The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-12-30
school Houses.
Continued

side have all the wood work painted,
not with u glaring color but u quiet
plain hue, something that will please
the eye. II il can be afforded, kalso.
mine the ceiling, if not, have it white
washed. Have all the out buildings
and the fence painted. Now We are
ready for putting in everything that Is
needed for the pupils and teacher. Our
building must be so ventilated that it
will be comfortable during all kinds OF
weather. How can this be done
When the chimney is built let it be
built from the ground with fue 1896.
Let one thickness of brick divide this
Hue into two parts, One of these parts
should be used for the smoke flue and
the other for ventilation only. Let the
chimney be open to tho floor. Now
when the smoke heats the chimney an
upward current will DO established in
the ventilator part, which will carry of
the impure mir in the schoolroom. Cold
air can be admitted into the room by
means OF a pipe and in such way that
there will he no curren. created. An
other good method for heating country
school house is to have a cellar under
meath it, place in this box stove with
sheet iron box enclosing it. Make
openings IN the floor and put registers
on each side of the building. Attach
tlues to tho heater and have them ex-
tended TO the registers. Now the heat
is always blown to the leeward side of
building, hence when the wind blows
from the North, the tlue on the north
side should DO opened and the others
closed. When it blows from the South
the flue ON the south side should be
opened and close tho rest and so on.
Thus teacher will always be able to
keep the heat Of schoolroom uniform.
Both OF these methods Of heating
school house are good, and either can
dc adpoted. The last mentioned Is prob
ably the best because 1t will keep the
feet OF the children warm and do away
with all the crowding and scufIling that
ensues when stove is used. Tho OBJ
ject Of both of these methods IL TO OBJ
tain uniform heat in all parts of the
building. We have now secured the
most important things necessary in a
school room, heat and light. We are
now ready to put in the desks and seats
chalk, cIayon, pointers and erasers.
We also need n wash basin, towel and
soap, brush and comb, and pail and dip.
per. No school house of any preten-
sions should be without these articles.
1t is simple neglect and carelessness on
the part OF the school board if they fail
to procure them. A Webster's Una
bridged Dictionary is also necessary.
Wall maps and charts are very useful.
Letter cards, color cards, numerical
frames and blocks are very useful to
assist the younger scholars in their les
sons. If the school district can afford
it, cabinet organ is a very pleasant
thing to have, but it is not necessary.
We have now about all the things that
are absolutely necessary. Let US now
see what we can add to ornament the
room, to make is look pleasant and
homelike. Curtains for the windows,
some we'll chosen pictures for the
walls, vase for flowers, and anything
else, that may suggest itself to the
trustees, will add to the comfort of the
pupils. For, besides bodily comfort
pupils should have comfort of the mind.
Our school building is now finished.
Throw open the doors, let the children
pour in. Let the new educator step
forward and say, "Children will give
you yourself, awakened, strengthened,
made generally available" The sub
ject / have just finished is one which
the people must take hold of. Young
teachers just beginning the work, must
talk it to school boards, must introduce
it in their teaching in everything they
do. Parents must take il up because it
effects those who are nearest and dearest
to them. Doctors must begin on it, be-
cause it is their duty to find where dis
ease starts from, and say that ma.
jority of the cases, who have become
blind, who have lung diseases or weak
minds, can trace them to the cold, mis-
cradle, school houses in which they have
been compelled to spend their youthful
days. Children require, most of all,
properly distributed light, heat, comfort
and labor. You can't inspire In chill.
dren who study in rooms where the
thermometer indicates 8 or degrees, a
desire to become educated. Yet how
many there are who do so, and no few
of them ever succeed. Who is to blame?
Is it the parents9 Is it everybody
What do we see staring at us from the
surroundings. the rooms, the windows,
OF our country school houses. Neglect,
carelessness, i'll management, parsimony
or its opposite, all these arc plainly seen
What we want to sec, what we have got
to see, what VIC will see, is care: wisdom,
prudent expenditures, comfort &c. |
The work is beginning and it will con-
tinue till its object is attained.
Yours Truly, J.