The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-02-24
Sch0Ol-hOuse Shortcomings. !


leave space for the clumsy ox-teams to
pass. Its windows never wore shutters
on one side nor curtains on the other.
Its unpainted ,clapboards have been
punched through here and there by the
big boys in the ,exuberance of muscular
activity; its small chimney picked off to
the ridge under their target practice.
The highway is the only play aground.
In an angle of the rail fence stands the
only out-building, half pried from it's
foundation, its door unhinged, in shame
full uncleanliness No .'entrv' inter-
venes between the one outside door and
the school-room. On long table-like
shelf behind the door is piled promis-
cuous and in stormy weather a steaming
heap of caps, hoods, shawls, mufflers
and dinner-baskets; under it is stored
the tire-.wood, fresh supplies being
mined and brought in from the snow
drifts now and then. In the center stands
the cracked box-stove, that supplanted
the franklin of an earlier day; under
it is mosaic of well worn bricks.
Around three sides of the room runs a
continuous sloping desk, splashed by
many an ink-spot and etched, bored and
notched by many a pocket-knife. At it
and facing the windows as they work at
map and slate and icopy-book, sit the
older children, elbow to elbow. on high
slab benches whose smaller occupants
must balance themselves as best they
can with no support for feet or back
There is no provision whatever for ven
tilatiOn. e.
"a This seems like a picture from the
dark ages. But that school-house was
doing duty only twenty years ago,in a
well-to-do, church-going, newspaper
reading village Of New England, And
it had many counterparts between By
ram River and Passamaquoddy Bay. 1t
was no proof of CANNON in the familiar
eulogies by Fourth of July and Fore
fathers Day orators of = that grand
cornerstone of New England institu-
tions, the common school" For though
it would make a sorry showing in the
examination papers and literary exer-
eises and stall-fed scholarship that. are
the pride Of the graded school to-day,
it did good work of its sort. Yet it did
it with most wretched tools. 5"-t 4
The country school house has inn
proved more IN twenty years than it had
in fifty years before. In its plans and
appliances the newer States are if any
thing ahead of the old ones. In many
a frontier school district which is win
ter swept by the fearful 's blizzard the
well furnished school-room is almost
the first plastered house. But East or
West the shortcomings of the average
country school-house are still many, and
serious. Fr ....-, u 49, ..-...
In no other one place except its Sleep
ing-room does the child spend 50 much
of its time as in the school house. Yet
no owner of thorough-bred cattle sta
bles his stock with such lack of regard
for proper ventilation as is evinced by
the way in which children are co,7aled
in these school houses, No church in
which people sit but two or three hours
week is built with SO little regard for
suitable seats as the schools houses in
which the dangling legs and aching
backs of little children are kept for ten
times as many hours. This is chiefly
the outcome of simple ignorance on the
rart of the farmer, the miller, the car
penter, or that factotum of the COM
munity in public affairs. the Squire"
who is charged with the responsibilities
Of building committee. He has no idea
that the pupil in the ordinary school
room is compelled to breathe second
hand air unless the entire aerial con-
tents of the room are changed every
ten or fifteen minutes. As matter of
fact he would probably say that it was
better to breathe over the same air a
few times than to waste warm air when,
fuel is SO high. 1t would be news to him
that the only arrangement of the VIM.
dows which, according to his architect
ural notions, =. looks well,'' will, by its
unfortunate distribution of light upon
books and black-boards, permanently
impair the eye-sight of from five to
twenty five per cent. of the children.
1t would probably be useless to ask him
to abandon a central site because of
the odors or the standing water in its
vicinity which would make. it positively
unhealthful.' .,-.sfi -,
The fourth annual report of the Wis
consin State Board of Health gives the
results of careful inquiries into the san
itary defects of the ol-house OF that
prosperous and intelligent State, which
emphasize the seriousness of the mis-
takes which are so common everywhere.
Some six hundred reports were received
from teachers and school superinten-
dents in reference to as many school
buildings in all parts of the State. To
start with it was found that in nearly
twenty-five per cent. the first and es-
sential condition Of dry and healthful
site had been wholly disregarded, and
the schoolhouse chad been placed in a
position utterly unfit for any building
intended for the occupancy of human
beings" The common mistake in these
eases-if SO mild word is applicable to
such an offense-was in selecting site
on low ground and near stagnant ponds
or miasmatic marshes, or where for lack
of drainage the surface water stood aft
er every rainfall until removed by
evaporation. a@s5 -r~-Tsas
In the important matter of ventila-
tion eighty-two per cent. of these school,
houses-taking the reports from city as
well as country-are dependent solely
on doors and windows for the supply OF
fresh air. In cold weather it is simply
choice between the two evils of sit
ting in draughts or breathing vitiated