The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-03-14

| cannot well b. proud. When Portland sbaIl
have recovered from her great disas ter and ca n
adoId to spend money more freely again No
doubt she will build some new school-houses s:
! at present she must make the bsst OF what she
mas L ,ele are sumo improvements which must
Dc made: not the comfort tonIy but the health
OF our children, lmperavely require them
| 1t IS Shame aud crime to compel our teach
! els and their scholars to endure and suffer
| from The OdOrs arising from oadly-arraneed
| prves One If our school-houses last SIMMER
might well have been indicted as public pu-
sdnce: our executive committee has done all
| that possibly could he done to remedy these
evils; and at no sD1a Cost of lime and tronhla
have effected notable improvements. esoec,aIIv
| at the CaocO street ard Chestnut street scbools
| as also in the High School building; but most
| OF the Cases III which trouble has been exoeri-
enced present radical difficulties of coustruc-
tlon AID the amouDt OF money Appropriated
for general expenditures has been too small to
allow OF SUCH recOnstl uctlou and tborouph ra.
pair as IS positively demanded: We cannot af-
ford to build oew houses; granted; neither can
we sffOrd to risk the health even The livas ~
our teachers ana children.
Heating AM ventilatfou are-bad The Bieh
School and North SchuoI bulldogs are heated
by steam, and 10 the forD'er there il q more :.
less successful system of ventilation; al our
other schOUl-houses ale hea ed BY tue old fash
Toned wood burning Stoves, ADD are dest,tuie
OF apy provision for ventilation. TIE rooms
are small, as to cubic space and the attend
ance IS large. The temperature Is copstan.lv
too bot or TOO cold and he headaches are but
partially relieved by snes zings 1t is SURELY
nee less at this day to argue Tor pure air and
ar even Temperature in private hou. es and es-
pecialIy in places of pubic resort. Public sen.
tImen1, 1t would seen, needs but to be inform
ed or reminded of The actual condition of most
of our schOoi-rOOms to be stimulated to gem
eral demand for large Improvements There
are fifty arguments against our any longer en-
during these evils, and but ole on the her
s'1e; Yet that one is our civic pOity! II is
orcoming very serious question, however,
anu Expensive repairs or bids us tear down at
rect;n aou Duild anew. A step in the right di-
tno 81 u,s nt De to erect building similar 10
tha 1911 ocnool, for the accommod alton of
PaaaLp WHO now. attend the Park street and
49,; - street schools Such a bn,Idino no
thn, VIII one Ike H. to be Afterwards hn;it ,or
ci,n t "rs .'s would meet the wants of the
ahie to ,h"i yy vars 10 come. Until we are
best of what we have; and If a ia make The
prIation than usual is asked this 49, appro-
understood that the greater part Of tba ~ NC
IS "eede0 'or such Improvements as have RS,
suggested. oeeh
THE SYSTEM OF INSTRUCTION AND DISCIPLINE
A" has been int'ma,ej, no def piteiv ma,kea
system OF teaching is prescribed tor all the
schools. 1t is .quired that the same books be
used and that promotions in grade be made TO
depend upon fixed degrees of attainment. but
while our army is passing over pretty much
the same ground its regiments arrive at certain |
points and depart again varying nOticebly in
aud in efficiency. Welfare speaking of |
onr primary and grammar schools; the high |