The New York herald., 1877-10-07
OVERCROVDED SCHOOLS.
+" Dangerous to Both Physical and
Moral Health"
A PUBLIC S H A M E
Intellectual Efforts to Have the Evil of
Overcrowding Remedied

to have done at tue expense and neglect Of
those details which essential both to the henth
and we'll being OF the pupil for whose benefit the Legis
lature has condescondcd to exercise It's wisdom.
While tho and tests have elevated the
sanitary surroundings have been overlooked and
allowed TO retrograde, and are to-day far
worse than they have been years past.
This general remark applies more particularly 10
The schools Of Brooklyn which the Brooklyn
Board Of Education have Tor time past wagod u
heated controversy. From the reports OF the delb-
erations of this body few interesting facts arc
Cleaned. To usc the words OF the Committee on
Health, many of the necessary accommodations ana
appurtenanccs Of the schools arc 'Isuicicnt. filthy
aud dangerous to both physical and moral health re-
vollng TO decency and public shame"
THIS condition OF things arises from several causes.
FIRST increase Of popuation second mbcciity OF the
men generally chosen TO oversee this important and
delicate branch Of the public busincss and thrd. The
apathy OF parents, who ab inio have tho matter IN
their own hands, and mako these abuses and oms-
SONS election tests ana place men in tho Board OF
Education who Will make proper appointments
A few years ago, after the terrible school nc
cdcnt in Boston. digent Inspection was made of
all tho schools in this and other cities Exits woro
inspected starways wdened and everything done that
could suggest and insure greater safety. little
later paper OH school ventilation read before the
Social Science gress, and in the urore created by
tho ruhessness with which the essayist laid the
dangers health from too great and too little heating
and defective ventilation and drainage school windows
were widened, an enormous amount OF plumbing
accomplished and some tangled apparatus intro
duced and thus another patch IN the quilt OF mprove-
mcnt was made. Then there long rest and
nothing starting has lately boon done II that
the model school has already been conceived and
structc but that will answer the ever increasing
demands OF great city has yet to be hoard OF. In
Brooklyn, least SO wing Of the Board OF Education
preach the accommodations are inadequate and the
health OF tho children s endangered by over.
crowdng.
A REPORT IN PLAIN WORDS.
ON the 10Th OF July last Aessrs. Bell, Shepard
Hunter and Berger Committee on Health OF the
Board submitted the following report and resolutions
on "the overcrowdcd and unsantary condition OF tho
Brooklyn Public schools:"-
THE BROOKLYN BOARD or EDUCATION
Tho undersigned beg leave 10 report returns re-
ceived All our pubic schools in reply to ques-
tons regarding their sanitary condition VI the whole
number OF public schools-3S grammar, prm.
ary and coorcd-S2 are overcrowded IN their
primary departments IN tho aggregate TO tho
extent OF 8,964 pupils Eleven grammar schools
have seats In excess Of their average requirements
In the aggregate l442 Twcnty-six grammar SCHOOLS,
with but single exception Of overcrowdIng in
the primary departments. have room 10 the gram.
mar departments IN oxcoss OF their average require
ment In the aggregate 3275 seata Tho exception
81 seats 10 spare in the primary department, aud
In the whole school 100 seats moro than required
for average attendance
MONEY WANTED
These estimates are based ON former report Of
your Committee on Health (Marcn 0, 1871, liking tho
seating capacity schOolrooms for vc hours actual
occupancy, $50 cubic icet air ace and in
eo height Of ceiling aud nine square feet OF
floor space the minimum seating capacity Of school
rooms consistent with The maintenance OF health in
school children 1t thus appears tha. our
nfnrAsa al nj nv WIS
room tho grammar department equivalent TO 4,7l7
seats, nearly eight primary schools OF 600 pupils
each, which room. II used, would seat moro than halt
OF the excess now IN the primary departments, and
leave the remainder 10 DO provided for-4.247
pupils out .,, Of tho ssa.eqaal only 20 ss, seven
house In Prospect street, II used in the way pro-
posed by tho Committee on High Schools. SIX new
primary schools only needed provide for all the
children In attendance nt our pubic schools on
health basis, and, IN an economic point Of Wow,
saving OF the eight primary schoonouscs at AN
OF ot not loss than sixty teachers now en-
ployed IN tho grammar departments AZ average Of
tually wasted BY bad construction and bad appoint
menI
CHILDREN sMoTHERKD IN cELLARa
Of tho overcrowding in the primary departments In
detail u is not deemed necessary In this report to
undertake description. 1t Is simply revolving 1t
will suffice to that II sinks low extreme
In two rooms Of fifteen cubic feet OF air space
and two square feet OF floor space TO each
pupil Several rooms with from seventy-nye
In dark easements, have less than twenty-five cubic
space ana only three iour square feet of
floor space to each pupil and OF rooms when gvc less
than fifty cubic feet OF space, and less thun nve
square feet OF floor space pupil there about
fifty, average Of Ut least one such room TO each
scnoolhouse.
ROOM IN THE GRAMMAR SCHOOLS
This state OF things Is Tho more remarkable from
the circumstance that In the schools where this
daily smotnering Is practised In the primary depart
mehts, there rooms In the grammar departments
wnere the area OF space from two to three hun
drpd nd N EOm a n fpat
ana over thirty square ieet Of floor space TO each
pupii-actuay ten times as much room in proportion
to The number OF The pupils Ia some OF the grammar
departments there Is In the primary departments.
BAD LIGHT.
There Is also. throughout the schools, an almost
utter disregard Of tho relations Of light to tho pupils
In many scho0rooms there Is great want OF light
others 1t Is IN excess, and IN very few Is there
any regard paid TO the direction IN which It
falls upon the pupils ut their desks In some
rooms strikes glaring full In the face; In others the
rooms arc hbcraly lighted on all Sides There is In
Short In the construction Of tho schoohouscs la this
regard apparently no attention paid TO tho required
proportions Of window light space and floor space for
schoolroomR
HOT, DRY ATMOSPHERE
Moisture TO tho atmosphere us n necessary appcnd-
ago TO tue means Of warming, IN many Of the schools
seems never TO have been thought oi AZ any rate lit
tic or no attention has been gwen subject, and
there seems TO have boon recognition OF tho injury
To tho health OF the childrcn consequent upon its
neglect
HORRORS rPoS HORRORS
ventilation by tho ordinary plan oi unhcated tubes
open at the bottom only IN cold weather requiring
the windows to bo closed and when other means OF
ventilation are most necessary is frequently dclciont
and In many cases wholly imperative
Facilities for drinking water are, with but few ex-
ceptions exceedingly deficient and defectye in sew
crai schools faucets are IN the yard only, In bad
weather requiring dangerous exposure on the part of
the children.
OF the privies and urnals, they arc briefly, insuf
cent filthy and dangerous to both physical and moral
health, revolving to dccency and pubic shame
sENsIBLE RESOLUTIONS.
The following resolutions were submitted and their
adoption asked for by the Committee Health, as
basis OF action Tor the correction OF tho evils
evident by the report
Resolved, That the seating capacities of all schoolhouses
school aud class rooms OF sixteen feet height ccng
shall be imitedto nine eet floor space and
cubic feet Of air space for each hereby
made the duty OF all principals schools and
TO distribute pupils on this basis and
school or eass the seating capaeity
thus defined and imcd In less than 81
feet height Of ceiling tho rno Of floor space shall be
portionatey Increased.
. no MoRE CELLARS.
Resolved iha no cellar or basement room, with floor
hereafter bo used or permitted AS a schoolroom.
CALCULATIONS
kesoved, That the situation and of windows Of
every schooroom hereafter TO be ma
shall bc as follows:-N0 window shall loss than thrco