Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-08-01

How TO Protect Schools From Unclean.
illness and from Contagious Diseases.
The present public school system Of
our various states involves the most
fundamental questions that have to do
with human life and health. Man shall
must have body to exercise it, Physical
care as well as physical culture, are of
the first importance. Not only has not
the proper curriculum of physical in
struction been reached, but our schools
actually inflict many evils on the rising
generation. They are too often the actual
promotives of uncleanlness. That Hol.
landish habit, by which, in the best large
or common school, a matron meets each
scholar at the door, TO see whether there
is neatness in body and apparel has
something to do with the proverbial Dutch
ncatness and cleanliness. The wash basin
and towel, should be accessible to all.
Chinese paper towels are cheap and
handy. The tendency of the American
schoohouse is 10 overlook what is best
known as good housekeeping. A j,nitor
makes the fire and sweeps the room on
Saturday. or perhaps, oftener; but many
a schooroom does not get that daily
sweeping and dusting of furniture and air
ing which are sorequisite. Itrequires wise
use of the broom and the dust brush, TO
get into every corner, under the desks and
about the seats. The crowded condition
of schoolrooms and the habit of putting
two or three in one seat adds to the
uncleanliness. Children with soied
hands and often with soiled clothes not
only mar, but make unclean the furniture.
There is no kiud of woodwork that so
often needs to be washed with soap and
warm water as school furniture and the
schooroom wainscoting. Instead of the
mere sweeping, many Saturday should
be spent IN thoroughly washing and
wiping of all the woodwork of the school.
room and such duslin@ or cleansing of the
walls as is desirable. In our crowded
city schools, the walls and ceiling should
have whitewash, at least, each month.
1t will not do to leave them, to merely
the cleansing of the summer vacation
Few men are capable of this kind of house
care. While the general oversight of
cellar. basement, and out door surround
ings may be left to men the best housewife
care shonld be provided for the school
dwelling apartments. A to closet accom-
modalions too often the cloak ,m IS an
unaled dark closet, where, too often
damp and unkempt clothing is left
hanging and badly aired all the day. 1t
is quite beneath the dgnny of trustees
and OF some teachers to know what may
he he Stale of the out closets. Unll
there is radical reform in the actu II
c'eanlrness OF school buildings and their
surroundings, we despair of cltanlin' -
rs Il marked and dominant TRAIT OF charac
ter.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES IN SCHOOLS.
Next in import to this genera promotion
of cleanliness, and so OF health, is The
question of how to guard the schools from
becoming the vehicles or propt9atols OF
those contas ious diseases which, besides
being nourished by filth, may often occur
from the dissemination of a specific poison,
even where cleanliness is promoted and
ordinary assemblage of children. 1t is 4
matter which is one for serious inquiry on
the part of teachers, of physicians, and of
parents. We know of Il school in which
it is claimed that the high rewards for
punctuality have SO induced children to
attend when half sick, or when there was
communicable disease in homes, as to
have made the school notable occasion
of the spread of epidemics. How shall
the necessary information be obtained?
The teacher, or trustee, saws he cannot be
expected 10 be discoverer of disease, or
to know the condition of the family at
home. The family physician raises the
question whether it is his duty to report
every case of contagious disease in his
practice, or whether his own indulgent
shall be the guide. Many boards of
health claim that, unless the rule to report
is imperative, the local existence OF such
diseases cannot be traced or contagon
isolated. Parents are shy to give publici-
ty to any located disease in the family, a,
it often reacts on their business or their
comfort. We see no way except to 60
back of preudices and self interest to the
real moral or ethical views. We think a
close examination of this view will show
that the proper authorities-t. e., boards
of health or trustees-have n right TO
know home conditions of health, so far as
these ieopardize the public, or the children
who attend schools. Whether the parent
or the physician shall be the authority,
and whether for pay or on n purely
e,hletica basis the report shall be made,
is subsidiary question, to be determined
by the SenSuS cOmmunis or by the law.
The outcry there is in any neighborhood,
il a parent has child sick with scarlet
fever, for instance, and sends the other
daily to school, is almost a testimony that
the schools have right to this knowledge;
and, if SO, to determine how to obtain it
and TO act thereupon in some regulative
way. This question is now subjective.
and, until more fully argued, we only
suggest two or three practical expedients; ;
First, we think every board of school
trustees, Joined, perhaps, by the local
board of health, should, at the commence
ment of each term, or just before send
circular or notice to each parent, that,
whenever certain named contagious dis
eases are in, or have within mon h
been in any particular household, no
child should be sent to school except by
previons approval of the board. If case
of such disease occurs in pupil attending
the teacher or trustee should be apprised.
In this way cases of small pox, for instance
have often been prevented and the severi-
ty of other diseases averted. The time of
non attendance depends much on the care
of the family or the opinion of the physi
clan, and should only vary from fixed
standard. say of one month. upon modify
i'g evidence. Logically and morally the
duty OF notice seems to us to devolve upon
the guardian or parent, although we see
how, IN the peculiar relations, OF the
physician in the last sickness over all the
other bills, We, at least, insist that
the power of isolation of communicable
disease and of preventing extension is
such that it is high time that both law and
general ethics determined what are the
rights and duties of all who
bear either family or professional
relation to children, to whom the state
offers free schools, except that it does not
also wish TO offer TO all such absolute
freedom to convey dangerous diseases. --
Independent