St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-09-08
TIE CALIFORNIAN.
IrHtfi0fiOH.

Tho, dictionary definition of this word
Is very simple and easily understood, the
thino itself i universally acknowledged
ia In. desirable Bat as Il matter oi tact
and ur,,.lice we have very little of il,
and the whole community suffers To an
extent not dreamed of 10y most persons.
IN consequences Our architects build
fine public buildings and private resi-
Jruccs for US, and we 90 into them and
breathe their confined and poisoned air
without murmur, even scoldng the
carpcntcr- if they do their work 50 poor
" that any cracks remain to give en-
trance to that which is pure. Ii by
chance man more thoughtful or ta-tdi-
Gus than the rest tries 10 have his house
furnished with means for ventilation, he
either firds that the architects know
nolhin1 about the subject, or they so
confuse Themselves and him with talk
about upward ventilation or downward
ventilation. hot air and cold air, ccono-
my ui frul and the impossibility of keep
in. warm and breathing pure air ut the
.amc time that. ten chances to one he
yields the point and allows himself TO be
boxed up in the most approved fashion
81 the builders. So IGNORANT of the mat
ter u! ventilation were the architects of
the new capitol, TO be built at Albany,
y. y, tliat in their plan for Il building
IL cost several million dollars, they have
confined themselves to open fire. places
L.. 4, l..
moving the foul air, trusting of course to
the doors and windows and the cracks 10
furnish supply of fresh air The bet
ter class of dwelling hou,cs, or most OF
them, bull. now, are likewise provided
with fire places or crates, and that these
do assist materially in ventilation there
can he no doubt. l!ut they are far from
iurnl-hin" complete method oi vcntiIa-
ton, and comparatively lew houses have
them, or will, 50 Ion" as most Of uul
dwellings aIc built, ~ now, by creed,
ami ignorant real estate brokers, AM
built To sell or tn rent.
l'nt 1t is high time our architects. who
profess to be- masters Of their profession
were brought to some sense of response
billty ON this subject. Their beauties o
outline and perspective, their purity q
style and excellence of constructors. tn,
tricks and grarcs with which they tckl,
the fancy and please the cyc,-all ar,
very well, but We want pure air inside
III our churches, our school houses, oul
public halls, our private dwellings. Al
present no two architects think alike
upon the question of ventilation, but al
agree in their inability to give us any.
thing adequate 10 our needs. Surely
the subject is one that appeals So strong
ly TO the health and comfort of every
person that it Is passin" strange thai
those who should be best acquainted will
It are still lamcntably ignorant, am
stranger still that people will continue tc
tolerate their ignorance.
SO convinced Is the MaSSachusett,
medical society Of the need of providing
proper means OF vcntialn" sick rooms
that it has offered Il prize of fifty dollars
for the hest dissertation, worthy of Il
prizc, which shall describe in plain Ian
%ua%e and briefly, IAN elective and
ready method of ycntilatin@ sick rooms
ono that can he put i'll operation at
once, at the moment needed, with least
difficulty and expense, in houses OF or.
dlnaIy constructions" The committee
Of award consists Of five we'll known ply
'icians, with DIR. Morrill, Wyman OF
Cambridge for chairman, and their name,
afford guarantee that anything they
shall deem worthy of Il prize will b,
worthy Of the attention of the public
Now will not some society or individual
"tier prize ior. an effective and practic;,
bic system Of securing thorough ventilt
t'on I"r well people : Indeed, inasmucl
a. prevention Is better than curc,it strike
rs that everybody but the doctors wonl
think that this part of the lcntilatio
question should receive attention first.