The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-09-06

| win special reference TO the lighting
and seating Of school houses, publ shed by
tho Iowa state Board Of HEALTH:
Mr.. EDI1oR. As weare about to erect a
new school building a few hints In regard
| 10 what Is best 10 be done to insure health
/ and comfort In the school building will not
be nmiss.
Education is necessary to health. Health
| ~ necessary 10 education. Education has
hitherto been directed too much In relation
to mind, too little In relation to body-the
physical subordinated to the mental.
Sight is the uoblest avenue Of the mind.
The defective vision Of school children has
long been the object of much investigation
In Europe and America, to ascertain tie
cause SO invariably resulting in myOpia
or near sightedness.
It is matter Of surprise that 80 little at
tontion has been given by parents and
teachers to the imporraI CO Of good vision.
Children are sent to school. like grist to u
mill to be ground out, with no thought
nor inquiry as to the condition of their
eyes-whether they are fitted for the task
before them, or the environments under
which they are to bs tasked. Myopia Is q
disease essentially OF childhood. Childre
at birth rarely have myopia eyes. 1t ap-
pears about tho fifth or sixth year, when
children begin to go TO school, continuing
to the sixteenth year 1t seldom appears af-
toi thS t"cuUloJu year. l|cNCleuO anu Duu
light 10 Que 0f tho chief CAUSES of myo.
pia.
Tho window space should DO not less
than one.fourth to cne-f1fth the floor space
that Is one foot OF glass tU thirty inches
OF floor sDnce, or thirty inches of flor
space to one and one half feet in distance,
to one foot IN height of the window. Unless
this amount glass is provided, as theIight
falls obliqucly, the pupils farlhest from
tha Nui nAfta Etty ut,fH H,tA 1ifvtt
For class room of twenty pupils lhero
should be not less than twenty seven of
square feet OF glass. A room eighty fcet
square, should have not less than eighty
square feet OF glass. For class rooms, u
southern. southeastern or southwestern
exposure Is better than northern, north
western or northeastern. The rule OF art
lists. will not apply to school life any wise.
The school room should bo oblong rather
thnn square.
Tho height Of school room should not
be less than thirteen feet II over that the
corners should bu rounded to prevent
echoes. II over fifty feet wide 1t should be
lighted on both sides.
The window sills should not be loss than
four feet from the floor. If less, the direct
rays OF light are into The eye OF the pupil
when seated.
Avoid small window pano,. There
should not be over four panos Ct glass in
euch window aud double thick on all ex-
posed sides. Sash should be carefully ad.
justed Gnd balanced, with all fixtures SO ,
arranged to bo ensily worked by the teach.
er. One Of the most imperative and posi-
two demands upon the architect should be
that the risers Of the stairs shall not e4-
ceed six inches for children.
II Is better that the /. aximum be three
Inches. The most reprehensibbe system
prevalent of leaving Il hole In the building
and fitting the stairs to it, ought to be
abolished in school buildings.
No school building should be over two
stories In hcighth. There Is land enough !
In Iowa to build broad and low. The littlo |
ones will get under ground fast enough, |
the larger ones will Climb the golden
stairs' soon enough without acceleration
by architectural appliances. Discard every
system OF school education which is not in
accord with the llainest requirements Of
nature and the clearest teachings of phys
iology and hygiene.
When this is dono we shall have largely
reduced, II not wholly eradicated, the
various diseases Of school life.
have given but brief of the pamphlet
on tho subject men toned in The beginning
Of this paper. l am sure there are some
useful hints well worth considering.
There is n few people in every commu-
nifty, who know it nll, and need no in
structions from any one. But a majority
Of our people believe are anxious and
are seeking light and instruction so that
the best results may be obtained in tho
erect ton of school buildings.
4 b. FRAZER.