TEMPERANCE by A. M. WINEGAR, M. D.

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 5, 1901

TEMPERANCE

By A. M. WINEGAR, M. D.

A. M. WINEGAR, M. D.

(Concluded.)

EVERY mother may be a mighty power in bringing about reformation, not by leaving her own home and working for those who have already fallen, but by caring for and properly training the children in her own home.

Not only should the food be of proper quality, but it should be most thoroughly and carefully prepared. Great care should be taken in the training of cooks. They should be trained in cookery as a science, and should have a thorough knowledge of the nutritive values of the various foods, of proper food combinations, and of the best manner in which to prepare foods to make them palatable as well as wholesome. The mothers themselves must take this in hand, and raise the standard of cookery until such work will not be regarded by young women as drudgery.

The mothers of our land, and those who have the guiding of our girls, are largely responsible for the condition of the present day. Young women are seeking other employment, and few are found who are willing to devote their time to cooking. Mothers should take an interest in the preparation of the food in their own homes, and when selecting a cook should choose one who has ability to prepare nourishing foods in a way that is pleasing to the taste, rather than one who can do fancy cooking. The cook should be made to feel that her calling is a high and noble one. There is no calling more noble than that of the cook who prepares the food which is to build up the bodies of those who are most dear to us.

The food taken into the body has not only to do with the development of the physical being, but of the character as well. This organization can have no greater work before it than to train young women to fill this important position, by training them in their own homes, or by organizing cooking schools in different localities, where young women can be trained in scientific cookery, and where they can be taught the importance of the position. It rests with you who are before me to-day to remove the stigma that has so long rested upon cookery in the home, and which has caused many young women to choose a life of shame rather than to engage in the drudgery of the kitchen.

The principles of true temperance should be taught in every community. The dangers of wrong habits of living should be pointed out to the young, and the highest ideals set before them. Instruction should be given in the selection of proper foods, of food combinations, and the proper preparation of various foods. There are hundreds of girls to-day in our land who would be glad to engage in this work if they could see it in the proper light, if they could feel that they are thus doing a work for humanity, and that the cook has a grander mission than the minister in the pulpit or the teacher in the school.

We trust that the time will soon come when, in every large city, in every town and village, and even in the country places, schools, whether large or small, will be opened, with proper instructors, for the training of young women who are willing to devote their lives to this work. By beginning at the very foundation, those who are deeply interested in the temperance question may see results of their labors, and be led to rejoice that the Lord has opened the way whereby the young may be saved from the dangers that surround them on every hand, and that, having strong bodies, and consequently strong minds, they may be able to meet the great problems of life.