The New York herald., 1879-01-03
OVercroWded and III Ventil-
ated Glass Rooms.
VARIOUS VIEWS OF TRUSTEES
Circumlocution and What Ought
to Take It's Place.


situated in private dwellings, which consid-
cred unfit for the purpose but have to be retained
for lack of accommodation elsewhere. The ward is
densely populated and several of the schools are
squeezed in among tenement houses that interfere
with the light and ventilation The Board of Trustees
consists of DR.. r. A. Barry. chairman Henry Merz.
Hiram Merritt, Patrick X. Horgan and Frederick G.
Wagner.
DIR. Barry, on being questioned as to the sanitary
state of the schools. repledAn order was sent out
last Monday by the Board Of Trustees directing the
janitors to pay particular attention to having the
water closets kept clean. In school No. 25 the anitor
very neglectful. and when the fact was brought
to the consideration of the Board. he notified Of
the consequence of attending to his business and
an improvement followed
'sHow is the ventilation 2"
1T is the old style. done by the doors and win
aows."
"Do you approve Of that?"
'No the proper plan is by shafts, with current
of warm air kept constantly ascending and drawing
off through ventilators in the walls the ceiling
the foul air Of the rooms You only have
tiaton at the risk of getting cold"
lis it so that the gallery classes in No. 13 are SO
dark that you can't see the children faces?
II never noticed that. andit could hardly have
capped my attention If it were so
building new schools?"
IL think if the kindergarten system introduced
it would have very beneficial effect in this direction.
To relieve the overcrowding let number of the
children in the primary departments be taken out in
turns every day in the parks and instructed by object
teaching 1t would be good thing for their health,
relief to the schools and admirable method of
imparting knowledge"
"You feel aware Of several drawbacks to the
schools p
Eyes, there good many, but the question is,
Can do better? The trouble is land is too valua-
BILE in such wards this to do would like and
have such schools we would wish think too
the Board Of Trustees should have more authority
than they possess; in fact, they possess at
all. There many things they should have
the power to decide without having to consult the
Board Of Education Yet the trustees held
responsible by the public, though they have
no control. To illustrate the helplessness Of
the Board Of Trustees and the crcumlocution that
has to be resorted to in everything. may mention
instance when. of our boilers out of
pair ard the jantor sent the engineer Of the
Board of Education to inform him Of the fact. In
place of coming himself he sent subordinate, who
finally made report, and the Board decided that if
ajority of the trustees signed requsition an ap-
preparation would be asked for and the re-
exploded and the schoolhouse been blown to pieces
A majo rity of the Board Of Trustees have an idea
that the wainscoting Of the urinals should be of
marble, it is substance that is likely to absorb
any thing noxious smelling; but the superintendent
thinks differently, and puts in the urinals wains
cotng OF North Georgia pine chiefly because it is so
much cheaper than the other materials but such
economy in q matter of this kind is hardly to be
called OF the paying kind"
CROWDED ROOMS AND NO VENTILATION.
Mr.. Henry Merz, another OF the trustees, in reply
dition and management OF the schools in the ward,
said :-"Under the circumstances they in good
condition as you might expect. The primaries are
all overcrowded and the grammar departments are
on the brink of being in the same way The trustees
have tried to accommodate Us many children as
possible by utilizing the main rooms and
dividing them into four classes by screens
and rolling partitions. Just in the of these
main rooms the gallery for the small
children, and these also divided by Partitions and
all this economizng of space results in more or less
impeding the light and ventilation, but something
has to be done accommodate the crowds OF children.
The primary schools are commodous and well
lighted, but the grammar class rooms arc too small.
''What do you think of the ventilation of the
schoolsY"
..The ventilation In the schools is abominable all
through don't think there is a building in the
city ventilated on scientific principles. The remedy,
of course is to make use of the best modern inven-
tions for extracting foul air and replacing il in win
ter with warm fresh air and in summer with pure
cool air No doubt this be done, though it might
prove expensive. and for the Board OF Education,
one half it's member would opposed TO it on the
ground of expense, and the other from inability to
any benefits in it, Some school officers can see
no good in any improvements. know one who told
that where he leared his lessons the school had
flooring to it except the bare earth, and yet the
children were all healthy and happy.
How the water closet arrangementsY'
"As rule they very poor, and am sure they
could be improved Then they are too close to the
class rooms-iu some case within an arms length,
Some time ago succeeded in having the class rooms
removed from the ground hoor OF one OF the schools
they were on level with the water closets, and,
with the windows open in summer. they intocr-
able As it is. the class in most OF the schools,
beginning with the first hoor are entirely too near
to the water closets
A SANITARY SUGGESTION.
"What would you suggest toward improving the
sanitary condition of the schoolsr'
'.We ought to have officer in the Board Of Ed,i
cation whose sole duty would be to look after the
drainage. ventilation and general hygienic manage
mont OF the schools. Tho superintendent has a
variety of other matters to look after, and there is
quite enough business in this line to take up one
"Do the ianitors see properly to their busness?'
rhe janitors. of course. have limited ideas about
hygiene, and they nothing wrong in the venta-
ton the state of the urinas because they have
experience of any better arrangements but. think,
they do their work well, rule. and try ia tlcr
way to keep the schools clean
Mr. Frederick G. Wagner. another of the trustees.
asked to state what he thought OF the report OF
the ovcrcrowdiug of the schools and their imperfect
sanitary arrangements. and said-
'school No. 13 is crowded. but not more than that.
We have asked the Board of Education to buy adj
jacent lot which will give the light and that is
needed. When the school built in 1853 there
houses In its neghborhood, but there
large tencments surrounding it. and the light
and ventilation thus impaired On dark days gas
has to be USED. The population in the vicinity is
dense, and the school being popular one the crowd
ing is accounted for"
"ls the school No. 25 much inconvcnicnced by the
presence OF n stable next door?'
"The stable is a nuisance hut we can't remove It.
They are necessity, like other nuisauces, and must
remain: but don't believe IL is injurious to heath
What steps have been taken to remedy the water
closet cvilg'
"Ne expense is to be spared in putting the closets
in good order. and the inspectors have been recently
instructed to look after them. From the water
closets of Nos. l3 and 20 there ventlatng pipes
that carry of the vapors TO the roof"
Are you satisfied with the ventiiationg"
II suppose IL Is good as in any other school Of
the CITY, Ventilation and heating are hard things 10
regulates one teacher may think IL too cold in her
part of the school and another think IL too warm.
A person coming into q schoolroom after q brisk
walk will think the atmosphere opprcssvely hot but
after being indoors while may consider IL rather
cool. We have heard OF of sickness among
the children on account of the ventilation. Grammar
school No. - and Primary schools Nos. 26 and are
,,.t t...,t..