The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-02
VOL. XLVI.--N0. l55.
AND WHAT OFTHE CHILDREN
sCHOOL ROOMS An morn IN WHICH
MIKES THE TEA CHEERS I'LL.
Overcrowded, Fiiird with Mephiuc vapors.
and Hot TO suTocRtion-The Wait that an In
spector VI ade and what Did Not Come orIt
Bitter Com mplnInts by all the Teachers.

and Hot 20 suiIocRtion-The Wait that AN In-
spector VI ade and what Did Not Come orIt
Bitter Complaints by all the Teachers.
On the lower or ground story Of Public
School No. SO. on Seventy ninth street near
Third avenue. are two rooms occupied by tho
smallest children in the primary department.
little tots supposed to be- between the ages of
and 7 years. but many OF them little II any moro
than 4. Over the blackboard in each room is a
placard bearing tho averment. put thero by Of
fetal orders. This room accommodates 49,"
Even were the apartments in other respects
suitable for the uses to which they are put. that
would be an over estimate OF their capacity.
Thoy are small and their ceilings are low. 80
low that the windows cannot be opened at the
top lest the children on the elevated rear seats
take cold from the direct draught upon their
heads. None OF the rooms in the building are
Just ut present as much crowded as they ordi-
narily have oeen. as all tho children from the
Hebrew Orphan Asylum have been temporarily
withdrawn 10 prevent infection from the scarlet
fever raging in that institution. But even yet
there are GO little ones In one Of those apart
ments and II in the other. There are then l3l
children. little more than babies, immersed for
six hours daily in mephtic atmosphere in
those two poison watts, officially registered as
accommodating " n possible LAG.
Close beside the windows OF these rooms are
the school closets. There does not seem to bo
anRack OF care on the part OF the Janitor TO
keep them in as clean condition as possible.
but there is certainly some radical defect in
their arrangement Foul gases rise from them.
rush into those two rooms and roll up the hHck
stairs toward the other branches of the primary
department above, in such volume as to slcken
strangers who undertake To- explore the place.
In rold clear weather. and especially upon
Monday mornings when the rooms haye had
two days ventilation and publication. the OF
fence lpust. but IN Damp. tlkEy ana WhTm
weather II is actually POISONOUS. -
Miss W. NJ ieseSer Us .nS has Rts aTsr
served in either OF those rooms without feeling
their bad effects. and some have been made so-
riously III there l endeavor to change them
around as much as possible. so as not To leave
any one there longer than can be avoided. but
posnre to that atmosphere tor n single day.
Miss Marion Ellsworth. the last teacher who
was made sick down there. was laid up during
the holidays. and upon return 10 duty hrought
m certificate from her physician. pr. j. lGilseY
White oi 22l East l24ih street: In which ne ne
teacher can remain M the room formerly occu-
pied by bearer Miss Ellsworth without becom-
ana no way OF getting it. The sickness OF Miss
Ellsworth Is entirely due 10 being confined to
this room. and whoever occupies II Will be
sick II you will talk with the teachers who
have served in those rooms. you will be assured
that the Doctors emphatic aNerment ls n0t az
all too strong. |. myself. cannot spend hall an
hour there without having headache. When.
ever am down in those rooms for purposes Of
sensations Of nausea. oppression In breathing
and drOwsineSs.
Miss Amy Mirick said: 81 was in one Of
those lowest primary rooms last spring. and
was sick when went home at the beginning Of
the summer vacation on June ~; had vphold
pneumonia and my physician. DR.. Cneesrnan
OF East Twenty seventh street. SAID y was
caused by the air in our class room When |
returned TO school on Sept. %. had even then
hardly recovered my health. Fortunately Tor
me Twas transferred then to an upstairs room.
Had / been required 70 resume my former
place | think IL would have prostrated me
Miss Darlington, who is now teaching in one
OF the poisonous rooms. said: have been
here three months and have had headaches
and a constant succession oi colds anu sore
throats all the time. am not very delicate. Tut
feel that this air is telling upon me very pain
fully. How the. children endure II I cannot
imagine. They have sore throats and colds
great deal. and in the afternoons. when the air
Is always worst. and in close. warm days. they
are very drowsy. not so much because the poor
little tots are weary with the long hours, rs that
they are made languid and stupeiied 10y the
foul, oppressive atmosphere they nave 10
Miss sarah Peterson said: / was down
stairs In the fall term. but happily escaped from
there before became seriously III, Ihe emil
dren were always suffering with headaches
and in the afternoons some oi the llttle crea-
lures were crying with the sickness. weariness
and pain Induced by the abominable air they
had to breathe. The smell in those rooms
was enough to sicken a person unaccustomed
10 n and what made il worse, the glarinR sun
came in upon the childrens faces. so that we
had 10 close the blinds, and that shut out the ny
You can have no idea Of the heat stencil and
oppression in those abominable rooms in war m
and wet days. Some OF the children were only
able TO come 10 school during the forenoons
They were delicate. and could not endure the
afternoons when the conditions were worst
Miss PurroY. principal OF the grammar de-
partment, said: Those rooms should not be
used for class rooms at all: Their vicinity e
the closets. the lowness oi their ceilings. and
the impossibiity OF yenulating them render
them intolerAble and dangerous to the lives OF
all compelled TO remain in them Tor any irnGti
OF time. The attention OF the Board oi healti
has been called to them. An inspector came up
eniffed at them. said they were very bad. and
went away: and that is the last we have heard
from that direction. The matter WAS brought
TO the knowledge OF the Board oi Edueation.
Commissioner came UP, took whln oi our ac
customed lower primary atmosphere, looked
disgusted, and went away, saying II was tot
bad and that was the last we heard from MN
During the vacation there was large SUN eN
pended on the buiding-some Sl1OOO. under
stand-in fire escapes and other very goQc
things Dut those rooms remain as apomlnhhl,
m ever. IL Is an ihhuman thlng 10 kocp litu'
children in such places IL is bad enough u
subject the poor teachers 10 u course 81 poison
ing but how infinitely worse 70 contne hclp
less delicate children. mere infants. IN sucI
places"
SKATING FOR THE CHAMPIONsHIP.