Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-04-23
300aATQ0NAla
Edited by A. SMITH, County Superintendent.
For the Educational Colum
School Architecture.

The great practical necessity of educa-
ting the young properly, the beneficial res
ults which flow from such course, and
the enormous responsibility resting upon
all whose duty it is to aid in the great work,
are abundant reasons why no one should
leave 'stone unturned' by which he may
further the advancement and improvement
of our public schools Many are the aux
iliaries necessary to accomplish the object
OF our common school system, and if not
the greatest, certainly not the least among
all these, comes under the title of School
Architecture. That school housekeeping
nothing about play grounds-are necessary,
is evident to all; yet the advantages to be
derived from having good houses, houses
worthy the object for which they are erect
ed, are yet tar from being properly appre-
ciated Much improvement has already
been made in this, as well as in many 9TH
er things; we have passed from log huts
heated by means of great fire place at
one end of the room, windows consisting
of creased paper stretched across the spa
ces between the logs, no floor but the ma
ked earth, and furniture corresponding, up
dotting our valleys and hill sides, yet we
are far short of that advancement which
the Importance of the subject demands
More than this, we are not permitting i'm
provement in this particular to keep pace
with that of many other things which have
no stronger claims upon our attention. In
a majority of cases see how taste, comfort
nd ta1 in
tion of dwelling houses, factories, church
es, public buildings. If a man wishes to
build himself dwelling, and have the
means wherewith to construct good one,
does he not consider the uses to which the
different apartments are to be appropriated,
! the size of each, and that arrangement Of
all which will best insure a combination of
comfort, convenience, and, to a certain ex-
| tent, beauty, and then build according ly !?
| When the manufacturer wishes to erect a
factory and supply it with machinery for
! the purpose of converting raw material in
to manufactured goods, does he not long
and patiently consider many plans and
specifications, ns,-thinking more Of making
the building suit the necessary machinery
than the machinery suit the building
and from among all Gull the best, and have
these we'll matured before proceeding to
the work And, if he does not consider
himself capable of doing so, does he not
engage another who he thinks is capable
Enter one Of our modern churches, and do
we there see low ceiling, benches with
perpendicular backs, or with no backs at
all, and so high that the feet of the con-
gregation are dangling in the air, and the
other things about the room corresponding?
| No, instead thereof we see the gratifying
result of consulting taste and comfort
Can as much be said of our common school
houses? Nay. Why? 1t is certainly
not because they are inferior to other build
ings in Importance, for, in this respect, they
will stand the test when compared with
any other branch of architecture. They
are not, like our churches, to be occupied,
as general thing, only two or three hours
in week, but many times that amount
and by whom? By those very persons
whose comforts, tastes, inclinations, pleas
ures and griefs need to be cared for above
those of all others except infants, those be-
ings who are then and there laying a por.
tion of the foundation upon which to build
their future lives Is it because the source
from which to derive the means necessary
to build, is insufficient to have the work
done properly? The negative of this is
in most districts so emphatieally true and
evident as to need no discussion here. One
reason for the defect is, that, as general
thing, the making out of the plans and
specifications is performed by unskillful
hands, by persons who are far from know.
ing all the real wants of school room,--
persons who, from their lack OF experience
in the routine of school exercises and Ia
bors, are more or less unacquainted with