The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-17

calculated to produce spinal deformities;
also number of rooms where the ceiling
Is only nine and ten feet from the floor;
one where the light was so dim that
could read the newspaper with difficulty;
others where the Eight is either INSULT
clent or defective, and may cause diseases
OF the eye by straining the muscles OF
accommodation. and some where the air
space is not sufficient even IL the rooms
We're fairly ventilated. Excepting two
CHINA closets at the Henry street and
TWO at the Anderson street schools,
Tor the use of the teachers,
there is not public school in
the city where the arrangements
Tor boys or girls are sanitary, safe or
comfortable. The necessity for scrupu-
lousy clean water closets is far greater
in public schools than it Is even in private
dwellings,, and the only way such clean
hness can be obtained is by the use of sep
arate chinaware closets, working auto
matically and of which every part can be
readily cleansed. The combination closets
used in all the schools, having one iron
trough filled with water for all, and every
compartment boxed up on three sides is
nlthy, unsightly and dangerous arrange
ment No member of the board would al
low such an arrangement on his premises
The self-watcring slabstone urinal inau-
gurated at the Henry Street school Is per-
maps the only up-to-date sanitary improve
ment that has been made in our public
schools for the past forty years.
To those who are interested in the well
fare of school children and take a pride
in the beauty of our women and sturdy
appearance of our men, 1t must seem al
most incredible that in the planning Of
such spacious and costly buildings as
those on Henry and Anderson streets no
member of the board Of education should
oc
meath these structures for the children to
romp and play in bad weather. and for
gymnaSttC exercises, when this could have
been 50 readily and cheaply done. 1t is
evident that this board does not see the
necessity for physical training Prior to
1876 the girls were regularly taught calls
themes, and the good effects of this train
ing are seen on our matrons even to this
day, but in that fatal year this system
was dropped. mo cause being assigned
for It's discontinuance' and all efforts to
establish a course of physical culture
have since failed
When it is evident that even the most
important sanitary measures for the pres
ervation of good health among school
children have been so completely disre-
garded, and that an Improvement in that
line cannot be hoped for until the Board
of Education can be made elective by tho
people, is it not the duty of those into
whose hands are placed the affairs of our
city, to put our school children under the
safeguard of an official who will protect
them against contagious diseases by i'm
mediate isolation whenever case appears
at school; one who will send children home
when sick or unfit for duty; prevent the
forcing plan Of study upon those aot
physically capable of standing 1t, and en-.
force proper ventilation and heating OF
school rooms, and who will see to it that
children are not over crowded; that the
light is properly regulated to prevent
straining of the eyes, who will oversee
every detail pertaining to school hygiene,
and regulate physical exercise according
to age, strength, popularity of constitu-
ton, sex, etc, and enable them to become
strong and healthy men and women?
A man thoroughly conversant with
school hygiene, and who can carry out
all its details, should be secured, and his
services be literally rewarded. In the
economic disbursement of a city's fna1-
ces, the number of persons benefited, and
the nature of the benefit derived, should
always be considered, the more so, where
life and health are involved. The amount
Of money paid to such officials as the
health officer the city poor physicians.
the school sanitarian, the chemist ana
bacteriologist, the superintendent of the
water works, the sanitary en-
gneer, the inspector of plumbing
and house drainage, and the superintend-
ent of the scaVenger department. may
seem very large TO some people, but thou
sands of children derive benefit from the
good work of a school sanitarian. The
superintendent of water works gives com
fort to $4,000 persons every day, and the
whole community is benefited If the
chemist, the sanitary engineer, the health
officer, city physician plumber and scaV-
enger perform their duty properly. there
fore. the money spent to pay such officials
Is always well spent The expense in
| Cured by the creation of the office Of
school sanitarian, say $500, would pay
six laborers $l.25 per day for a year, en-
ablng each to feed a family of five
thus benefitting thirty persons while on
the other hand the beneficial effects would
be enjoyed by at least 5000 children. and
for life time j. c. LeHardy.