The Republican journal., 1885-06-11
Hints on Building School Houses.

CIRCULAR ISSUED BY The BOARD OF HEALTH
OF MAINE.
Nearly onc-siXth Of the population of our
State spend, about six hours daily during a
large part of the year in our schooI-rooms
This Necessary confinement within the school
room walls. coming it does during the grow
ing period of the body. and w hlle ii is the most
susceptible 10 harmful influences. entails GER
tam evils which have been too generally re-
earded as necessary accomplishments of school
life. 1t Is well known, however, to th )se who
nave studied these questions carefully, that
most OF the diseases incident to school life are
IN quite "A high degree preVentable, and that one
of the first and most important requirements in
guarding against these diseases is to have the
building of schoo-houses conform to IA few
rules which are generally recognized as essen
tial elements in school-house construction.
The more important of these rules are as fol
lows:
RUIE1. School-houses should be built upon
dry ground; if not dry, the lot must be deeply
drained. Furthermore, proximity to swamps
and other sources of stagnant water or of noX-
ious eXhalations should be avoided. The rea-
son for this rule is the welknown fact that
dampnes> of soil contributes much to make a
school-house unhealthy. Very fatal school cpl
denies of diphthera and similar diseases have
been caused by eXhalatons from damp and
filthy soil around and beneath the school-house.
RULE 2. School-rooms should be oblong,
with their length somewhere nearly one third
greater than their width, and with the teachers
desk in one end.
REASON. In rooms of this shape the scholars
are more easily observed and controlled, and
such rooms are more easily lighted.
RULE 3. The glass surface of the windows
should equal at least one-seVenth or one-siXth
of the floor surface.
RULE 4. The window sills should be placed
never lower than three and one-half feet above
the floor and the windows should extend up
ward to near the ceiling.
REASON. The light which comes from con-
Siderably above the level of the desk and books
lights them much better than the more horizon
tai rays. High windows also light the ceiling,
whence the light is reflected downward upon
the desks.
RULE 5. Windows should be placed on the
sides of the room. Windows in the rear of
scholars are permissible, but in front of them
never.
REASON. Light from the front is very try
ing to the eyes. Light from behind the
scholars is not injurious to their eyes, but is
disadvan,ageous for the teacher.
NOTE. If the schoolroom is not more than
90 or "a feet in width it may be lighted wholly
from one side. Then the light is better from
the left. In single room school-houses it is
better upon the whole to light from two sides
with no windows behind the pupils. Then,
when it can be done, let the school-house be
south sides of the building.
RULE g. Do not place the black boards be-
tween or near the windows.
NOTE. This matter of lighting school-rooms
has come to be regarded as very important.
since it is found that near sightedness and
other serious eye troubles are caused or in
tepsified by faulty methods of lighting.
RULE I. In rooms for study, each pupil
should have 20 square feet of floor space, and
this, with the height of twelve feet for the
ceiling, will give $40 cubic feet Of air space for
each scholar. Ceilings should never be lower
than twelve feet, and in ordinary rooms never
much higher.
REASON. This amount of floor and of cubic
air space is required to make efficient ventila-
ton possible.
RULE 8. Never think that a school-rOom Is
completed until there is some way of getting
fresh, warmed air into it and the foul, breathed
air out. Ventilation costs something in fuel.
but it is a pennywise and pound foolish policy
which omts it. The apparatus to obtain it
need, especially in small schools, cost but few
dollars.
A valuable plan for heating and ventilating a
school-room is appended.
In the meantime it would be pleasure to
the board to answer any questions or make
any farther suggestions, which school or
municipal officers, or other interested persons.
may desire.