Pratt Institute Monthly Volume 8 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 Excerpt: ...I was puzzled at first to know why they had come, tor it was an evening class and on a school night, but I have since decided that it was curiosity more than a desire to learn to cook. I first tried to arouse their interest by giving them entertaining lessons, or rather fancy dishes; but I am afraid J spoiled them in doing so, for when the entertaining dishes ceased, and the lessons on batters began, the attendance was greatly decreased. I asked one of the girls who returned after making pancakes and fritters why her friends were absent, and she said that they did not like the last lesson and were not coming any more. It seemed to me that Mary Mudson was hopeless, that first day I saw her. The other children all made fun of her and told tales about her, and she would turn with the fierceness of a hunted animal on them, saying, "You lie " I gave her my whole attention that first day, directly and indirectly; studied, pitied, and--loved her. She is the little daughter of a Chinese woman, a child with a queer mixture of blood in her veins, a little, wild, impetuous creature with many possibilities of good. She did everything wrong in the first lesson, having absolutely no idea of paving attention, concentrating her thought, or "making haste slowly." Whatever she did I made her do over, more slowly and with more care, and I gave her more work to do in cleaning up than any other child, standing by her and insisting that it should be done right. She spilled the scraps on the floor, and she upset the dish-pan ot water. / was inwardly amused, and she was not discouraged. She wiped the floor up with a cheerfulness charming to see. Then I took her off. by herself and talked a little to her and there was a sweet reasonableness about her responses t...