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Show - $mm University Girls "Mother' Real I Babies in Home Management Class . I (By Margaret Jidwnrds Werner.) ST. PAUL. Minn.. Juno 10. Allow mc to introduce John and Patricia adored son and daughter of IS young mothers of this citj. John and Patricia, are "practice babies.' Their homte Is the "practice "prac-tice house" of the- Home Ecbnomics Department of the University of Minnesota, Min-nesota, and their mothers are IS girl students In tho cluss in home management. man-agement. Every reasonable person knows that a proper home should include a baby, and that Js also the opinion of the directors of the Department of Home Economics, entrusted with the instruction in-struction of scores of young women in the art and business of home making. Miss Margaret Mumford. in charge of the classes In home management, told mo. the whole story of the "practice "prac-tice babies." First School to Try It. "'Our course In home economics.'' said Miss Mumford. "naturally includes in-cludes classes in child care and training. train-ing. Wo recognize that the normal, average homo has children In it. and that It is just as Important for the homemakcr to know how to care for them as to know how to cook and clean the house. Minnesota determined determin-ed to be the first school In the United Slates to try out practical child train-ling train-ling as part of tho horn1 management manage-ment course. This Is the first year of the experiment and we think It pretty successful. "Students in our department have three years of domestic theory and science, 'and the fourth year we put the trainingito the test by arranging that all seniors shall live for Pi weeks in one or the other of our two "practice "prac-tice houses' and further, that each girl shall have two weeks as manageV of the entire, household. Twenty girls live in one house and IS in the other,' and each 'family' includes a babj. Graded on Actual Work. "Each student is actually graded in her work according to the degree of her success In management, her economy econ-omy In buying, her ekill in meal planning, plan-ning, and the growth and Improvement Improve-ment of the baby while under her care. "So far we have had throe babies i and the first was adopted by one- of i her foster-mothers. Wc have two ba-1 bles now, both taken from a foundling home. Wc "take them when thoy arc I from four to six months old and keep them until they are over a year old. John and Patricia arc "practice" K7, babies; insets s,how John before and f after three months' care. ; ' Those wc have new have grown so 1 adorable they will probably be adopt- ed. too." & "Where does the money come from to care for these babies?" I asked. "That's part of our budget for the RUT course. We set aside $500 a year for. ( -the clothes, food and care of these .- , two babies. When the legislature gives TL ius more money we are going to have I whole families of children children 1 mm lot all ages, so we can study the prol- 1 jk-ma of clothes, food and education mm I that differ with each age." mfi |