The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-05-14
REMoDELLINc THE HIGH SCHOOL
what the High School Scholars Think
About II.

| 10 the Editor of the Press:
After reading the report of the city govern
ment meeting in Tuesdays PRESS, the
| thought came to me that it might be well, in
| settling the matter, if those who are In every
way the most interested in the question and
will be most affected by the result, should
| be heard from, and SO, have taken the
liberty of asking for space in your valuable
paper to give my ideas on the subject, and
think they will be echoed by every scholar
and teacher in the Portland High School.
In the first place, the present High school
building was built before the fire, and,
though considered a very fine edifce
then, it bears its quarter OF a century
and more rather heavily. It's no very
unusual thing, now, for a foot or two
of plastering to come tumbling down
on whoever happens to be under it,
and the plastering is everywhere rotten and
discolored. l remember, last winter, day
when, in one of the rooms, 1t became water
soaked. and sagging down an inch or two,
coolly dripped onto the seats to the great
comfort of the occupants thereof. Again,
the blackboards all over the building are In
very bad shape and hardly fit for use.
DIRTY. ill-ventilated, ill-lighted and I'M
healthy" said the PRESS, Tuesday. Well.
as to dirt, the High school is dirty in the
superlative degree, Half of it is necessary
and half it not; but what's the use? We
are ashamed of our school, ashamed to bring
visitors to 1t, and, thinking that matters are
about as bad as they can be anyway, we take
no ,p pride IN keeping It clean:
Differentiated" When the committee on
public buildings visited the school they saw
great evils of ventilation, but such things
are better felt and Smelt than seen. and I
respectfully invite those who oppose re-
modelling to come aud visit the school some
Day {iay' an. ana stay an hour or two, Something
can scarcely breathe. please s maV o Ua1
the Window" The window is opened and
some one Immediately feels draught. The
window Is shut and the steam turned off.
goes the right day and sits in the classical
room, upstairs, he will distinguish deli
elous odor from the ventilator az. 1t comes
from the chemistry room, and smells like
throw, down their books at such times, abb
s0lutely unable to study, and sit with their
hands on their aching heads and think of the
unlearned lessons and wish-well, wish they
, were somewhere avn else | know what they
never stops till school closes for the day.
NOW for the recitation rooms. They are
about ten feet wide by eighteen long, and
generally contain about twenty-five scholars.
The windows can't be opened for more than
minute, and very little at that. How
much air to each occupant of the room?
Well, he can breathe chalk dust. Wear a
new dark suit into recitation in mathematics
and 1t will come out dirty gray. When l
trst went to the High School and into those
recitation rooms, my headache would COM
mence with the first recitation and last till 1
left the building. Since that time have got
little hardened, and don't mind it quite SO
much. W
uLlighted." That's a self evident fact.
On dark days each one moves as near the
window as he can get and If that isn't near
enough to see he goes without seeing,
Unhealthy" | am willing to leave it to
any member of the High school, scholar or
teacher, to say whether L have exaggerated
or not, and can building in the above men
TONED condition be healthy? will not
mention drainage. Go and see for yourself.
say, we. the members of the Portland high
school, say that the school building is a dis
grace to the city of Portland, and l know
number who declare that they will not go to
1t another year unless it is remodelled. And
1t must be remodelled. No half and half
work will improve it, That has been tried
before. and 1t has failed. Now, is it right to
endanger the health, yea, lives. of our young
men and girls in such a way? put that
question to every thinking taxpayer of Port
land C,-P, III, S.