Evening star., 1898-11-08
Exhaustive Discussion Of the Subject
by Civic Center.
CONDITION OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS
Relation Of Health to Education in
Childhood
PAPERS ON OTHER TOPICS

last evening at a meeting under the au-
spices of the Civic Center held in the lee
ture hall of the Church of the Covenant.
The large attendance at the meeting
showed the interest felt by the people of
the District of Columbia in the reforms
sought by the Civic Center.
DR.. NJ. Gait opened the meeting by stat
ing the objects of the organization, and re-
viewed the variety Of improvements that
should be made before this city can lie
garded as a sanitary place in which resi-
dence is desirable.
The first paper of the evening was read
by Mrs. ALA B. Foster, and was on the
sanitary condition of the public schools of
the city.
About a year ago." Mrs Foster said. "a
joint committee, composed Of members of
the public schools committee of the Civic
Center and the Collegiate AIImnae, turned
its attention toward the sanitary condi-
tion of the public sch hoos. AS mothers,
housekeepers and educators, the members
had long felt dissatisfied with many exist
ing conditions. particularly in the older
buildings. They felt sure that both school
and other District officials We're doing the
best they could, but that they were sadly
hampered by lack of funds.
Purpose of investigation.
The committee thought that an 3xhaus-
tive examine ton of the condition cf the
school buildings and grounds and a care
full tabulation of the facts cleaned would
call the attention of Congress and the pub
lie to the most pressing needs of the
schools, and possibly help the authorities
In securing the appropriations so much
needed for repairs and new buildings.
The questions propounded during the in
Vestlgation were modelled after those used
three years ago by the Boston Collegiate
Alumnae, and consist Of two sets. One set
re'ates to tn" building as a whole, and
comprises 153 questions as to site and sllr-
roundngs, condition of building, basennen.
sanitary conditions, heating ventilation.
cleaning and health. The other set relates
to each room in each building treating of
the cubic air space. light, temperature. ven
dation, position Of fues and b!ackboards.
condition of room as to cleanliness pres
ence of odors, etc.
fhe Committee and Its Work.
The committee has visited every one of
the elght-three buildings named in the re-
port and has inspected carefully every
part of them. The work has taken some
"hat over year, and the statements made
Ill lhe report are without DOUBT exhaustive
ana accurate The personnel of the rom,
mittee is follows: From tn, ColIeoiata
Alumnae. Mrs Foster Mrs Cole. Dr F;m
lie . Brien, Mrs. Darwin Miss Hedrick
MISS MISS Chickering and Mss Vintor. All of
these, with the execution OF Mrs Darwin
are also members of the Civic Center The
other members from the Civic Center ere
Mrs, Warder, Mrs. Sara Smith ana Mrs
George Patrick
Ihirty-five of the buildings are reported
as being built. on ground higher than the
surrounding land, twelve on a Slope, twer-
ty-three ON level, and thirteen on lower
sIouhd. ihT'S-three report that ,he soil
retains moisture, and twenty-seven have
poor drainage. Thirty-one report objectfon-
apie surroundings near, such as vacant lots
used as dumps. stagnant pools filthy yalds
adjoining, stables too near; the:e are twelve
stables in the same block with the Thorn
son
only eight buildings are reported as
LIVING & no Fairgrounds, but only twenty
eight have grounds large enough. and but
iorty-seVen are dry and sunny 1t would
be much better if all Fairgrounds could be
Wei drained md paved with concrete.
,,t,.y iHnhy snops are found near forty-eight
Dullolhss' the Central and Eastern High,
Blake, Threlkeld, Towers, Banneker'
Briggs douglass. Jones and Slater, hav-
ing from four to six shoDs in the same
square-l2s in all. The articles sold are
uouShhuts, confectionery, cakes, pies buns
oranges, popcorn fruit, biscuit and bread
flckles are sold in twenty-five shops, can
dy IN 1orty-two, chewing gum in twelve,
Gigarettes were found in shops near the
Johh +. COOK Lovejoy, Mccormick Slat-
er, Threlkeld, Towers ,ryler WalIach
Eastern High, Business High, Buchanan
Cranch and Giddings, and. We're given away
IN one sfop near the Gales school to those
who bought cakes. There was a bar room
reported near the Briggs into which school
children sometimes went
Condition OF the Buildings.
THE authorities have been irving for
some time to secure sufficient appropria-
ton so that the Potomac. High Street.
Thomson, Threlkeld, Loveioy and McCor-
mick schools might be either abandoned
or rebuilt. but SO far without avail and
these buildings are still in use in all their
unslghtly and unsanitary condition. Four
OF these buildings are heated by stoves,
all are practically unventilated ard all
nave Objectionable types of closets.
rorty-seFen OF the buildings are two
story thlrty-hve are three-story; most of
them have Easements. Tnirty-three build
ings are not at all fireproof many of the
others only partially So having wooden
"ainscoting. Eleven of the three-story
puiidlngs have no fire escapes. The fire
drlil mas been abandoned in very many of
the schools. 1t would be well if each school
were provided with proper stairs or es-
capss' ana fire drill given often enough
10 De eIncacious should a time CT need
come. Ihlrty-three buildings report walls
or floors of Easements damp This .lient
always be prevented by proper drainage
before building. and by the use Of con-
crete hoors. such as have been put in
eHN iSC new DuIlulISS cTGcseu
this year.
Four of the eighty-three buildings ex-
amined have the modern water closets.
seven have the Mott automatic flushing
tank thirty-one have the long trough,
flushed by the janitor. four have the Smead
water closet, and thirty-seven the Smead
dry closet; The trough closets are very
objectionable being generally rusty, i'll
smelling and impossible to keep clean. Tie
sum OF $4,000 of the $4,000 asked for last
year for plumbing repairs in the public
schools was secured. and eight of the
trough closets are to be torn out and mod
ern water closets substituted Thirteen
schools are to be replaced with new uri-
nails. and twelve are to have the terra
Gotta sewers replaced by iron. The Smead
dry ciosets-in thirty-seven builings-are
located III the Easements, The closet vaults
are adjacent to and communicate with the
FOUL AR chamber, where heated air from
the school rooms is collected by means Of
devious and twisted channels, passed ever
the .ne vault van t. to aid in drying up the excreta,
and out through the foul dir opening, heat
ed by the stack fire. The excreta is re-
moved put once. a5year-during vacation.
There is always possibility of back
draughts. and the system is Objectionable