's badge, qualifications for, K 29
cyclist's badge, qualifications for, K 29
dairyman's badge, qualifications for, K 30
electrician's badge, qualifications for, K 30
engineer's badge, qualifications for, K 30
farmer's badge, qualifications for, K 30
finances, K 41
fireman's badge, qualifications for, K 31
first aid to animals' badge, qualifications for, K 31
first-class tests, K 24-25
founder of society, K 20
gardener's badge, qualifications for, K 31
handy man's badge, qualifications for, K 31
headquarters, K 19
horseman's badge, qualifications for, K 32
interpreter's badge, qualifications for, K 32
laws, K 25-27
leather workers' badge, qualifications for, K 33
life saver's badge, qualifications for, K 38
marksman's badge, qualifications for, K 33
master-at-arms badge, qualifications for, K 33
membership requirements, K 22-25
missioner's badge, qualifications for, K 33
musician's badge, qualifications for, K 33
oath, K 22
official hand book, how to obtain, K 49
origin, K 20
pathfinder's badge, qualifications for, K 34
patrols, forming, K 27, 38-39
photographer's badge, qualifications for, K 35
pioneer's badge, qualifications for, K 35
piper's badge, qualifications for, K 35
plumber's badge, qualifications for, K 35
poultry farmer's badge, qualifications for, K 36
principles of good scouting, K 39
printer's badge, qualifications for, K 36
purpose, K 20
salute and secret sign, K 22
scout craft, K 21, 43
scout master, qualifications and duties, K 26, 42-43
second-class tests, K 23
sign posts for scout master, K 43-46
signaler's badge, qualifications for, K 36
seaman's badge, qualifications for, K 36
stalker's badge, qualifications for, K 37
starman's badge, qualifications for, K 37
surveyor's badge, qualifications for, K 38
swimmer's badge, qualifications for, K 38
tenderfoot, class requirements, K 22
troop, organization, K 26-27, 40-41
Boys' clubs. _See_ Clubs
Brace and bit. _See_ Carpentry and Woodwork--Tools
Bracelets
silver work, M 174-177*
Bracket
brass work, M 146-147*
iron work, M 393-395*
wood
corner bracket, C 246*
designs, C 242-244*
making, C 245
Braiding
coronation braid
daisy pattern, N 109-111*
what it is and how to sew it on, N 108-109*
fastening the ends of the braid, N 107
flat braid, how to sew it on, N 108
rugs and mats, N 296
soutache braid, N 107
stamping the design, N 107
weaving
four strands, N 295*
how to begin, N 295-296*
joining a new strand, N 296, 298*, 301
on frame, N 296-301*
six strands, N 296*
Braising, H 280
Brass
cleaning, H 135, M 140
coloring blue black, M 205
coloring green, C 379
composition and characteristics of, M 133
tarnish, to prevent, M 140
Brass work, M 133-147*
bell and bracket, M 145-147*
bracket, M 146-147*
crumb tray and scraper, M 135-136*
finger bowl, M 133-135*
handles to vase, making, M 143
soldering a vase, M 144
tea caddy, M 136-140*
vase, M 140-145*
weighting a vase, M 143
_See also_ Copper work; Metal work
Brazilian point lace, N 238*
Brazing metals, M 310-315
preparation of parts and process, M 311-314
value, M 314
Bread
baking, H 283
brown bread, food value, H 257
camp cooking, K 87-88
curled bread for camping, E 303
food value, H 250, 254, 300
freshening dry bread, H 354
ingredients, purpose of, H 298-299
kneading, H 299
mixing, H 299
raising, H 300
setting, H 299
unleavened, H 300
yeast for, H 296-297
Bread board
making, C 222-223*
Breakfast food
food value, H 254
left overs, H 355
Breeding
purpose and standards, K 177
skill in breeding Dutch belted varieties, K 184
_See also_ Domestic animals; also names of animals, e. g., Horse;
Poultry; Swine etc.
Bridges
building a foot bridge, B 70-73*
Brier stitch. _See_ Feather-stitching
Broilers. _See_ Electric broilers; Poultry raising
Broiling
process and utensils, H 275-276
Brooches
silver work, M 171-174*
Brooders
making, K 199
Brook trout
bait, K 136
reclaiming a trout stream, A 271-273
Broth. _See_ Soups
Brother Juniper's cooking: story, H 25
Brown bread
combinations for food values, H 257
Brushes
paint brushes, H 342
stenciling brushes, N 79-80*
_See also_ Commutators (Electricity)
Brussels sprouts
soil and planting, G 299-300
Brussels stitch, N 229-231*
Buckeye tree
characteristics, C 565
Buckles
belt buckles, making, M 88-90*, 195*
turn buckles, forging, M 324, 330-334*
Buckthorn for hedges, G 357
Buckwheat
cakes and sausage, food value, H 258
food value, H 254
Budding plants, G 250-253
Buffet
design, D 56*
Building
base boards, C 475
batter boards, posts and sills
setting, D 25
cheap finishings, C 475
chimneys, style of, C 472
construction
boat house details, B 36-42*
house details, D 25-32*
cornice detail, D 29*
flashing chimneys, C 472
interior finish details, D 31*
joists, placing, B 39
model house, D 3-33
rollers for moving heavy weights, B 44
sills, setting, D 26-28*
walls, finishing, C 472
woods and their uses, C 536
working drawings for, D 21-23
_See also_ Architecture; Bird houses; Boat building; Boat house;
Carpentry; Columns; Doors; Floors; Foundations; House framing;
Joints; Pergola; Poultry house; Summer house; Strength of
materials; Windows; Wood
Buildings
wrecking, B 12-13, 43
Bulbs (Metal)
forging iron bulbs, M 385-388*
Bulbs (Plant), G 165-179
California bulbs, collecting and cultivating, A 94-99
bedding plants, G 171, 324
blue flowers, list, G 178
colors, list, G 177-179
drying and storing, G 176
easiest to grow, G 166
flat for, making, G 61*
forcing varieties, G 171
insect pests, G 293
outdoor planting, soil preparations, G 170
planting, hints, G 171
planting in lawns, G 360, A 169, 434
potting for winter, soil and drainage, G 171
red flowers, list, G 179
resting time, G 173
to prevent plants from blossoming low down, G 175
transferring to light and heat, G 174, 175
water bulbs, G 168
care and development, G 175
when to buy, G 167
white flowers, list, G 177
winter care of, G 139
yellow flowers, list, G 178
_See also_ Canna; Chinese lilies; Crocus; Hyacinths; Narcissus;
Tulips
Bulgarian drawn work, N 222-226*
Bull in the ring (Game), K 337
Bungalow
plan and elevation, C 465*
Bunsen burner, M 11*
Burdock
class and seed time, G 278
destroying, A 471
distribution of seed, G 273
Bureau drawers
arrangement and care of contents, H 53-54
doll's playhouse in, H 9
Burgees, B 108
Bur-marigold (Beggarticks)
class and seed time, G 278
Burned wood. _See_ Pyrography
Burns
care of, H 364
Burroughs, John
love for birds, A 263
Butcher knife. _See_ Knives
Butt joints, C 251*
Butter
food value, H 250, 254
how to judge butter, H 271
Butterflies
breeding, A 398-400
classifying a collection, A 386
collecting, A 381-384*, K 151-153
series to illustrate development, A 395-397
time for, A 388
development from the egg, A 393-395
killing bottle and how to use it, A 378-380, K 151*, 154
mounting a collection, A 381-386*, K 153*
net for catching, K 151*
Butterfly weed
habits and characteristics, G 348, 365
Buttermilk
cleansing properties, H 356
Butternut tree
characteristics, A 36, C 564
Buttonball tree
characteristics, C 562, G 79
Buttonholes, N 58-62*
cutting, N 62
loops, making, N 62*
stitch, N 58*
tailor-made, N 59*
thread for, N 58, 62
Buttonholing
blanket stitch, N 142*
finishing edge, N 130, 133
Hedebo embroidery, N 202-206*
honeycomb stitch, N 144*
knotting thread, to avoid, N 131
Mount Mellick, N 143
padding, N 130-131
Roman cut-work, N 138-142*
American stitch, N 139*
European stitch, N 139-140*
scalloping, N 132*
cutting out, N 133
triangular buttonholing, N 143*
_See also_ Wallachian embroidery
Buttons
sewing on, N 4-6*
Buttonwood
characteristics, C 562
Buying. _See_ Marketing
C
Cabbage
bleaching heads, G 126
cooking preparations, H 293
family, G 299
food value, H 255
growing, G 123-128
harvesting, G 126
indoor planting, G 233
insect pests, G 125, 288
planting seed
depth and distance to plant, G 42
early and late crops, G 124
quantity to plant, G 36
time to plant, G 234
savoy variety for poor soil, G 301
seed germination
per cent., G 233
time required, G 32
soil requirements, G 19, 301
storing, G 127
Cabinet
with drawers, making, C 209-212*
with shelves and glass doors, making, D 176-179*
_See also_ Filing cabinet; Medicine cabinet; Tool cabinet
Cabinet work. _See_ Carpentry and Woodwork
Cables, submarine
laying the Atlantic cable, E 65-66
number in operation, E 66
rates, E 67
Cactus
use of pitch, A 64
Cahill, Dr.
inventor of Telharmonium, E 293-295
Cake
baking, H 303
freshening dry cake, H 351
making, H 301-303
substituting lard for butter, H 355
Calcimine
cleaning walls, H 122
Calendar back
whittling, C 18*
Calendula
sowing and blossoming time, G 161
Calf
beef versus dairy feeding, A 121
diseases, A 120
fattening, A 121
feeding, A 119-122
raising, A 118-126
teaching to drink, A 119
training to lead, A 121, 258
watering, A 122
Calfskin
for leather work, N 84
California bulbs
collecting and growing, A 94-99
California poppies
sowing and blossoming time, G 161
Calipers
blacksmiths' tools, M 225
Call ball, K 338
Caloric theory of heat, E 342
Calves. _See_ Calf
Cambium, A 441
Camelot, H 20, 22
Cameras
kinds and cost, K 303-304
lenses, K 307
Camp stool
making, C 406-408*
Camphor for packing, H 347, 349
Camping
beds, K 64-66*
blankets, K 66
bough bed, K 65*
Boy Scouts' camp, K 46-49
brush leanto, K 69*
clothing, K 71-74
cooking, K 75-92*
bread, K 87-88
coffee, K 87
fish, K 89, 90
frying, K 91
game, K 89, 90
Indian meal, K 88
johnny cake, K 88
left overs, K 89
meat, time, K 90
rice, K 90
rules, K 86-92
utensils, K 82-83
vegetables, K 89, 90
drainage problem, K 57
electric lights, installation and cost, E 162-169
fireplaces, building, K 78-79
fires
for cooking, K 77-82*
gypsy rig, K 79
hunter's fire, K 78-79
lighting in the rain, K 68
making, K 67-69
that will burn all night, K 68, 78*
firewood, providing for, K 55-56
fitting up an old mill, E 160-161
food, care of, K 85-86
girl's work in, K 323-324
hints for comfort, K 71-74
locality, choosing, K 53-54
mosquitoes, protection from, K 70
outfit, K 58-74*
ovens, K 80-82*
principles of, K 50-54
selecting a leader, K 53
shower bath device, E 161*
site, selecting, K 54-58
sleeping bag and head shelter, K 52*
tents, K 58-60*
pegs, securing, K 60
pitching, K 61-64*
sod cloth, K 61
water supply device, K 54-55*
Canadian pine, C 536
Candleberry, A 18-19
Candles
bayberry dips, A 20-21
shades, making from cardboard and paper, D 358*
Candlestick
copper work, M 47-56*
pottery, designing, D 313-315*
spiral, iron work, M 388-391*
wrought iron, making, M 380-383*
Candytuft
annual, G 322
characteristics, G 330, 332
sowing and blossoming time, G 161
Cane rush, K 338
Canes
woods used for, A 59-60
Canna
bedding plants, G 324
planting bulbs, G 139, 159
planting seeds, G 159
Canning and preserving
elderberries, A 16
Canoe tilting (Game), K 339
Canoeing, K 240-243*
accidents, avoiding, K 242
girl's sports, K 321
Indian model canoe, K 240*
paddling, K 242-243
sailing canoes, K 241-243*
Canterbury bell
biennial, G 322
Capstan, B 79, 347*
Car springs, B 264-265*
Carafe
washing, H 183
Carbohydrates
effect of boiling processes, H 277
food composition, H 248
in vegetables, H 250
proportion in diet, H 249, 252
Carbon bisulphide
insecticide, G 283, 289
Carbon filaments. _See_ Electric lamps--Incandescent
Carbonic acid
as leaf food, G 242-243
Carbureter, B 95*
Card, Leslie E.
How I started with hens, A 168-172
Card case
making and embroidering, N 183-186*
tooled leather, design and making, D 338-340*
Card tray
copper work, D 355-358*
Carpentry and Woodwork
beveling, C 147*
gage device for, C 260
bill of material, value in making, C 189*, 206
board feet, estimating, C 503
construction, C 250-257
curved rails, making, D 183
curves, cutting with gouge, C 258-260*
cutting up old lumber, B 75-76
doweling, D 134
dressing down lumber, C 144-147, 186-190
estimating lumber, C 498-509
gaining-in shelves, D 153*
glued-up work, joining, D 134-136*
gluing
joints, D 140-142*, 144-146
mitre joints, C 232-234*
process, C 225
gouge work, C 258-265*
grooves
chiseling, C 207-208, 211
cutting, C 110-111*
gouging, C 258-260*
joint edge, meaning, C 186
joints. _See_ Joints in main alphabet
mathematics of woodwork, C 498-509*
mortise, cutting, D 154
nails
holding power, B 46-47
sinking, C 208*
outdoor carpentry, C 457-480*
panels
for desk, D 184-187*
for door, C 354-355, 528-530
original purpose of, C 528-530*
planing, C 146, D 133-134, 136
position for planing, C 178
surface planing and taking out wind, C 179
use of shooting board, C 106*
rabbeting, C 210-211
sand papering, D 187
shop equipment, C 133-149*
grindstone, C 181-184*
lumber rack, C 150-154*
nail box and cabinet, C 206-212*
tool box, making, C 226-227*
tool chest and cabinet, making, C 339-346
work bench, types, C 134-138*
spokeshave work, examples, C 126*, 266*, 271*
squaring up stock, C 144-147, 185-190*
stock, selection and preparation, D 130-133*
systematic plan in working, D 138-139
testing grain of the wood for strength, C 245
truing up, C 148-149, D 136-138*
undercutting, C 263-264*
warping, to prevent, D 135*
working face of lumber, C 186
_See also_ Building; Doors; Floors; House framing; Joints; Lumber;
Polishing; Rustic furniture; Stains and staining; Strength of
materials; Whittling; Windows; Wood; Wood finishing
Carpentry and Woodwork--Problems
box furniture, C 475-478*
brackets, C 242-246*
bread board, C 222*
camp stool, C 406-408*
chest and box seat combination, C 476*
checkerboard, C 332-338*
clock cases, C 276-290*
coat hanger, C 266*
couch hammock, C 478-480*
drawers, making, C 206-210*, 359*
drawing board, C 24*, 381
foot stools, C 291-300*
mission style, C 374-375*
handles for hatchet and hammer, C 271*
hinges, setting, C 239
household utensils, C 221-226, 272-273*
knife and fork box, C 223-226*
ladle, C 272*
linen chest, C 377-380*
magazine rack, D 52*, 165-170*
mechanical drawing outfit, C 381-398*
medicine cabinet, C 354-360*
mitre box, C 228-231*
Morris chair, D 50*, 188-193
nail boxes, C 206-212*
pen and ink trays, C 258-264*
pin tray, C 264*
rustic furniture, D 209-211*
sugar scoop, C 272*
toilet boxes, C 315-318*, 235-241*
tool cases and chest, C 226-227*, 339-344
tool rack, C 341*
towel rack, C 274*
towel roller, C 267-269*
umbrella stand, D 161-165
mission design, C 375*
_See also_ Bird house; Book case; Book rack; Box making; Building;
Chairs; Desk; Doors; Floors; House framing; Inlaying, wood;
Joints; Mechanical drawing; Mission furniture; Pergola; Picture
frames and framing; Plant stands; Poultry house; Settees; Stains
and staining; Tables; Tabourette; Toy making; Whittling;
Windows; Wood; Wood carving; Wood finishing
Carpentry and Woodwork--Tools
auger bit, C 194*
bench hook, C 139-142*
bench stop, C 139
bit and brace
"chuck", C 193
extension bit, C 195*
ratchet attachment for corners, C 196
types, C 193-197*
boring tools, C 193-198*
braces, making, C 148
cases and cabinets, making, C 226-227*, 339-346*
centre bit, C 193*
chisels, socket and tang, C 207*
clamps, devices for, C 201*
coping saw, C 20*
cutting tools, construction and action, C 169
dowel bit, C 194
draw knife, C 216*
drill bits, C 196
drills, C 193-198*
dulling edges on old lumber, B 75-76
files, kind and uses, C 204
Forstner bit, C 196*
gimlet bit, C 194*, 196
gouge, C 258-260*
hammers, C 203*
hand screw, C 200-201*
using, C 224-226*
mallet, C 200*
mitre box, C 228-231*
nail set, C 208*
oil stone, C 183*
planes, C 176-184*
pliers, C 199*
quality, C 133
rack, C 341*
rules, C 205
saw horse, making, C 143-149*
saws, C 169-175*
screw driver, C 199*
screw driver bit, C 195
sharpening, C 179-184*
shooting board
how to make, C 189*
how to use, C 106*
spirit level, C 205*
spokeshave, C 126
square, steel, C 205*, M 5*
surface plate, D 136
template, C 264*
vise, quick action, C 138*
winding sticks, D 137*
Carpets
cleaning, H 128
storing, H 348
_See also_ Rugs
Carriages
cleaning, A 408
Carrier pigeons, K 180
Carrot
planting seed
quantity to plant, G 36
time to plant, G 234
seed
age for planting, G 34
germination period, G 32, 233
soil for, G 301
thinning plants, G 301
varieties, G 301
wild carrot, G 273, 278
Carving
shelf fungi, A 62
_See also_ Wood carving
Case hardening, M 308-310
Cast-iron
brazing, M 312
Castors, Acme pin, D 193
Cat
characteristics, K 170-173
Cat (Game), K 339
Cat-stitch
embroidery stitch, N 102*
Cat-tail
characteristics, G 366
Catalpa
characteristics, G 367
ornamental value, G 353
Catbird
insect destroyer, A 456
migration, K 175
Caterpillars
collecting specimens, A 395
garden pests, G 282, 285, 287, 290
Cauliflower
cooking, preparation for, H 293
growing, G 299
insect pests, G 289
seed, germination per cent., G 233
time to plant, G 234
Cavies
care of pets, K 183-184
raising for pets, A 206
varieties, K 183
Cedar
red
characteristics, C 541
durability, C 494
white, characteristics, C 541
Cedar bird
migration, K 175
Cedar chest
making, C 377-380*
Ceiling
as reflector, H 121
care of, H 121
decorations to correct defects of height, D 38
Celery
blanching, G 132
fertilizer for, G 131
food value, H 255
insect pests, G 287, 290
planting plants, G 131-132
planting seeds, G 302
indoor planting time, G 233
seed
age for planting, G 34
germination per cent., G 233
germination period, G 32
soil for, G 131, 301
substitutes for, in salad, H 358
transplanting, G 302
trenches for, G 131
Cellar, H 208-213
care of, H 212
cleaning walls, H 210
materials for floor and wall, H 208, 210
must, preventing, H 212
racks for barrels and pans, H 213
rooms and equipment, H 210-211
ventilation, H 208
windows, H 208
Cells. _See_ Electric batteries
Cellular kites, making, C 91-92*
Cement
cellar walls, H 208
coloring for pottery, D 208
columns, building, C 438-440
dams, B 246-247
engraver's receipt, M 205
floors, making, A 137
foundations
boat house, B 36
house, C 459
pergola, C 426-433
lining pond, G 135-136
mixing for floors and walks, A 137, B 20, 32, C 432, G 135
Portland, origin and uses, B 246-248
retaining walls, riverside, B 238-245
Cement blocks
making, B 242-245
Cement furniture, D 201-209*
color for inlaid designs, D 208
decoration, D 207*
finishing coat, D 206
scratch coat, making and laying, D 204
wire forms for, making, D 202-203
Cement walks
floating operation, B 33
jointing, B 34
laying out, B 9-12
leveling, B 30*
materials, B 19-20, 32
roots, danger from, B 15
sides, making, B 30*
tampers for, B 31
trench digging and filling, B 14, 29-30, 32
Centigrade scale, B 262
Centre punch. _See_ Punch
Chafing dish, electric, E 113*
Chain-stitch
crocheting, N 308*
embroidery, N 99-100*
Chains
welding iron chains, M 250-253*
adding links, M 253
_See also_ Bead work; Necklace
Chairs
box furniture making, C 406-408
dining-room, design, D 54*
Duxbury design, D 59
hall chair, design, D 48*
kitchen furniture, H 196
Morris chair
designs, D 50*, 189*
making, D 188-193*
_See also_ Bench making; Settees
Chalk
French chalk, H 332, 360
lime composition, G 216
Chamber work, H 146-159
Chamois gloves
washing, H 331
Chamois skin
for leather work, N 84
Champleve
definition, M 208
enameling, M 202
Chanterelles, mushrooms, A 89
Character
influence of occupations on, A 6
Charcoal
how made, M 230
purifying qualities, H 242, 354
Charge accounts. _See_ Accounts
Chasing metals
definition of, M 209
Chassis. _See_ Automobiles
Checkerboard
designing and making, C 333-338*
table, making, C 337*
woods to use, C 332-333
Cheese
food value, H 254
Chemical elements
of food, H 248
of the human body, H 247
Cherry tree
characteristics of the wild or black variety, C 561
seeds, care of, A 48
wood for canes, A 59
Chest
making a box seat combination, C 476*
making a linen chest, C 377-380*
_See also_ Tool boxes and chests
Chesterton, G. R.
keeping good health: quotation, H 244
Chestnut
characteristics of tree, C 562
chinquapins, characteristics, A 32-33
cultivating, A 31
disease, A 30
durability of the wood, C 494
food value, H 255
grafting trees, A 31
Japanese, hardy variety, A 30
varieties, A 30
weevil, pest, A 33
wood finish
antique, C 489
fuming, D 233
Chicken house. _See_ Poultry houses
Chickens. _See_ Poultry
Chickweed
class and seed time, G 278
Chimney, house
cold, meaning of, H 224
fire, extinguishing, H 234
"flashing", C 472
_See also_ Flues
China aster
characteristics, G 329
Chinese lilies
water bulbs, G 168, 175
Chinese windlass, B 81
Chinquapin
characteristics, A 32-33
weevils, pest, A 33
Chip carving. _See_ Wood carving
Chisel
cape chisel, making, M 299*
cold chisel, hardening and tempering, M 293
making, M 298*, 325*
what used for, M 225*
hot chisel
making, M 324*
what used for, M 225*
metal work tool, M 9*
sharpening, C 179-184*
silver work tool, making, M 157-158*
socket and tang, how to use, C 207-208*
stone chisel, forging, M 341-344*
wood chisel, forging, M 337-338
Chlorinated soda
ink stain remover, H 359
Chocolate
food value, H 256
Christmas greens
collecting and marketing, A 50-57
Christmas tree
harvesting, A 53
oak trees transformed, A 51
Chrysanthemum
back ground plants, G 321
characteristics, G 335
time of blooming, G 322
Chuck ribs, H 268
Cider
wastefulness in making, A 50
Cigar box
copper decorations, M 84*, 85
Cigar lighters, Electric, E 115*
Circle
how to draw, C 28-30*
Citizenship
training for, A 449-451
City water supply. _See_ Water works
City yard
making and cost of a garden, G 23, 134-141
Clamps, C 201*
Clams
cooking, H 291
food value, H 254
testing, H 291
washing, H 291
Clap boards
for siding, C 445
removing, B 12
Clarkia
characteristics, G 328, 332
Claw tool
making, M 353*
Clay. _See_ Soils
Clay modeling. _See_ Pottery
Cleaning
delicate colors and textures, H 332
restoring color taken out by an acid or alkali, H 361
stains and spots on fabrics, H 358-361
woodwork, H 123
_See also_ Brass; Carpets; Curtains; Embroidery; Flues; Furnace;
Furniture; House cleaning; Matting; Pictures; Rugs; Shades;
Tiles; Vegetables; Walls; Vacuum cleaners
Cleft grafting. _See_ Grafting
Clematis
decorative value, G 359
Japanese, characteristics, G 365
Clippings
making envelope file, N 187-189*
Clocks
cases, making, C 276-290*
clocks for cases, selecting, C 276
electric clocks
alarm clocks, E 302
master clock, E 77-78
operation, E 75-78
program clocks, E 77
self winding, E 76
watchman's time detector, E 78*
fastening the clock into the case, C 282*
grandfather's clock, design and construction, C 284-290*
hall clock, design and construction, D 193-198*
wood finish, D 237
mantel clock, design and construction, C 282-284*
mission style, design and construction, C 277-278*
pendulum clock case, design and construction, C 281-282*
pulley mechanism, B 310*
wall clock, design and construction, C 279-281*
_See also_ Watches
Cloisonne
definition of, M 209
enameling, M 201
Closets, Clothes
cleaning and care, H 53, 157
window in, D 12
Closets, Toilet
cleaning bathroom toilet, H 155
sanitary equipment and care of outdoor closets, H 222
Closing the house, H 349-351
Clothes basket for laundry, H 315
Clothes-horse, H 318
Clothes line, care of, H 311
Clothes pins, care of, H 315
Clothes poles, H 315
Clothes press. _See_ Closets, Clothes
Clothing and dress
art and fashions, D 122
being well dressed, D 122-125
business women's attire, D 127
camp outfit, K 71-74
care of
importance, H 57
in bureau drawers, H 53-54
in closets, H 158
responsibility for, H 53
children's attire, D 127
color in, D 124
decorative principles, D 121
girl's equipment for outdoor sports, K 319-320
harmony and good lines, D 123
proportion of income assigned for, H 74, 76, 78
_See also_ Dressmaking; Sewing
Clouds
cumulus, B 365
formation, B 356-357
hail clouds, B 366
Clubs
agricultural, organizing, A 452-454
garden club, G 3-16
outdoor club, A 451-454
science club, E 339
sewing club, N 11
wireless club, E 331-332
_See also_ Boy Scouts of America
Coal
bituminous, value of, M 229
estimating energy in, E 6
specific gravity, B 279
supply decreasing, E 6
_See also_ Fire making
Coasting, K 223
luge-ing, K 371
Coat hangers
making, C 266*
Cocklebur
class and seed time, G 278
Cockroaches, H 362
Cocoa
food value, H 256
Cocoanuts
food value, H 255
Cocoon. _See_ Silkworms
Codfish
combinations for food value, H 257
food value, H 253
Codling moth
woodpecker enemy of, K 168
Coffee
camp cooking, K 87
Coffee mill
mechanical principle of, B 307-308*
Coffee percolator, Electric, E 113*
Coffee pots
care of, H 207
Coffee stains, H 359
Coffee tree, Kentucky
characteristics, C 566
Cold chisel. _See_ Chisel
Coldframe
changing to a hotbed, G 38
directions for making, G 48-50*
drilling the rows, G 98
planning, G 19
soil and location, G 97
storage for endive, G 305
transplanting from, G 101-102
Coleus
bedding plant, G 324
Collar
metal work appliance, M 209
Collar, dress. _See_ Dressmaking; Irish Crochet
Collar slides
silver work, M 170-171*
Collecting. _See_ Insects; Plants; Seaweed; Shells
College athletics
best records made in intercollegiate contests, K 336
College education
earning, A 3, 7
Color
due to wave length, E 315
in dress, D 124
restoring to fabrics, H 361
_See also_ Floral decoration; House decoration
Colts. _See_ Horses
Columbine
habits and characteristics, G 341, 364
Columns, concrete
constructing and setting for pergola, C 434-440*
Combs
silver work, M 194-196*
Commutation (Electricity)
brushes, E 36
principle of, E 35-36
Compass
use in drawing, C 28-30
Compost. _See_ Fertilizers and manures
Concrete. _See_ Cement
Cones. _See_ Pine
Conic sections
describing, B 338*
Coniferous trees, C 535-542
Conservation of natural resources
conserving nature's crops, A 92-94
_See also_ Forestry
Cook
duties, H 109, 112
Cook book
making from books and magazines, H 284
Cookery, H 274-308
camp cookery, K 75-92*
definition, H 274
emergencies, H 354-357
freshening bread or cake, H 353
left overs, utilizing, H 355, K 89
mixtures, principles of, H 296-305
preparation of foods for, H 285-305
processes, H 275-285
purpose of, H 275
sequence of work in getting a meal, H 305-308
soda, uses of, H 356
substitutes for articles called for by receipts, H 354-355
sun as cook, H 274
time tables, H 309-310
warming over food, H 355
_See also_ Baking; Boiling; Braising; Bread; Broiling; Cake; Canning
and preserving; Coffee; Corn; Desserts; Diet; Eggs; Electric
cooking; Fireless cookers; Fish; Food; Frying; Game; Meat;
Mushrooms; Oysters; Pastry; Poultry; Rice; Roasting; Shell fish;
Soups; Stewing; Tea; Traveler's cooker; Vegetables
Coons. _See_ Raccoons
Copper work
annealing, M 21
ash tray, M 85*
belt buckle, M 88-90*, 195*
belt pin, D 350*
bill file, M 124-126*
book mark, M 128*
book rack, M 121*, D 351*
bowls, M 19-25*
chalice, M 60*
loving cup, M 86
nut set, M 38*
shaping, M 19*
box for jewels, M 112-115*
candlestick, M 47-56*
drip pan, M 48*
night candle holder, M 50-52*
sconce, M 52-56*
shaping, M 48*
card tray, D 355-358*
cedar chest, trimmings, M 115-117*
chalice, M 60-63*
cigar box decorations, M 84*, 85
coloring, D 357, M 202, 204, 205
corners, D 353*
cutting heavy copper, M 34*
desk set, M 117-129*
draw filing, M 37
enameling on copper, D 354, 355
facets, how made, M 22
filing, M 36-38*
hammering, M 21-23*, 29-30*, 39*
handles
candlestick, M 49
loving cup, M 87*
making and riveting, M 76-77
making and soldering, M 78-79
hat pin, D 348-50*, M 64-67*
soldering pin to head, M 68*
hat pin holder, M 69-72*
hinges, M 100-106*, 112-115*
ink well holder, M 118-121*
jars, M 56-60*, 82-85*
jewel box, M 107-115*
hinges, M 112-115*
knobs on lids, M 83
lamp, Electric, M 92-96*
lamp shade
framework, M 96-98*
setting glass, M 98-99*
letter opener, D 347*
letter rack, D 346-347*
lids
chalice, M 62-63*
ink well holder, M 120*
jewel box, M 111-112*
rose jar, M 59
tobacco jar, M 83-84*
loving cup, M 86-88*
match safe, M 81-82*
molds for, M 27-28
nut set, M 38-40*
nut spoon, M 39-40*
paper knife, D 347*, M 34-38*, 126*
turned handle, M 127*
patina, imitation, M 202
composition for, M 204
pen tray, M 118-119*
polishing, M 25
rose jar, M 56-60*
Russian coffee pot, M 63*
sawing, M 35-36*
sconce, M 52-56*
serving tray, M 75-77*
sheet copper, grades, M 14
smoking set, M 79-86*
soldering
handles, M 78-79
hat pin, M 68*
spindle, M 124-126*
spoon for nut set, M 39-40*
teapot stand, D 351-353*
tobacco jar, M 82-85*
trays, M 26-33*, 75-77*
ash tray, M 85*
handles, making and riveting, M 76-77
pen tray, M 118*
round, M 26-31*
serving tray, M 75-77*
smoking set, M 80-81*
square, M 31-33*
watch fob, D 353-355*
_See also_ Brass work; Metal work; Silver work; Tools
Copyright
application items, B 426
assigning rights, B 425
directions for securing, B 422-426
duplicate certificates, B 425
fees for recording, B 423
issue of work, not limited, B 425
invalid, when, B 423
labels, B 426
paintings, statues, etc., B 426
penalties for breaking laws, B 423, 424
projected work, B 425
renewals, B 425
term, B 424
trade marks, B 426
translation rights, B 424
volumes and variations, B 425
Coral
how coral is formed, G 216
Coral bells
characteristics, G 334
Coral fungi, A 86
Coreopsis
annual, G 322
characteristics, G 329
sowing and blossoming time, G 161
Corn
contest in growing corn, G 142-150
cooking dried corn, A 428
cultivation of soil, G 144
drying, A 427-428
food value, H 255
husking for cooking, H 294
husks, uses of, A 63
insect pests, G 290
percentage of corn to cob, G 148
points for judging, G 147
planting seeds
distance to plant, G 42, 144
depth to plant, G 35, 42, 144, 235
quantity to plant, G 36, 144
time to plant, G 234
planting varieties near together, G 145
pollination, how plants are fertilized, G 145
raising on a suburban lot, A 124
seed
age for planting, G 34
book about, A 518
germination per cent., G 33, 233
selection, G 142-144, 228, A 410-412*
soil required, G 19, 144
stalk pith, use of, A 63
Corn meal
food value, H 254
cleansing property, H 332
Corned beef
food value, H 252
Cornell University
poultry course, A 173
Cornflower
biennial, G 332
characteristics, G 330, 332
planting, G 159
self-sowing, G 316
sowing and blossoming time, G 161
Corning, W. O.
experiment with raising goats, A 116-118
Coronation braid
how to braid, N 108-111*
Cosmos
characteristics, G 332
sowing and blossoming time, G 161
Cost of living
division of income, H 69-86
Cottages
building and furnishing a simple home, D 366-374*
cost of materials, D 372
Cotyledon
seed nourishment, G 230
Couch Cover
weaving design, D 260-262
Couch hammock, C 478-480*
Couching
embroidery stitches, N 124*
Counterpane
making for doll-bed, N 55*
Counting-out rhymes, K 340
Country homes. _See_ Cottages
Country life
making the country a better place to live in, A 449-512
_See also_ Camping; Gardening; Sports
Court, tennis, K 341
Cover for note book
tooled leather, D 331-336
Cows
milking, A 245-247
by electricity, E 54
profits in keeping cows, A 243-244
from one cow on a suburban lot, A 123-126
testing for milk supply, A 244
_See also_ Calf; Milk
Crab (Machine), B 79*
Crabapple, Wild
butter or sauce, A 22
regions found, A 21
Crabs
food value, H 254
cooking soft shell crabs, H 293
opening and cooking hard shells, H 292
Craigin, Belle S.
Amateur's experience in poultry raising, A 166-168
Cranks (Machinery)
crank motion, B 312*
mechanism, B 319*
Cream. _See_ Milk and cream
Cream of tartar
uses, H 301
Credit. _See_ Accounts
Creepers
insect destroyers, A 456
Creosote
wood preservative, C 494
Cricket, K 341-343
Crocheting, N 306-319*
abbreviations for stitches, N 306
chain stitch, N 308*
crazy stitch, N 326
cross stitch, N 318*
doll's cap, N 320-321
doll's hug-me-tight, N 321-323*
double crochet, N 308*
edging stitch
loop, N 311*
narrow, N 313*
tiny edging, N 311*
fringe, N 317
hooks, N 306-307*
insertion stitch
cone, N 314*
loop, N 312*
tiny insertion, N 310*
insertion with ribbon, N 315*
jacket, N 323-324*
shell stitch, N 329-332*
patterns, N 320-332*
position of hands, N 307*
rainbow pattern, N 316-317*
scarf, cross stitch, N 318*
shawl, rainbow pattern, N 316-317*
shells, N 310*, 329-332*
single crochet stitch, N 308*, 324*
slip stitch, N 308
slippers, N 324-329*
crazy stitch, N 326*
star stitch, N 326-329*
star stitch, N 324*, 326*
treble crochet, N 309*
washing, N 332*
Crocus
planting in lawns, A 169, 434
planting tables, G 177, 178
Crops
succession crops, G 92
_See also_ Gardening
Croquet, K 343
golf-croquet, K 354
_See also_ Roque
Cross bow spring, B 266*
Cross stitch
embroidery stitches, N 103-106*, 107*, 108*
marking towels, N 156
Crosses
drawing designs, C 25*, 27
Greek, inlay design, C 322
Crowbars
making, M 352*
Crows
as pets, K 176
Crucible cast steel. _See_ Steel
Crumb tray and scraper
brass work, M 135-136*
Crystals, snow, B 367*
Cuckoo
insect eater, A 456
Cucumber
food value, H 255
how to peel, H 294
indoor planting time, G 233
insect pests, G 290
origin of, G 303
planting seed
directions, G 303
time to plant, G 234
seed
age for planting, G 34
germination per cent., G 233
thinning plants, G 303
Cucumber vine
ornamental value, G 359
Cuff links
metal work, M 192-194*
Cuffs. _See_ Dressmaking
Cumulus, B 365
Curling (Game), K 344
Curling iron, Electric, E 116*
Curtains
dry cleaning, H 332
dusting, H 131
girl's room, furnishings, N 380-381
materials for stenciling, N 81
stencil design, N 75*
stenciling, D 108-117*
stretching, H 328
valance, D 116
washing, H 328-329
weaving, designs and materials, D 262-265
_See also_ Block printing
Curves
drawing, B 339*
Cushions. _See_ Pillows
Cut worms, G 293
detecting and destroying, G 284
toads enemies of, K 168
Cyanide bottle for killing insects, A 379*, K 152
Cypress
varieties and characteristics, C 540
D
Dado joints, C 236*, 255
Daffodil
narcissus family, G 169
Van Sion variety, G 168
white and yellow, planting table, G 177, 178
Dairy cow. _See_ Cows
Dairy Products
food value, H 254
_See also_ Butter; Milk
Dairying
book about, A 517
keeping accounts, A 241-242
sanitary milk pail, A 246*
Daisy
characteristics of the English daisy, G 334
class and seed time of ox-eyed and yellow, G 278
embroidery stitches, N 177-179*
Dampers
in pipes and ovens, H 229
principle of stoves and ranges, H 227-230
Dams
famous dams of concrete, B 246-247
Dandelion
class and seed time, G 278
greens, A 63
Daphne
characteristics, G 355
Darning
Limerick darning, lace stitches, N 234
stockings, N 9-11*
Dates
food value, H 255
Day and night
cause of, B 213
Debit. _See_ Accounts
Decanter
washing, H 183
Decoration and ornament
woods suitable for, C 240
_See also_ Block printing; Carving; Embroidery; Enamel and
enameling; Floral decoration; House decoration; Leather work;
Metal work; Pottery; Pyrography; Stenciling; Wood carving
Decoration, interior. _See_ House decoration
Deer
book about, A 518
Design. _See_ Architecture; Basket making; Bead work; Brass work;
Copper work; Embroidery; Furniture; House decoration; Leather
work; Metal work; Pottery; Silver work; Stenciling; Wood
carving
Desk
library desk
design, D 47*
design and construction, D 184-187*
wood finish, D 237
mission style writing desk, design, C 375*
writing desk, design, D 50*
Desk pad
copper fittings, making, M 122-124*
leather, design and making, D 335-338*
Desk sets
copper, M 117-129*
pen and ink trays, gouge work, C 258-264*
Dessert
combinations for food value, H 259
Deutzia
characteristics, G 256
Devil's snuff box, A 87
Dibber, G 47*
Dies (Metal work)
making, M 206-208
Diet
carbohydrates, H 248-252, 277
chemical properties, H 249
giving undue concern to, H 244-247
ideal, objection to, H 261
principles of, H 246-263
proteins, H 248-252, 277
_See also_ Food
Digestion. _See_ Diet
Digitalis
made from foxglove, A 57
Dining-room, H 160-187
care of, H 51, 160-171
furniture
arrangement, D 61
design, D 53-57*
ideal, H 187
plan in the model house, D 9
work, setting and serving the table, H 160-171
Dirigible balloons, B 162
Dish washing
cloths, care of, H 184
decanters and bottles, H 183
egg stains, removing, H 183
glasses, H 180
preparation of dishes, H 179
process, H 179-185
rinsing dishes, H 182
silver, H 181
steel knives, H 184
wiping and putting away, H 52, 182-184
without running water, H 178
Disinfectants
use in plumbing, H 218
Ditch drains. _See_ Drainage
Dividers (Tools)
forging, M 340-341*
using in metal working, M 5*, 24*
Diving, K 238*
girls as divers, K 320
Dixie's land (Game), K 345
Dock, yellow
class and seed time, G 278
Dogs
as friends, K 187
bathing, K 188
boarding dogs as a business, A 237-238
profits from, A 239
breeds, K 187-188
farm dogs, A 106
feeding, A 238, K 188
puppies, A 224
fleas, K 188, 189
house, working drawing of a toy house, C 42*
housing, K 188
punishing, K 189
raising, A 223-226
story of success in, A 235-240
selecting a pet, K 187-188
training, A 249-252, K 189-192
for cattle herding, A 250, 251
for hunting, K 190-192
for retrieving, A 250
for running machinery, A 255-256
Dog's tooth violet
characteristics, G 342
Dogwood
characteristics, C 563, G 356
Doilies
Irish crochet edge, N 335*
Doll's clothes
cap
crocheted, N 320-321*
knitted, N 362*
cape, knitted, N 360*
hug-me-tight, crocheted, N 321-323*
jacket, knitted, N 360-362
leggings, knitted, N 363*
_See also_ Dressmaking; Sewing
Doll's furniture
bed fittings, N 50-56*
cigar box trunk, H 12
pasteboard box for bed, H 11, 12
Domestic Animals
books about, A 517
raising, A 100-202
for pets, A 203-240
_See also_ Cat; Cow; Dog; Horse; Pigeon; Poultry; Sheep; Swine
Domestic Economy. _See_ Housekeeping
Door handles
metal work, M 406, 407, 416*
Door hasp
forging, M 338-340*
Door knockers
escutcheon plate, M 410*, 412-414
iron metal work, M 410-415*
Door pulls
metal work, M 415*
Doors
batten door, C 448*
electric door opener, E 55*
frames, setting, C 469
hanging, C 474
inside trim, C 473*
paneled, C 354-355, 528-530*
saddles, C 474
Dough. _See_ Bread; Pastry
Dovetail joints, C 253*, 256*, 313-314*
Dowel bit, C 194
Dowel for weaving, N 297
Dowel joints, C 251*
Doweling, D 134
Dracenas
window box plant, G 193
Drafting. _See_ Mechanical drawing
Dragon-flies
habits, A 388
Drainage
ditch building, G 123
grading and digging, G 114
pipe, depth laid, G 111
problem for garden plot, G 110-122
"sighting" for drop and bed level, G 112-114
sloping land, G 17
standing water, G 21
stones for trough, setting, G 116
tiles, laying, G 115
types of drains, G 22
wooden troughs, disadvantage of, G 115
Drainage, House. _See_ Plumbing; Refrigerator
Draught
of open fires, H 224
principle of stoves and ranges, H 227-230
Draw knife, C 216*
Draw plate
definition of, M 209
Drawer pulls
metal work, M 417-419*
Drawing
designing a corner for stencil work, D 111
designs for block printing, D 100-101*
how to enlarge or reduce a drawing, C 390, B 339
outline drawing for stencil work, D 112
_See also_ Mechanical drawing
Drawing board
making, C 24*, 381-383*
Drawing instruments
making a box for, C 240*
making a mechanical drawing outfit, C 381-398
Drawnwork, N 207-226*
all-over, N 213-220*
Bulgarian weaving patterns, N 222-226*
butterfly pattern, N 220-222*
convent work, N 213-216*
daisy pattern, N 219*
feather stitch, N 212*
filling spaces, N 219
frames for, N 222
handkerchiefs, N 213-219*
maltese cross, N 219
Mexican, N 211*
sheaf stitch, N 211*
soaping threads, N 213
twist stitch, N 212*
_See also_ Fagotting; Hardanger embroidery; Hemstitching
Dress. _See_ Clothing and dress
Dresser. _See_ Bureau
Dressmaking
bands, cutting, N 64
bias bands, cutting, N 65
box plaits, N 71
collars
cutting, N 64
fastening to waist, N 70
cuffs
cutting, N 64
sewing on sleeves, N 68
cutting from a pattern, N 63-67*
frills, cutting, N 64
patterns
allowing for seams, N 65
cutting doll's skirt from, N 42*
cutting from, N 63-67
drawing and cutting, N 41*
notches and perforations, N 66
pinning material on, N 66-67*
plaiting skirt, N 71-72*
seams, tailored, N 72
skirts
bands, N 39*, 44
basting seams, N 42
cutting from a pattern, N 42, 63-64*
hemming, N 36, 43
plackets and gussets, N 35-40*, 43
plaiting, N 71-72*
putting on the bands, N 44
sleeves
cutting, N 64
gathering, N 69*
putting into waist, N 70*
putting together, N 68*
waists
cutting, N 64
cutting from pattern, N 67*
joining seams, N 69
_See also_ Sewing
Driftwood
gathering, A 405
Drilling and boring tools
draw boring, C 415*
drills for copper and silver, M 9*
forging and tempering rock drills, M 344-349*
forging hand drills, M 347-349*
kinds and their uses, C 193-198*
Driveways of ashes, G 77
Drowning
method of rescue from, K 239
Dry cleaning
delicate and light-colored articles, H 332
Duck on a rock (Game), K 345
Ducks
book about, A 517
brooders, A 193
characteristics, A 192
feeding ducklings, A 192
how to select for cooking, H 271
marketing, A 191
raising, A 190-193
ducks versus chickens, A 191-192
story of a boy's animal cage, A 235
varieties, K 181
water not essential for raising, A 190-191
wood ducks, domesticating, A 462*
Duplicating machine, B 416
Dusting
bedroom, H 53
floors, H 125
house cleaning process, H 145
little services, H 51
opening the house, H 352
Dutch collar
Irish crochet, N 346-350*
Dutch oven, K 81
Dyeing
colors, how to obtain, D 278-279
hints, D 277-278
lace, N 238
Dynamometer, B 324*
Dynamos, E 3-9
alternating current, E 21-24
batteries replaced by, E 249-250
construction of a simple dynamo, E 222-225*
definition of, E 19
efficiency, E 5-6
field, E 9, 11-13
generating electricity, E 9-10
how a dynamo generates both direct and alternating currents, E 222
how used as a motor, E 45-48
installing, E 225
load, E 105
magneto, E 19-24*
illustration of use, E 21-23
rate of vibration, E 22-23
use for ringing telephone bells, E 287-290*
principle of a simple dynamo, E 11-13*
producing tones with, E 293-295
series wound, E 34*
shunt wound, E 34*
transmitters not power producers, E 7
_See also_ Armatures
E
Earth
attraction exerted by sun and moon, B 229-230
diameter, B 213
distance from sun and moon, B 229-230
elements, B 214
globular form proved, B 212-213*
rotation, B 213, 214
Eddy kites
making, C 86*
Edging. _See_ Crocheting; Irish crochet
Edison, Thomas A.
discovery of carbon filaments, E 134
new storage battery, E 262-263
Eggplant
cooking preparation, H 294
parasites on, G 304
planting seed, G 304
indoor planting time, G 233
time to plant, G 234
seed, germination per cent., G 233
soil for, G 304
transplanting, G 304
Eggs
cooking, preparation for, H 288
ducks' eggs, A 192
fancy breed eggs, A 221
food value, H 254
gold fish eggs, A 229
Guinea fowl, value of, A 179
insect eggs, A 393
judging freshness of, H 271
marketing, A 158
pheasant eggs, packing, A 199
preserving
for winter use, A 177-178
yolks in water, H 357
record for laying hens, A 157
selecting for sitting hens, A 148
separating yolks from whites, H 288
stains
removing, H 183
_See also_ Poultry
Egyptian Pyramids, B 54-56
Elderberries
canning, receipt, A 16
picking, A 15
steam pudding, receipt, A 16
Electric annunciators
construction and operation, E 68-71*
Electric apparatus and appliances
using electricity to aid the memory, E 301-304
_See also_ Armatures; Clocks; Dynamos; Telegraph; Telephone; Vacuum
cleaners; and words beginning Electric
Electric armatures. _See_ Armatures
Electric batteries
cells, positive and negative plates, E 256, 261
dry cells
cost, E 166
increase of voltage by increased resistance, E 194-198
structure, E 250-251
use for lighting a summer camp, E 162-167*
electrolytic cells, E 257-260
galvanic cells
depolarizing agent, E 256
effect of heat on chemical action, E 254
electricity produced by chemical action, E 251
polarization of, E 256-257
replaced by dynamos, E 249-250
simple cell, chemical action, E 254-256
sparking apparatus for a gasolene engine, E 178-203*
storage batteries, E 258-263
Edison battery, construction and care, E 262-263
lead, construction and care of, E 261-262
why they run down, E 192-194
Electric bells
alternating current bells, E 288
equipment and installation in a house, E 296-299
operated by induced current, E 350-352
operated by wireless outfit, E 324*
operation of electric bells and buzzers, E 72-75*
transmitter in wireless telegraph, E 321
Electric buzzer
operation, E 72-73*
used in electric organ, E 278-279
Electric cars
electric heaters, E 125
_See also_ Electric railroads
Electric central station, E 204-217*
Electric cigar lighter, E 115*
Electric circuit breakers, E 78*
Electric circuits
open and closed, E 73
Electric clocks. _See_ Clocks
Electric conductors
copper sulphate, E 259
copper versus iron, E 64
effect of impurities in water, E 64
salt solution, E 253, 265
water, E 200
Electric controllers
arc lamp feed, E 84
automatic
air control, E 53
principle of, E 49-53*
elevator switches, E 83
principle of, E 17
_See also_ Electric rheostat
Electric cooking
broilers, E 114*
chafing dish, E 113*
coffee percolator, E 113*
fireless cooker, E 128-132*, 308
hot plate, E 110-113*
oven, E 114, 305-308*
toaster, E 115
traveler's cooker, E 113*
with incandescent lamps, E 127*
Electric curling iron, E 116*
Electric currents
alternating
definition, E 31
for telephone bells, E 288
generation of, E 11
how produced, E 21-24
changing alternating to direct currents, E 238-239
chemical reaction produced by powerful currents, E 263-264
decomposition of water, E 264
different currents pass through the same wire, E 187
direct, definition of, E 31
induced current
by interrupting the circuit, E 184
by moving the magnet, E 17-18
direction of, E 186
experiments, E 349-352
magnetic field about, E 353*
primary and secondary, in spark coils, E 184-192*
produced by chemical action, E 251-263
rectifiers, E 238-239
secondary, voltage, E 189-190
telephone, E 287
Electric engine
principle of a toy engine, E 58*
Electric flash light, E 154-155*
Electric flasher, E 120-125*
Electric fuses, E 117*
"blowing", E 146, 292
Electric gas lighter, E 118-120*
Electric generators. _See_ Dynamos
Electric heating
apartments, E 125
applications, E 107-159
bedroom heater, E 126*
cars, E 125
hot plates versus incandescent lamps, E 131
pad, E 117
principle of, E 97-106*
_See also_ Electric cooking
Electric hot plate, E 110-113*
Electric incubator, E 114
Electric induction coil
illustration, E 96
Electric insulators and insulation, E 14
glass knobs for telephone wires, E 290
Electric iron, E 243*
principle and cost of using, E 107-110
Electric lamps, Arc
arc lamp feed, E 84
carbons, adjustment, E 150-152*
glass globes, economy of, E 150-152
mechanism, E 147-150
mercury vapor lamp, E 155-156*
Moore light, E 156
search light, E 153*
stereopticon, E 153*
Electric lamps, incandescent
burglar's flash light, E 154-155*
connecting lamps with the circuit, E 142*
construction, E 142-143*
cooking with, E 127*
current required, E 30
filament
carbon, E 134-135
life of, E 144-145
making of, E 142
testing, E 141
development of, E 132-135*
metal, E 145-146
platinum wire, E 133
sizes, measuring, E 134
hylo, use and cost of, E 138*
intensity, comparison of, E 137-141
Nernst lamps, E 157
numbers manufactured, E 134
operating by induced currents, E 349-352*
operating by wireless outfit, E 327
resistance, E 29
of lamps in parallel, E 123*
socket, E 143*
tungsten lamp, E 141*, 144, 145
Electric light
percentage of waste in producing, E 150
search light, E 153*
Electric light fixtures
copper lamp, M 92-96*
design, D 361-364*
Electric lighting
cost, E 41, 139-141, 144
fitting up a summer camp, E 160-167
growth of demand for, E 134
Electric measurements
units, E 37-42*
ampere, E 30
kilowatt hour, E 41
volt, E 39
watt, E 39
Electric meters
care when closing house, H 351
reading, H 239
_See also_ Ammeter; Voltmeter; Wattmeter
Electric milking machine, E 54
Electric motors, E 43-56
acting as dynamo, E 36
compared with dynamo, E 47-48*
E. M. F. in motors, E 48
_See also_ Electric controller
Electric organs, E 55, 278-279*, 293-295
pipe organ, E 44-52
Electric oven, E 114
automatic control of temperature, E 306-308*
brick, construction, E 305-308
Electric potential
meaning of difference in potential, E 200-202
Electric power
conversion of steam into electric energy, E 4
cost in large and small plants, E 204
production of, E 3-10
Electric power distribution
cost, E 210
distances, power and cost, E 210-211
loss in transmission, E 210, 216
voltage in relation to distances, E 211
Electric power plants
central stations, E 204-205*
equipping an amateur plant, E 220-239
estimating the capacity, E 219
number and annual output in the United States, E 205
water power for, E 202-217
Electric pumps
use of, E 51-54
Electric push buttons, E 74-75*
for elevators, E 69-70*
house bells, E 297-299
Electric railroads
current controller, principle of, E 53
toy operated by wireless outfit, E 325-327*
what moves the cars, E 16
Electric resistance
impedance, E 285-286
laws for wires, E 120
of electric lamps, E 29
of lamps in parallel, E 123*
ohmic resistance, E 285
principle of electric heating and lighting, E 100-106
resistance board, E 30
starting box, E 48, 81-83*
telephone circuit, E 285-287
unit, ohm, E 91-93
variation of heat with resistance, E 291
wires, diameters and resistance, E 136
Electric rheostats, E 47-49*
_See also_ Electric controller
Electric seal, A 491
Electric shock
conditions necessary, E 170
electric waves, E 315
experiments with spark coil, E 176, 178-180, 180-183*
how it feels, E 170-177
Electric shower bath
constructing, E 244-247*
Electric soldering iron, E 116
Electric spark coil
automobile spark coil, E 95*
gasolene engine equipment, E 178-203*
how voltage is raised by the spark coil, E 180-183
jump spark coils, E 184
make and break coils, E 183
primary and secondary, E 188-192
principle, E 180-187*
telephone, E 279-281*
vibrator, E 190
voltage, E 191
wireless telegraph, E 321-322*
with two windings, E 187-191*
Electric spinner, E 57*
Electric switches, E 74-75*
circuit breakers, E 78*
double-pole, single throw, E 52*
Electric thermostat, E 124
for brick oven, E 306-308*
Electric toys
engine, E 58*
spinner, E 57*
train operated by wireless, E 325-327
Electric transformer
construction, E 212-216*
illustration, E 96*
magnetic circuit, E 214*
relation of voltage to windings, E 215
step-up and step-down transformer, E 216
Electric washing machine
construction and use, E 241-243*
Electric waves, E 309-323
changes in length, E 316
Hertzian waves, E 346
Electric welding, E 158-159
Electric wires
diameters, E 135-137
glass knobs for insulating, E 290
ground wire for wireless telegraph, E 321
resistance
laws of, E 120
tables, E 135-137
Electric wiring
use of earth circuit, E 290-291
Electricity
Ampere's rule, E 30-32
chemical transformer, E 256
doing chores with, E 241-243*
E. M. F., meaning, E 203
electrical current compared with water current, E 176, 197-198, 201
every-day uses, list, E 219
galvanic, E 248
how electricity feels, E 170, 177
medical use, E 175
Ohm's law, E 92-93
_See also_ Induction (Electricity); Telegraph; Telephone; Wireless
telegraph; also headings beginning Electric and Electro
Electrocution, E 175-176
of rats, E 271-273*
Electrolysis
of solutions, E 257-261
of water, E 264-266
Electrolyte, E 256
Electrolytic actions in every-day life, E 266-270
Electrolytic cell, E 257-260
Electromagnet, E 11-24
applications of, E 54-96*
arc lamp control, E 148
construction, E 15*
discovery of, E 14, 17
lifting power, E 15-16, 79-81
magnetic intensity, E 16
principle of, E 14-15
strength compared to bar magnets, E 16
use in relay, E 322
Electrometallurgy
separating iron from ore, E 79*
Electromotive force
counter electromotive force in motors, E 48*
Electroplating, E 259-261
Elevators
electric controllers, operation of, E 83
how annunciators are operated, E 68-71*
Elijah and the widow's cruse of oil, H 32
Ellipse, drawing, B 210-211*, C 19*
string and pin method, C 112*
trammel method, C 113*
Elm
red or slippery elm, C 558
rock or cork elm, C 560
white or American, C 559
Embankments
retaining wall for riverside, B 238-245
wall for lawn, G 74
Emblems
bullion embroidery, N 155
Embossing iron, M 361
Embroidery, N 98-241*
bars, twisted and woven, N 141*
blanket stitch, N 142*
bullion stitch, N 165-166*
bullion work, N 154-156
butterfly pattern, drawnwork, N 220-222*
buttonhole and satin stitch design, N 166*
buttonholing, N 130-134*, 142-145*
card case, N 183-186*
cat stitch, N 102, 215*
chain stitch, N 99-100*
cleaning
washing, H 329, N 136-137
without washing, N 379
collars, Hedebo embroidery, N 203*
combination stitch, N 148-154*
combinations of colors and stitches, D 118
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