The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-01 00:00:00

A IL

Nothing deteriorates, nothing loses itiPtuifying:, revivi-
fying properties so soon as air. Not only is it Bible to be
rendered impure and unfit for rise by its being lie common
recipient of the waste particles of every Eutrofindingobject
(and hence the necessity for the systematic, fit:Life/Ire and
frequent cleansing of the nursery), but, (lien ivhenvire it
must be kept in constant motion to continue so. Fill a
room with fresh air, shut doors and WindoWS, give it no
outlet, and in` half an hour it will have deteriorated, and
this deteriorttien will 'be perceptible to the sense'of smell,
and will diminish the pleasure and comfort of respiration.
Air, to be fit for hiunan lungs, must be less or more in
motion, and, to be this, it must be in. communication with
the great air-ocean outside of our dwellings—that bright
translucent sea, at the bottom of which we all 'live, and
move, and have our.being. But this can be secured by the
smallest ehannel, just as the waters of a lake may be kept
fresh by the inlet of the smallest rivulet, with the outlet of
the most' diminutive sluice. An aperture of an inch wide
along a single window will keep sweet and in healthful
motion the air of a large room. This principle is generally,
understood and practically carried out in all house-ventila-
tion. A permanent connection with the external air is
effected by the fireplace and its flue ;_ the air of the room, it
is calculated, will rise through the flue, where the atmos-
pheric pressure is least, and the air outside on a level with
the room will press through chink of window and door to
'fill its place. And, under ordinary circumstances, this cal-
culation is sound, and the results satisfactory; but, in
rooms where fires are seldom kept, the air in the flue be-
comes damp and stagnant, and the communication with the
external air is virtually stopped. Hence the value of fires
as aids to ventilation. Not only do they change the atmos-
phere more rapidly while they are burning, and the same
time draw all lingering damp from walls, and fleor, and
furniture, but they dry and keep free the permanent chan-
nel of ventilation.
But this means will be found insufficient where the air
of the room is to supply many pairs of lungs, A. nearer
and more direct channel becomes necessary ; and there is
lone better than that given by lowering the windows a
little space, according to the state of the weather, at the
highest point above the heads of the inmates. Through
this opening the effete air will pass, and its place be sup-
plied, and motion obtained, by the admission of fresh air
through other channels. But, for the nursery, even this
will be found inadequate to the preservation of a pure ,
at-
mosphere,
and the process just recommended for the begin-
-1 ning of the day should be repeated at given periods
throughout its course—namely, the setting wide open of
every window and door,. while its inmates have been with-
drawn. Pure air is as important asproper food—if pos-
sible, more so; for, while the natural effects of improper
food may be resisted by the counter-influences of air, bath-
ing, clothing, and exercise, nothing can counteract the in-
fluence of impure air. The organs of mastication, diges-
tion, and assimilation will all have an influence on the con-
version of food into blood; but air passes through no inter-
mediate channel, undergoes no intermediate operation—at
once from lip to lung it passes, and the union for good or
fbrtevil is final. Life may be supported many days without
food ; it cannot be supported many moments without air.
That also on " Visions and Dreams," by the Rev.
John Cunningham, D.D., is readable, and there is
an interesting account of "The Oxford University
Museum," one of the most successful efforts that
have recently been made to revive among us a more
ornate style of architecture, as well as to educate a
class of art workmen analogous to that which
flourished in the middle ages. The writer evidently
belongs to the Gothic faction in art, and the follow-
ing extract will convey some idea of the decora-
tive aim of the building:—