A second source of saving would be to prevent the waste of food which
goes on in all classes. It is not only that food is actually thrown
away, but that too little attempt is made to choose and to use the
healthiest and most nutritious forms of food, and there is an
indisposition to try any unaccustomed form of food. If one were asked
what would be the most useful practical reform at the present time,
probably the best answer would be, "Promote more general use of oatmeal
porridge." Attention to the best choice and use of food would do much to
make a healthy nation, and at the same time effect a saving in
expenditure. "Grow more oats and eat them" would be a wise precept for
the nation to follow. With that, an effort must be made to secure a
fuller supply of milk at lower prices. This is vital for the welfare of
the coming generation. The cost of transport and of distribution of milk
might be reduced by better organisation.

Allied to this subject is the enormous waste caused by ignorance of
cookery. A really excellent dinner in France or in Switzerland is often
made from materials which would be despised in this country. Anyone who
is in the habit of roaming about the country on foot or on a bicycle
will know that in many parts it is impossible to get a decent meal; the
provision made is frequently nasty without being cheap. In rural
districts in France delicious meals can be obtained at a lower price.
Domestic economy should be taught in every school, and to people of
every rank, but the teaching should be practical. I remember wishing to
see in an excellent school something of the teaching of domestic
economy, and found the girls and boys, instead of learning to cook, were
learning what was called science, writing down in copy-books "the
operative principle of tea is theme." This kind of pseudo-science,
teaching people to write a jargon which conveys no meaning to their
minds, is one of the things which is called education, but is really