In the course of my growing up I was in a great variety of clubs and groups. But no club had as stringent and compelling rules, and no club demanded daily attention to its guidelines for behavior and action quite as much as a particular club which met in our home. It met usually three times a day, and the meetings were always at meal time. I'm talking about The Clean Plate Club!

Now just in case there is someone here who missed out on membership in this exclusive club and therefore is uninformed as to its nature, let me explain. The club is really quite easy to describe and the rules are supremely easy to understand. The Clean Plate Club is composed of those proper boys and girls who eat everything that is dished up on their plate. It was always assumed, whether true or not, that every boy …