Omaha daily bee., 1883-02-01
Sanitary SCHOOL Houses.

Amehcan Arch teet.
A medical commission, which was
appointed not long ago In Germany to
study certain questions relating to the
construction Of school buildings, has
made an interesting report, which GER
tsinly must be regarded % marking .
step In advance In that branch Of
science. In the matter Of ventilation
we find that the members Of the com
mission agree with ell the other ex-
perts who have investigated the sub.
ject, In increasing the quantity of
fresh air which Is to be regarded %
essential to health. 1t Is but q short
time since q Thousand feet of air per
hour for each pupil wal regarded
ss an extremely liberal theoretical
allowance for healthy children, and in
practice of this country, at least a
room which q hundred and fifty or two
hundred feet per hour Is actually sup
piled to each person Is regarded az
admirably ventilated. Now, however,
those who have long submitted to be
accused of foolish extravaganza In In.
sisting that this Is an inadequate al.
lowsnce may cite the authority of the
German doctors, who set two thou.
sand one hundred and twenty cubic
feet per hour for each pupil as the
minimum quantity of fresh air to be
supplied. In the best arranged ven
tilsting shafts, of metal, fitted with
gss-Aames, stoves, or other artificial
means for promoting the draught, the
upward current will occasionally
reach a velocity of a thousand feet
per minute in cold weather, although
the average Is rarely more than five
hundred feet and generally much less;
so that q room containing sixty pupil,
should have an outlet shaft of four
square feet or more In sectional ares
to be even capable Of such ventilation
ID pronounced essential. In regard t.
lighting, the new commission totally
denies and rejects the famous theory
of unilateral illumination, following II
this respect the French authorities
who began to call 1t In question . yea
or N ago. In the language of the re
port, 1t ID practically impossible, ever
With lofty and narrow rooms, to obtai,
diff cient ligh' by Ibis method. II
cases where openings oan onlyb g mad
In one wall, the report requires .ha
the width Of the piers between thu
windows shall not exceed three.fourthi
of that Of the windows themselves
and that the width of the room shall
not be more than five feet greater thar
the heighth of the windows, which
would restrict 1t in such cases t,
about eighteen feet as a maxi
mum. Lighting from two sides being
then required under at ordinary cir
.cumstsnces, 1t is advised that tn
windows should be in the opposit,
walls, on the right and left of tn
pupils as seated. Light from the rea
is admissible, but is not recommended
and windows facing the pupils are pro
hibited. Walls of neighboring build
ings painted white and rejecting tn
sunshine into the school.room ar
very injurious, and the owners shout,
he persuaded or obliged to paint then
of a dark color. The inside face Q
the walls of the school room itself l
to bs painted pale blue or blush whit
and the ceiling pure white. Artifcis
light should be used without hesits
ton on dark or short days, It is NOR
, dangerous to work by insufficient day
light than by gaslight. Argan
burners are preferable, as giving
, steadier light, and ground. glass globe
are Objectionable on account of tn
{ large proportion of light which the
!, ahsOrh.