Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-04-18

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PUBLIC ScnooL Housss. The following extracts
are taken from printed Report on Public School
Houses, which was laid on the tables of the mem
beers Of the Councils at their meeting on Monday
i evening. We are glad 70 notice the promptness
With which bill Was introduced by DR.. Busey, the
chairman Of the School Committee, designed TO
correst In good measure, some of the evils here
I noticed The BILL which provides for the purchase
Of the Rugby Academy, for school purposes, WAS
Immediately taken up and passed unanimously by
the Common Council: n
In regard to these apartments and buildings
It may be said, in general, and subject to the ex-
ceptions herein made, that they are III adapted TO
the purposes for which they are used they are
deficient IN space for the accommodation Of the
pupils aud teachers in facilities for ventilation in
suitable means for the admission of air and light
and they are SO contracted, as necessarily to com
pei teachers and pupils TO breathe yitiated atmos-
phere, thereby inducing WEAKNESS, lAnguor, head
ache nervous iritability, and promoting the devel
opment Of pulmonary and other diseases. In many
| instances, which have been brought 20 the notice
o. the trustees, pupils have suffered from serious
illness, the cause Of which might be traced to the
public school-rooms Some OF the school-rooms
are imperfectly warmed badly located, difficult of
approach, have little or ground, except the pub
lie street. for the recreation of the pupils or for
the necessary out-buildngs, and are unsttractiye
4 Acs ANYuAcAso AZ Lctf apptASduCos 8uu
furnished with but little apparatus and with but
few Of the instruments and means of instruction
which almost everywhere are considered indispen-
sable in well regulated and well provided school
| rooms. ssR s4
what has been done in half century towards
erecting schoolhouses and providing for the intel
tiectual wants Of large and rapidly increasing
ports twenty schools, and employs thirty-seven
teachers, who have charge of about twenty-five
hundred pupils II owns but five school-h houses,
j while II rents seventeen. n "a
s In the First District all the school apartments
are rented with the exception Of one old building
which was formerly Je6erson's stable, but now Is
used, by permission Of the government, as school
ROOM lts condition has been brought 80 often to
the notice OF the Councils and Its unsuitablepess
10 SO apparent, that any further remarks upon it
are considered unnecessary. The trustees earnest
4 ly renew the Recommendation, which has 90 often
been made, that immediate steps be taken to pro-
vide for the wants Of this District, either by the
purchase or BY the erection Of suitable school
building.
SIN the Second District the school-house in Ju.
dietary square is the property of the city. ID was
originally designed to accommodate two teachers
and one hundred and twenty pupils it is actually
occupied by four teachers and two hundred and
twenty-nine pupils.
! "Of course the space for the operations Of the
teachers and pupils is very contracted, and much
Inconvenience is experienced from the noise occa-
stoned by the recitations and exercises Of the pu-
pills in adjoining apartments which are only sepa-
rated by thin board partition.
Ten teachers, and about seven hund. ed pupils,
which is the limited number, are placed in Ave
Easements OF churches which, with one or two
exceptions, are, in part below the surface Of the
ground and may not improperly be called cellars.
They are more or less .damp, generally with low
s1s..,a Il E.-Ik n
with no separate play grounds for the two sexes.
Much Inconvenience is experienced from hearing
the school exercises and recitations by two teach
| ers, at the same time, in one small apartment.
Nine OF the remaining schools are kept in separate
rooms, which generally have the characteristics Of
those that have been already mentioned.
4 i The following extracts are taken from commu-
ncations addressed to the Secretary by some Of
the teachers, in compliance with his request
"0ne teacher writes that the school is subject
to many inconvenience, that are unavoidable
under present arrangements. For instance, the
only way of access to it is through the room Of the
| primary school Between the two rooms, there Is
thin plank partition without door, This is me-
cessariy restraint upon the teachers in each room,
as the voices Of the pupils in reading and recita-
ton are obliged to be subdued to enable the teach
ers, as Tar as possible, to avoid annoying each
| other. $685.
"Two others report That our school is in a
basement-room, being, we think, some three feet
under ground, It Is quite damp; our own health,
as well that Of Others has, am fully convinced
suffered In consequence. The adjacent play ground
il wet and marshy, and not unfrequently the chill
dren are compelled to spend their hour of recrea-
ton in the room instead of taking exercise in the
| open air. AZ WAS y
Another says: Ny schoolroom, at some sea
sons Of the year, answers very well, but in winter
1t is always damp. The yard cunnot possibly be
made pleasant and 1t is situated, in the rear Of
the surrounding dwelling houses, that 1t is too
4 often made the receptacle Of unsghtly and disa-
grecable objects; but for its Objectionable points
| to be fully realized they must be seem
Another writes: No amount Of wood which
can burn will render US comfortable, for the
building is placed Immediately upoh the ground,
in spot always damp, and 80 imperfsctly con-
structed that the air constantly searches the wide
cracks making warm feet an impossibliity from the
beginning to the close Of the school"
At late meeting Of the Metropolitan Mechanics
Institute, after resolving to hold an exhibition 10
| the months Of April and May, 1856, Mesars r. O.
| Connolly, VIM. n. Ward, and Francis MattinRly
were appointed committee Ito procure informa-
ton in regard to the best means Of getting up and
conducting such exhibitions are adapted 10 pro-
| mote the useful and fine arts, but with especial
reference to- the next and future exhibitions OF
this Insttute y to procure all necessary publca-
tons on the subject;n TO correspond with kindred
associations and others y ito learn by an means
In their power where appropriate contributions can
be obtained, and In general to keep In view the
advancement Of the interests Of the Institute
through the agency Of its exhibtions;" and ito
make monthly written report to the Executive
Committee, In which shall be epitomized all the
information they shall have obtained as herein d.
rected, together with such recommendations as to
them may appear proper
An election Of officers Of the Institute takes
place this evening at their rooms. The qualifcs-
ton OF voter, Is merely adding their names to the
list OF members
CoLUxBIAs CoLLreE.--This College has now Sc
cured Faculty Of eight instructors Of high repute
for ability. Rev. ]. g. Binney, d. d., of Augusta,