The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-09-09

pbysical or mental effort In some OF the
largo city schools of other States, much atten-
ton hus been recently devoted to this subject
A committee, appointed last year in the city
of Boston to examine the means of ventilation
employed ia their schools, thus reports upon
the subject:
"The very earliest impressions received by
your committee, in their visits to tho school
houses, satisfied them oftheir lamcntable con-
dtion in regard to ventilation. In some OF
them, they found the air so bud, that il could
be perceived before reaching the school rooms,
even in the open entries for we noticed that
the clothes and hair of the children who pass
ed US on the stairs, were perceptbly imPreg-
mated with the lmted poison. And these cir
cumstnnccs existed in houses too, whose open
lciRd0irs t. slifed that the Masters had cndeav-
ored to improve the atmosphere by all the
means ttheir disposal, TO this custom-that
Of opening windows in school houses-thc In
structors are compelled to resort for relief
Yet this cXpedicnt only mitigntes the evils of
bad air, by creating others. 1t produces colds
and infnmmatory complaints, and the air still
remains impure and dcleterious, sufficiently
so, to affect the delicate organization of child
hood, 10 blight its elasticity, and destroy that
heNlthful physical action, on which depends
the vigor of maturer years" There is a wide
difference it may be thought, between school
room in u crowded city, with its two or three
hundred occupants, aud one in Vermont, with
less than fifth Of that number. There may
be n difference, but it is not always in our fay
or. The remarks above, are substantially true
of many of our school rooms, during the icin-
ter, throughout the State. The evil is one
which ought to receive more attention from
parents who regard the health and improve
mcnt of their children 1t may be removed
at trGing expense, by very simple apparn.
tus, introducing a current Of fresh air through
the floor Of the school room, and in connection
with the stove, so to warm it before it is dis
tributed through the room, and providing an
opening above sufficient for the vitinted air TO
escape
Another Important subject proposed for dis
cusson, ':What are the most available means
Tor securing a sufficient number of we'll quail
fled Teachers to meet the wants Of the State
received less attention for want of time. The
art Of successful teaching is one of difficult at
lainment, and in no stage o! education is it at
tended with greater difficulties, than in the
Common School. The individual, who can
Earmonize the dscordant elements Of an ordi-
nary District School, wake up the energies of
IFS youthful intellect, and keep it occupied,
day after day, in henlthful wig prous action, is
certainly no ordinary person, and ought, it
should be added, to receive no ordinary com
pensation. Various cxpedents have been sug-
gested and tried, to improve the qualification
of Teachers. Teachers Institutes are, at
present, the most popular and common. Their
utility has been confirmed by competent test.
mony, when they have been employed. Let
no one however suppose, that they are intend.
cd, or can be made, substitute for any other
class Of schools They only propose to teach
the modes communicating instruction, not
to discipline or instruct the individual in the
subjects which he intends to teach. If any,
therefore, in their preparation for the business
Of teaching, hope, through them, 10 escape the
patient old fashioned study and discipline of
other schools, they will fail of their object, and
find, in due time, that TO secure success, they
must necessarily study and understand achat,
as we'll as the manner in tchich, they are TO
teach.
The proceedings of the Convention, in full,
with an abstract of the Addresses and Discus.
sions, will be published in the next School
Journal, occupying an entire No. Only about
three thousand copies ofthis Journal are dis
tributcd in the State, among population com.
prising more than fifty thousand families. Its
cost is so trifl!ng, that there seems no good
reason, why it's circulation should not be in
creased tenfold. large edition of the next
No. containing the proceedings of the Convcn-
ton will be published, TO meet any extra de-
mand. Those wishing for them should for
ward ;her address to the publishers immediate
! ly. J.KC.