Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-06-14

SCHOOL BUILDINGS.



The Way Is wbIeh Architects Cnn Ala
the sehooI.NEaster.
The Builder not long ago contained n
paper on the planning of schools, by
"a headnaster," which, together with
many suggestions of value TO architects
Interested in tho planning of schools.
contains the frank acknowledgment
that in the maintenance of discipline In
school, ''the architect can greatly aid"
the master, or 'can render good disci-
pline almost impossible To accom-
plish tho latter end, as he says, nothing
IL necessary but to build all the class
rooms In line, connected by a narrow
corridor, which should be dark. and have
a few sharp turns in it Then the
classes, TO get from one room TO another,
will have a long distance TO go, and can
beguile their weary way by running
races, hustling, riots at tho angles when
two classes meet, and private bullying
parties in tho obscure corners while, IL
the corridor il dark, the ringleaders are
safe from detection. by paving the cor
ridor with stone, the noise of feet in 10
will resound all over the building, and
day after day, and year after year, the
echoes viii roar their disorderly hymn
70 the architect who did not know how
10 plan q school, and did not care to
learn.
The four chief foes to school discipline,
as ''the hcadmaster" SAYS. are disorder
and noise, bullying, petty larceny and
indecent writing. Inside the school,
building, the two former are chiefly pro-
NOTED by long. dark corridors. With
short. wide, straight and well-Iighted
passage ways, which can be supervised
at a glance, they can easily be repressed
indoors, but the scene OF them may be
transferred 10 the playground entrances
or outbaildings, aud these must be ar
ranged for easy inspection. Every cor
ner of the playground should be visible
from the headmaster's room and from
some of the class-roOms; the entrances
should be commanded, both from the
hcadmaster's room and the ianitor's Of
fee, and the latter should be so placed
that the janitor can oversee, also, the
lavatoriSs, and observe every one who
enters or leaves them. The existence OF
the third defect in school discipline may
be said 10 depend entirely on the arohi-
tect; If he plans the wardrobes so that
they can bc easily observed from the
class-ruoms, there will be no stealing
from them; If hn does not do so, there will
inevitably be pilfering and consequent
unhappincss. To meet the fourth evil,
corridors should. as before. be few in
number, light, and easily supervised:
and their walls, as well as those of all
lavatories and closets, should be lined
with glazed bricks or tiles
Among the details of construction, as
distinguished from those of planning,
which affect school discipline, the most
important are those which have to do
n
foul air. The ideal room, in our head
masters opinion, would have an asphalt
floor, walls of glazed brick. and washa-
Bile ceiling, with no mouldings, shelves,
cupboards, or other projections to hold
\ dust, and the whole should be washed
clean every day. In tho new Ecole
Monge, in Paris. which he considers tho
model sehool-house, this idea is actually
carried out; and he speaks of seeing the
great school dining hall, just after re-
. lay of boys had left their places They
4 had been eating at little marble tables.
and, as they disappeared, a body of serv-
ants carried of the dishes; then "a
mighty hydrant" was opened, and an
9 deluge sent lying over tables, floor and
wallis the windows were thrown open,
a and crumbs, crusts, smells and foul air
= disappeared in one gnsh.' THE win
Q dows were then closed, heat turned on.
and in few moments the hall was
a ready for another batch of diners." In
4 regard to ventilation, he has never seen
I o thoroughly successful school building,
Q and there is no doubt that very few
Y exist, and nearly, IL not quite, all these
q are in the United States; but his sense
{ of the Importance of the subject Is &C
profound that he promises architects
q that they can raise the efficiency ot
: teachers at least one-fourth, and the
v happiness of master and boys at least
9 one-half, il they can build school-room,
: which shall have pure air. and be 1T this
= same time free from dust and noise.--
Y American Architect