Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-19
CORRESPONDENCE.
Writes EditOrials- -Musical-Designs For a Model Public School Building.
 NEW YORK Feb IT. 18S0

ALetter From New YOrk-HOw gseecher
 Writes Editorials -Musical-Designs
 For a Model Public School Building.
 NEW YORK, Feb. IF, 1880.
 To the Editor Of the JOURNAL COURIER:
 Rev. Henry Ward Beecher and Rev. Lyman Abbott are the editors of the Christian Union," and as MT. Beecher's name is placed first it is natural to suppose that he is the senior member of the firm. But though his editorial services may be ranked of first i'm portance to the Christian Union," they are certainly not the most laborious or extensive. The brunt of the labor falls to the share of MT. Abbott, whose competency, by the way, is shown by his able editorials on the questions of the day,-political as well as religious Mir. Beecher's editorial work is peculiar. He has no office hours, has nothing to do with the detail of the office. He does no "space work, never sits in judgment on manuscripts, never bothers himself with looking after the ''make- up; ;'-all this is left to MT. Abbott and his suberdinates MT. Beecher visits the sanctum only once 8 week-Friday he calls and has conference with his colleague And into the space of an hour or so he crowds his whole editorial labor for the week, and with the method he uses the labor is not very laborious either. But the adj jective ''laborious'' don't fit Mir. Beecher. He doesn't labor; whatever he does must be done with the grand freedom of genius. Don't imagine that he sits down at desk, arranges 8 pile of manuscript paper before him, seizes pen and scratches for an hour-not he. If he were required to do that sort of thing he would throw up the job on the spot Neither does he dictate to astenographer; ; even that would trammel his thinking more or less as there is some degree of restraint i'm piled in dictation. He adopts the remaining alternative-he simply talks; and although a ,Ao ,ha- %oI 1Nrr,v haSe ooI, livious of the stenographic presence as he is of the existence of scandal -mopgers. It is 8 delicate operation-thls getting MT. Beecher's weekly editorial. MT. Abbott closets himself with him, and the stenographer- the pres ence of this important machine is indispensa- ble-dexterously starts him on his theme, and having wound him up lets him run himself j; and the shorthand machine must be one of the ''latest improved" and in good order, if he gets the precious utterances safe and sound down on paper.
 A well known patron of musicians in this city is Colonel P. He counts among his per sonal friends and proteges many of our best amateurs. This fact is a sufficient guarantee that any scheme of musical nature which he undertakes shall be an artistic success. Ac- cordingly, it was 8 musical treat that he served up to us last evening in Chickering Hall. The programme presented 8 very agreeable variety-an element so apt to be
 
 piano solos, organ solos, vocal quartettes and vocal solos male and female, with judicious mixture of recitations. Everybody came in for share of the honors. Mrs. s., the prin- cipal soprano soloist, 8 candidate for metro politan favor, exhibited a voice of unusual fullness, combining 8 rich, mellow quality with good deal of power. Her voice evi- dently made good impression, which she has | only to follow up to complete the difficult conquest of the affections of the capricious | and critical New Workers.
 Doubtless, and with reason, you are proud | of your public school system, and of the school buildings themselves. We'll, granting that the former is unapproachable, am in | clined to think from 'swhat have seen the other day." as the Frenchman would say 1t
 that in the latter regard you may possibly be | improved. Wait a moment, don't resent the suggestion till explain. What saw was ar l exhibition at the Academy of Design of prize
 designs for model school houses Hundredl
 of them there were, from all over the United
 States. The prizes, amounting to $500, art offered by the Sanitary Engineer" Of thi , city. Here is an extract from the terms O the competition: ''The proprietors of tht Sanitary Engineer offer the sum of five hun dred dollars for the best four designs for model public school building, to accommodat,
 eight hundred pupils (40O boys and 400 girls)
 from six to fifteen years of age. The build ing is to be erected on lot facing north, O 100 feet front by 100 feet deep, and enclosed
 by buildings on adjoining lots at the sides ant
 rear (of average city height, say fou stories.)" Many of the designs present nev
 and striking features in school-house archl
 lecture The design that is attracting tn most attention is very elaborate in it's execu ton and contains some peculiarities well wort noticing. For instance, to avoid the usua "weIl-hole" made by 8 serpentin stairway, the designer proposes t buiId tvo or more stairways. adioinin but independent, in such way that eac stairway leads to different floor. So in GAS
 of panic, each floor discharges it's occupant by its own particular stairway, and the chil dren must descend by the stairways, with n : danger of doing SO more precipitately