Many housekeepers would be happy to eliminate breakfast from the order of the day. To go without this meal has been something of a fad of late, and many who have tried this plan extol it highly, while others have returned to their former custom of a hearty meal in the morning.

Breakfast in well-to-do American households usually consists of several courses, - fruit, cereal, eggs, fish, or meat and potatoes, and warm bread, or griddle cakes, or doughnuts.

Whether this is served in courses, or all placed on the table at once, depends upon the service available and the family custom. If one pair of hands must prepare and serve the food, the variety of dishes is usually reduced, and many households would be better off for such reduction. Let the variety extend over successive days, but do not make breakfast as substantial as dinner.

Two or three well-made dishes will supply the needed food principles as well as a dozen compounds. Fat is required, but cream, butter, and bacon should not all be provided at a single meal to supply it. Starch is necessary, but it is not essential that we get it from cereals, potato, and bread at the same time. Protein we must have, but we do not need eggs, and chops, and fish, all served for a single breakfast.

Attractive table service counts for more at break-fast than at any other meal. Appetites are more fickle than after vigorous exercise later in the day. "Made dishes," or composite foods, are less appetizing than when served at luncheon or dinner. A substantial cereal, a banana, and a glass of milk are sometimes a better preparation for the day than a more elaborate combination of foods.

Heavy meats, like steaks and chops, are seldom desirable ; tripe, liver, and fish seem less substantial; the main dependence should be placed upon eggs, bacon, cold meats, or simple forms of reheating the remnants of a previous day's dinner.

Fruit, raw or cooked, is always desirable for the breakfast table, and in cold weather warm stewed fruits are undoubtedly most acceptable. Fruit might be substituted for potatoes occasionally as an accompaniment to meat.

Hot dishes and substantial foods are more acceptable in winter than during the summer. We should remember, also, that everything cools rapidly on a cold morning, and precautions should be taken by the use of warm plates and platters to keep the food in good condition.

The average breakfast, then, may consist of these types of food:

Fruits, fresh or cooked, according to quality and season.

Cereals, dry, hot, cold, or recooked like fried mush.

Breads, hot, cold, toasts, and griddle cakes.

Animal Food, eggs, and simple preparations of fish or meat.

Drinks, coffee, cocoa, cereal coffee, tea, milk, or water.