Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-01-13

parent laments the disastrous effects of
the excessive study Of his children, when
IN reality, the whole difficulty is in the
air they breathe. the result OF the ignor-
anoe Or oarelessnass of the teach4f. Many
eass Ut characterization Ill school is due
to discomfort produced in this uay. and
the teacher is the real culprit.
But we have not yet told the worst of
the story. Let another speak for US
"Not the least remarkable example Of the
power of habit is its recouciling us to
practices, which, but for its influence
would be considered noxious and disgust
ing. We instinctively shun approach to
the dirty, the squalid and the diseased,
and use no garments that have been worn
| by another. We open sewers for matters
that offend the sight or the smell and con.
taminate the air. We carefully remove
impurities from what we eat or drink, FL
ter turbid water, and fastidiously avoid
drinking from cup that may have been
pressed to the lips of friend. On the
other hand we resort to places of assem-.
bly,, and draw into our mouths air loaded
with efiuvia from the lungs, skin and
clothing; from every individual in the
promiseuous crowd-exhalation offensive
to certain extent from the most healthy
individuals, but when arising from liv'
ing mass of skin and lungs, in all stages
of evaporation, disease and putridity, pre-
vented by the walls and ceiling from
escaping, they are when thus concentrated
in the highest degree deleterious and
loathsome."
IF this is true of assemblies professiug
to be healthy, what must be the effect in
the sick room Let there be a malignant
fever raging which has Frustrated several
members of family and to what Doxious
| influences must the others be exposed
Some years ago there were two families
near neighbors in this town. The same
fever broke out in both and with seeming.
" equal violence. Yet the mortality was
strangely greater i'll one family than III
the other. The mystery was solved when
it was recolleoted that one house was vel
finished and tight, while the other was
only partly completed, and, unwittingly
well ventilated
Nature has connected the energy of life
with the amount of respiration, and we
may not disregard her law with IMMUNITY
With abundance of air belong vigol
and activity of mind az we'll as body
with the lack of it comes sluggishness
stupidity and feebleness of both.
We need, then, air as much as food. We
need ventilators in our churches and school
houses as much as we do stoves. AS We
construct new buildings we need to con.
slider this matter among the first, taking
pre- cedence of stvle of architecture or
finish.
But there is need of discretion. How
to ventilate any room just right must be
learned by some little experiment. 1t is
useless TO open a widow wide on the wind
ward side Of Che house on a cold day. 1t
is nearly as foolish to open 60 many on
the other side as to reduce the tempera-
ture of the room in half as many minutes.
We need to make sure first, that the
current of pure air admitted does not
strike any one, ard second, that just suf-
fcient facilities be offered for the egress
of that which is impure.
For securing these ends the good sense
of each may direct him, even though
there are conflicting theories among the
high authorities as to the best methods.
CALVIN