West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1882-03-01

nose Is W1Q0 awake, ana Cneu 20 Uich anu
take few snuffs Of your bedroom air =;
il it smells fresh and sweet, like outdoor
air, you have good ventilation, and nave
breathed the breath of life all the night.
But If Mt is close, musty and sickening
-, well, I'll leave you to finish that
sentence when you and your bedmate
compare notes 1T breakfast, and to draw
your own conclusions Try the expert
ment by all means and see how much
your nose can tell you. Perhaps it may
give you some idea Of the cause OF our
waking with headache and languor, feel
ing that life is a burden. 1t is burden
when you carry such crushing and need
less load.
But you will say, "What can I do ?
beye III nt w fnt e is One 81 e
first things to provide for in planning
house. What did you build your house
for, to live in, or smother in Judged by
what men aim at in housebuilding we
should conclude the houses are mainly
planned for smothering. But thanks to
poor carpentry, which leaves cracks and
openings everywhere, thanks to the pene-
trating quality Of air which pierces brick,
mortar, wood and everything OF which
houses are built, except metals and glass,
every house has some ventilation, how
ever poor. But this Is not enough, and
we need by some more direct means to
cast an anchor of hope into the ocean Of
life outdoors. An old writer says, "when
men lived In houses of reeds they had
constitutions Of oak when they live in
houses of oak they have constitutions of
reeds" Tho patriarch before the flood
whose life stretched out into centuries,
was dweller in tents when we come
down to the time when men left the airy
tent to dwell in celled houses, we are told
"the days OF our years are threescore and
ten and II by reason OF strength they be
fourscore, yet Is their strength labor and
sorrow for it Is soon cut off and we fly
away" Is this the final verdict In the
great chancery suit OF Tent uersus House ?
Look around your neighborhood and see
how many men lived in vigorous health
while they lived in poor houses, well ven
tilated because poorly built, but when
wealth accumulated and they built good
houses they sickened and died. You say,
chow sad that neighbor Jones, who was
hale and hearty all his life, just after he
moved into his new house should die and
leave all he worked so hard to secure !"
Yes, thanks to the skill OF carpenter and
mason, he smothered at last.
Every bedroom has or should have a
window and when you open the window
you will find the outdoor air Immediately
on the outside, and ready to enter at a
moments notice. "But we shall freeze
with the window open and then the
night air !" AS well freeze as smother
Is your bedroom air, that you have
breathed over and over, night air or day
air ? You had better swap it off for some
Il .1<~.A II IL ,l~ -
your windows in cold weather SO that D
blast OF cold air may blow directly upon
you. GA blast of cold air may kill like a
sword" says Angus Smith.
Some degree of ventilation may be Sc
cured in every room, however badly con-
structed take board four inches wide
having straight edges, saw off piece just
as long as your window is wide, raise the
lower sash and place the board edgewise
under the sash. which is then to be shut
down upon the board this will leave an
opening between the upper and lower sash
by which the fresh air will enter your
room with an upward motion, causing it
to mingle with the warmer air at the top
of the room thus saving you from
draught of cold air. You may thus draw
certain amount Of fresh air from that
bountiful storehouse of God,-the vast
outdoors. Ventilate your bedroom be-
cause the body relaxed in sleep is then
most liable to the influence Of depressing
causes. Ventiate and "when thou lest
down thou shalt not be afraid yea, thou
shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be
sweet"
WHAT IS VENTILATION ?
Let us get clear idea of what ventila-
ton is and does. Ventilation is the ex-
change of air in any given space so that
the air is continually replaced by air from
elsewhere, just as the wind continually
changes the air in any place exposed to
its sweep, for Uentus means qciad. Your
room is ventilated when the vtiated air
therein is constantly replaced by fresh air
from outdoors just as it is when gentle
breeze blows through the room. It does
not mean a small "ventilator placed I'D
in the wall of your room, with a green
cord and tassel attached to the register,
for the air may not pass through this ven
tilator at all. In about nine cases out of
ten you will find that mortar and dirt have
fallen into the ventllating shaft so as to
prevent the passage of air. Examine your
ventilators by holding candle flame near
the opening and see whether a healthy
gimblet hole would not be as good ven
tilator,-whether your artistic and orna-
mental ventilator, your breeze maker, is
not
GAS idle as painted ship
Upon painted ocean,"
In speaking of materials for a house.
after illustrating with blow pipe jet and
lighted candle, how readily air passes
Il.