Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-10-18
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
An Inspection Of Washington school-The
Want of Ventilation-Other Defects
Model Manapement

Want of ventllation-Other Defects
Model Management.
The invitation is given urgently, and as wei,
as frequently, to the general public to visit the
public schools, at odd times, to see how the
duty of educating the young is performed; to
come when the children and teachers are not
prepared to show off with examination prepa-
ration and drill. GLOBE reporter having &C
cepted the invitation, makes report to
the public who do not avail themselves of the
privilege. Promising that old folks are
nightly in the habit Of declaring with shrug
of the shoulders that ''school days. of the
present time are very different from their recol-
lections of the old log school-house, more pre-
tentlous frame-always painted red, it
may be declared that the school-house
designed and ornamented. does not contain all
the conveniences, accommodations and facili-
ties necessary to successful work and comfort
combined
An inspection of the Washington school will
show this. To be sure, it is the Oldest building
IN the city devoted to educational pur-
poses, and may not be fair example of our
schools. yet as it was found, SO is it described
In this building are six 1ooms into which
are crowded 295 children. The ventilation Is
bad, only through open windows. which direct
draft upon the children. In the winter to
offset this, immense stov.s are kept at red
heat. Heat vs., cold, with no means of effect
ing genial compromise.
In some of the rooms even the lack of win
dows is felt, felt in the darkness as it were.
which at times prevents the professor of
penmanship and drawing from taxing the pu.
pills eyesight with a lesson for days.
There isn't a single closet in the whole build
ing; refuse paper and scraps of all kinds must
be stored away in the unsightly wood boxes in
th4 hall ~
The rooms cheerless the walls need
pant and are utterly barren of ornament, ex-
cept where, and this is SO in several instances,
the teachers have essayed modest ornamental.
ton in pictures or drawings of their own.
In case of fire, fortunately, the means of
egress are comparatively good; large hall, up
and down stairs. with a double stairway to the
second story, are the avenues of escape af-
forded. -
On the whole, the serious objection to the
school is the want of ventilation, and the i'm.
possibility of atfording it under present ar
rangements without graves fears of giving
the children colds, Group and diphtheria.
The Washington school is attended by 295
children. They vary in years from six to ten,
and the absolute necessity of devising means
of ventilation for these little ones Gagged in q
pest breeding atmosphere for five or six hours
is apparent -..
Besides these enumerated Deficiencies in the
the number of teachers employed. There are
295 pupils and six teachers:
Miss Wright, principal, has 80 of the third
grade.
Miss Banker. 50 pupils of the third grade.
Miss Gauthier, so of the third and second
grades. ...
Miss Taylor, 4S of the second grade.
Miss Kenna, 48 of the first grade.
Miss Hunt is principal Of the primary de.
partment, having daily attendance of sixty
five children, mere mites of years, and even
less, if size and appearance go for anything
The room given over to these nurslings canno,
accom- modate them, and half attend in the
morning and the others in the ASTRONOMERS
because some kind mother with u big batch OF
children at home insists upon the teacher car
ing for this one lambkin all day.
With SO many little ones to interest and keer
employed, the task is onerous one upon
the few teachers employed at the school, anc
considering the vile accommodations, the labor
becomes doubly perplexing and arduous. How
ever it can but be said, with all these vexa
tious difficulties to contend against, the chill
dren are uniformly obed1ent and show intellec
tual progress. The discipline, I'M
der Miss Wright's constant super.
vision. is administered kindly but firmly
All the children know, or at least they lisp it
out that the teachers ''dassent lick 'em," We,
they are made to understand that they must
obey for all that.
To partially relieve the over-taxed capacity
of the school, another room might be parti
toned off the upstairs hall for the principals
office, and another teacher employed, so tina,
more time could be given the principal to ex
tend her Immediate supervision to all depart
ments under her control