Packing School Lunches a Hundred Years Ago

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, March 3, 1913: Nothing much for today.

Source: Kimball's Dairy Farmer Magazine (September 15, 1913) — Source: Kimball’s Dairy Farmer Magazine (September 15, 1913)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Since Grandma didn’t’ write much a hundred years ago today, I’m going to go off on a tangent.

I’ve often wondered what children ate for lunch a hundred years ago. Today we hear so much about how unhealthy school lunches are—and that even children who bring their own lunch often don’t bring nutritious foods.

.Of course, in the small rural schools a hundred years ago all students needed to bring their own lunches. I found a great article on packing school lunches in a 1913 magazine:

The School Lunch Pail

Great care is essential in making the lunch and the lunch pail appear attractive, not only for the sake of the child’s appetite, but for his pride as well. Many a lunch has been surreptitiously thrown under a convenient hedge, because the child was ashamed to open it before the critical eyes of his playmate. . .

The foundation of a lunch is always the reliable bread sandwich. There are many dainty and appetizing sandwich fillings to be made from left-overs. . .

You can make the most appetizing custards and puddings in little ramekins. These are easily prepared the day before when you are getting dinner for the home folks. . .

There are a variety of simple cookies and cakes which delight the child’s heart, particularly when baked in “animal” fancy shapes.

No lunch pail is complete without fruit. If it is impossible to obtain fresh fruits, the dried stewed ones may be substituted. Figs, prunes or dates are wholesome and may be made doubly so when stuffed with nuts, peanut butter, or the puffed grains.

Kimball’s Dairy Farmer Magazine (September 15, 1913)

A Busy Day

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Saturday, March 1, 1913:

The month of March, ah welcome sound

You bring to us a coming spring.

Where glimpse of leaf and budding flower,

Awake to us this glorious thing.

Today was a busy one for me. Ma got mad at me, but it’s over by this time. Rufus has gone up to Tweet’s to stay til tomorrow evening. I got my fee in advance.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

There’re lots of nicknames in this entry. Rufus referred to Grandma’s sister Ruth. Grandma often called her Rufus in the diary—especially when she was upset with Ruth. Tweet was their friend Helen Wesner.

I think that on a typical day Grandma and Ruth shared the daily farm chores, and each milked several cows. Grandma probably had to do all of the chores herself since Ruth was away—though it sounds like she made Ruth pay her.

Why did Grandma’s mother get mad? Since it was a busy day, maybe Grandma failed to do something or didn’t do it to her mother’s satisfaction.

___

On the first day of every month Grandma included a poem in the diary.

School Dismissed Early

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Friday, February 28, 1913: We got out of school real early this afternoon, so I visited the Primary awhile.

Recent photo of abandoned building that once housed McEwensville High School. — Recent photo of building that once housed the McEwensville Schools.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

This diary entry reminds me of how different the school Grandma attended was from schools today.

The McEwensville School building housed both a primary school (grades 1-8) on the first floor and a high school on the second floor. There were just two teachers in the building—a primary teacher and a high school teacher. Both teachers would have taught multiple grades and subjects.

Since Grandma was writing in the diary for herself (and not for readers a hundred years later) she skipped many of the details. Here’s my interpretation of this entry—

Although Grandma got out of school early, she probably needed to stay until the primary students were dismissed. Her 7-year-old brother Jimmie was in second grade. Even though she almost never mentioned walking to and from school with her little brother in the diary—they probably walked together every day.

A Good Day, But Raining Cats and Dogs

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, February 24, 1913: Had an exam in Geometry this morning. Wasn’t hard after all. Tis raining cats and dogs tonight.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Yeah! Grandma, I hope you got a 100%. Easy tests are the best.

—

In spite of the evening rain, it sounds like a good day. I picture Grandma listening to the rain drops hit the window as she drifted peacefully off to sleep.

A Typical Day for a Farm Kid a Hundred Years Ago

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Wednesday, February 26, 1913: We practiced tonight.

Source: Kimball's Dairy Farmer Magazine (April 1, 1913) — Source: Kimball’s Dairy Farmer Magazine (April 1, 1913)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma was referring to play practice. She had the role of Chloe, the servant, in the class play.

Here’s my best guess as to what Grandma’s schedule looked like on this date a hundred years ago:

It was probably still dark when Grandma got up and dressed in work clothes.
Went to the barn to feed and milk the cows.
Came back to the house, ate a quick breakfast, and changed into school clothes.
Walked 1 1/2 miles to McEwensville.
Attended school.
Walked 1 1/2 miles home after school.
Grabbed a quick snack—and changed into work clothes.
Went to the barn to do the evening chores (clean the cow stalls, feed cows, milk cows). She may have also fed the chickens and gathered eggs.
Went back to the house and ate a quick supper.
Changed into clean clothes and walked 1 1/2 miles to McEwensville.
Participated in play practice.
Walked 1 1/2 miles home.
Did homework.
Wrote this brief entry in the diary.
Went to bed.

Whew, I’m exhausted just thinking about Grandma’s schedule. I probably don’t have all the details exactly right—maybe someone gave her a ride home after play practice . . . or maybe her little brother Jimmie gathered the eggs. . . or. . . . maybe she didn’t do any homework. . .

But, even if Grandma only did three-quarters of the things on this list (and my gut feeling is that she did most of them), she had one crazy, busy day.

Hundred-Year-Old History Review Questions on the American Revolution

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Tuesday, February 25, 1913: I’ve forgotten. Finished essay.

Picture caption: The Siege of Charleston, After the picture by Chappel (Source: American History for Schools, 1913)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Yeah, Grandma! I bet it feels good to have finished the essay on the American Revolution that you’ve been working on for almost two weeks. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you win the two and a half dollar gold piece that your teacher is going to give to the student who wrote the best essay.

—

I’m still having fun reading the chapter on the American Revolution in the 1913 American History textbook that I quoted in several previous posts.

Here are a few of the review questions at the end of the chapter:

1. If modern battleships had been in use during the Revolution, would the outcome of the war been different?

2. Did the British government have any sound basis, moral or legal, for its policy of coercion?

3. In your opinion, what was the most important battle of the war?

4. How was the Revolution an aid to the cause of liberty everywhere?

5. Name some of the serious problems that confronted the Americans when the war was over?

6. How do you account for the success of the American navy?

American History for Schools (1913) by R.B. Cousins and J.A. Hill

For previous posts on the American Revolution from the same 1913 textbook see:

American Revolution as Described in 1913 Textbook

1913 Perspectives on the Importance of the American Revolution

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, February 24, 1913: My essay is almost done, all but the conclusion. Think it will be finished by tomorrow night.

Picture Caption: The Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, October 19, 1781; From the painting by Turnbull in the Capitol at Washington (Source: American History for Schools, 1913)

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma was writing an essay on the American Revolution. I always think that the Introduction and the Conclusion are the hardest parts to write.

A few days ago, I told you how the chapter on the Revolutionary War in a 1913 history textbook began. Today, I’ll share the concluding paragraph of the same chapter:

The peace concluded at Paris in 1783 closed one of the most heroic struggles for human liberty that the world has known; but it opened, for the Americans, problems of peace no less serious and difficult of solution than those of war.

American History for Schools (1913) by R.B. Cousins and J.A. Hill