The Anaconda standard., 1896-05-08
PROF. KERN REPORTS
The Sanitary and Hygenic Condition
of the Schools.
BUSINESS BY THE TRUSTEES
Committees Appointed. Statements
Submitted and Other Matters
Considered-Arbor Day Exer-
cises-Teacher for Easin.

The board of school trustees held a
meeting last evening. Clerk Paxson
made financial report of expenditures
in April as follows:
Teachers and superintendent sala-
ries, S,114.50; janitors and clerks, $72s;
miscellaneous. s1,S05.5o; total. ss,149.
Bills to the amount of $751; II for the
present month were allowed, including
$19S.17 for new books for the library.
Mr.. Hall, who had been appointed d
committee on tax levy, recommended
that the levy be made on this years
assessment, the rolls of which are now
being prepared. Miss c. L. Turnkey
was elected as teacher for the summer
school at Basin. Her selection was
made at the request of the people in
the Basin district, who wanted an ex-
perienced teacher.
In view of the fact that the board
had been notified by the city authori-
ties and health board to discontinue
the use of the crematories at the High
school and make connections with the
city sewer, 1t was decided to petition
the city council to extend the sewers
east on Broadway so that connections
from the High school could be conve-
niently made.
The matter of reopening the Walk
erville and West Centerville schools,
was discussed, but it was stated that
the health officers would not yet per-
NIT the schools to be opened and
special meeting will be held. Saturday
evening to further consider the matter.
1t was stated that many Walkerville
and Centerville pupils attended private
schools in Butte which was as dan
gerous as allowing the public schools
to be open. 1t was recommended that
the clerk call the attention of the Butte
health officers to the facts.
Superintendent Kern submitted an
interesting and timely report on the
sanitary and hygienic condition of the
schools. The report is as follows:
ITO the Honorable Board of Education
| Butte Public Schools:
Gentlemen-The statistical report for
the school month closing April IL is
duly filed with your clerk. Since that
| time there has been a material increase
of attendance, excepting in the Cen
| terville schools, that are now running.
With them the attendance is about the
same. l hand you herewith a stale
ment showing the attendance this week
in the various schools giving the aver
| age attendance for each teacher.
The prevalence of so many contagd-
| Gus diseases among the children in the
Butte schools during the session soon
| to close, has led TO an examination into
, the hygienic conditions prevailing at
school and in the homes with a view to
discovering the cause or causes. What
shall 1t profit one If he gain the whole
world of knowledge and lose his own
health? / cannot say that / am pre-
pared to indicate fully the causes of
| the bad state of health among our
school children, and confess that this
is more particularly the business of
| the medical experts and sanitary Off
hut 7 fael TsOnfdnnf that the home
life and it's environments should prob
ably bear more blame than the unfa-
vorable conditions at school ! can
direct you to places in this city where
the conditions of filth and squalor are
such as to breed any forms of disease
and spread contagion to the cleaner
portions of the city.
1t is not too much to say that every
thing about our school buildings-
grounds, size and form of rooms, seats
and desks, hours, subjects and methods
of study, heating, ventilating, etc
should all be determined primarily
with a view to health, on which espe-
| cially in children. even mortality de-
pends. The school house, which is
about as important a place for the
comfort and development of the child
as his home itself, should be ever con-
ducive ito health. While our schools
in Butte are better for many children
than their home life, still / must say
they are far from ideal. 1t can do only
harm to say a thing is good when 1t
is bad, and any person who will take
the pains to investigate must decide
that the sanitary or hygienic condi-
tions of our schools are in the main
unfavorable. There is nothing on earth
more worthy of love, reverence and de-
votion than the soul and body of the
growing, healthy child, and no institu-
- @l~I
which have for their object to bring
these to most complete maturity. Many
of the school conditions which are
wrong have become chronic and are
therefore hard to remove save by he
roic treatment Some buildings and
rooms are as good as could be expected
and perhaps these schools are as good
as the teachers and trustees can make
them, while among others we may find
the two dangerous extremes. With
some teachers and pupils we find the
destructive habit of haste, rush and
nervous impetuosity which in this al
titude and climate cause the general
weakness and prostration so common
among school people On the other
hand are the close, hot rooms, with
their characteristic nasty school
SMELL" causing stupidity. sluggish
ness apathy indifference and positive
dislike for the delights and exquisite
pleasures of intellectual activity. Add
to this the method, cram and routine
textbook grind, which is the best that
some teachers can give. and you need
not wonder that children are out OF
school with headache. nausea or some
other good excuse.
1t seems TO me that enough money
is expended in Butte TO furnish better
facilities than we now have, but / be-
lieve the present board is doing its
best to make every school dollar worth
a hundred cents. and is but little 10
blame for the things Of which / COM
plain. But we shall not be blameless
in future If. knowing these defects, We
fail 10 remedy them.
Now that some new buildings and
equipment are to be provided, permit
me in this connection TO make a few
suggestions:
First hope no more basement room
will be provided for school use. The
floor of every school room should De
| -. a