The Portland daily press., 1892-02-22
LIGHTING SCHOOL ROOMS.
Some Practical Rules on an lmpor.
tant Subject.
PAPER BY DIR. JAMES A. SPALD-
ING OF PORTLAND.
From What Direction the Light Should
Come-Size of Windows-PositiOn of
the Pupil-Other Useful Hints.

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A recent number of the Sanitary In
spector contains the following paper on
the lighting of school rooms by DR.. J. A.
Spalding of this city:
In regard to the lighting of schools
there is nothing wholly new to be said,
for all of these questions have been so
deeply considered that they may now be
regarded as settled. Still, like every
thing in this world, there cannot be too
much reiteration of facts, nor too much
repetition of the sum of our present wis
dom, because there are so many new
ideas coming down upon us in the rush
of modern times that unless we review,
as every scholar must do, what we have
once been over, there is likelihood of for
getting what we once knew.
intend, therefore, to review the i'm
portant question of the best way of light
ing school rooms, at least from my point
of view, gained by considerable expert
ence. 1t is hard to determine the stand
ard of illumination desirable in school
| rooms without % photometer measurer
of Light, but such are expensive and not
absolutely necessary. | should say that
to have set of test type in every school
room would be useful, because by know
ing how far the type oughtto be seen on
a clear day, we could tell how defective
the light must be in any room if the same
type could not be seen but half so far.
For ordinary purposes a few standard
letters might be hung across the room,
and if they could be seen as they should
be, then the room may be assumed to
have sufficient illumination.
Let us now answer actual questions
and decide how many windows such and
such room ought to have, and how
high from top of the ceiling and how
near to the floor they should be built
and toward what direction they ought to
open so as to get the greatest light, and
how much pillar between each window,
and, finally, should the windows lie on
both sides of school room OF only on
one side, and if on one side only, should
they be on the right or the left of the
scholars? Other questions may arise as
we 90 on.
Windows ON the south side allow more
light than those on the north, and addi-
tionally, the question of heating rooms
in this respect should not be forgotten,
for with the windows to the north, the
colder the exposure, even for those who
claim that the northern light is the best,
this question of heating the room must
have considerable weight. Cohn believes
thoroughly in a southern exposure, for
his voluminous Investigations show that
the same scholars tested first in a room
with a southern exposure and then in a
room with northern exposure could see
better in the first room. They could see
more letters in the test tables, and see
them at a greater distance. But as the
sun often shines in very warm at a south
eTn exposure we may on the whole urge
the eastward and little southwark, for
then we get the morning sun and avoid
the heat of the southern or southwestern
sun. Still, on the whole, anything from
east to west is permissible, provided that
the widows are large enough and that, in
case of direct sunlight, we can exclude
the heat.
1t is best not to have any light from
north of the east and west line for the
reason of absence of sun in that direction
for the greater part of the year, and con-
sequently of the absence of light diffused
through the clouds on cloudy days which
in our climate are more frequent than the
clear days If there is no other chance
to light the room than from the north,
then the windows must be larger pro-
portionally. For these reasons then,
first, the less opportunity of utilizing diff
fused light on cloudy days; second, the
colder the room and the greater the heat
ing apparatus needed; and thirdly, the
greater the expanse of glass demanded,
it is better from health standpoint and
the standpoint of the eyes and of econo-
my, to light the school room from south
of the east and west line if possible.
The amount of light in a school room
cannot be too great says our best author
ity. The room should be flooded with
light so that in the darkest spot any
scholar can see to read the finest type on
a dark day. That must be the standard
The number and the size of the windows
is of the greatest importance. The small
er and the fewer the windows, the less
the light is admitted. In some of our
old schools the windows were
about 3.6 by 2.6. The best rule is
to have one square foot of glass to
five square feet of floor area. Yet if
there are high buildings near the WIN
dows of a school with glass area of one
foot to four feet of floor area, it will be
darker than a school in the open with one
glass to five of floor; so much does the
position Of the school, compared with the
opposite buildings, have to do with suffi-
cient or insufficient illumination. But to
that will return in a. few minutes.
Furthermore, before we go too far in
deciding how many windows we shall
have, or how large they shall be, let us
start by saying that all school windows
ought to be as near as possible flush with
the outside walls of the building. The
shallower the embrasure in which the
window is set, the greater the amount of
light admitted, and conversely, any en-
brasure reduces proportionally to its
depth the amount of light that finally
enters the room.
When we say that the glass area should
measure about one to four or five we eX-
clude the sashes and window frames. In
many school the windows are large
enough, but the frames are so thick and
there are so many pillars between the
windows. and there are such masses OF
plaster, timber and mortar to support
the walls that the light is bad
Two window surfaces 5Xl0, near to-
gether will give much more light than
two windows 5x10 separated by wood
work three or four feet wide. Ii
masonry is needed to support the wall,
make it taper in towards the inside OF the
room, and thus enlarge the space in