Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-11-21
The Lighting, Heating and Ventilation oi
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 Fxtract from the third tannual reportp Go the Pine Bluff School Board by J H. Hinemon, Superintendent Of schools. Scarcely second in importance to heating and ventilation is the ques- tion of propsrly and adequately lighting a school room. Recent in- vestigations bY pert oculists show that diseases a defects of the eye are increasing s an alarming rate. The conaitions of our civilization continue ito heavily increase the burdens placed upon the organ of sight and to this fact. coupled with the evil of poorly printed books, long periods for study, especially in the lower grades, insufficient and improperly admitted liehtand other minor causes, this evil may be di- rectIy traced.
 It is matter of great regret that, in many cases, architects have been allowed to sacrifice the eye sight of the children in order to secure a certain measure Of architectural beauty and design in their build ings. It sometimes occurs that school buildings 3 are planned by persons who are almost en tirelY ig- norant of the laws which should be observed in regulating the lighting, ventilation aud heating.
 According to the best authorities the light should be admitted from onl one side of the room, prefer abgNtbe left-a portion may be ad- nj lted from the rear of the room if it Can be arranged so that the glare will not affect the teachers eyes for certainly she is entitled to protec- tion along with her pupils.
 The windows should be as near together as safe construction will permit and there should be no spaces between them. The windows should extend to the ceiling with the sill at least four feet from the floor, as the best light comes from above.
 The window space should be at least one-ffth the floor space.
 The slanting rays of the sun in the morning and afternoon make the east and west exposures exceed inglY objectionable. If the light is admitted from the rear of the room, proper regard for the eye sight Of thesteacher demands that the win dows shall be provided with shades that roll from the bottcm.
 Under no condition shallvthc walls of a school room be white OF glossy. Plastered walls should be given neutral tints. Blackboards should not be placed between or beside principal windows and under ordi- nary conditions all boards should be provided with curtains. or screens to cover them when they are not in use.
 Want of attention to the laws of life in the education of our young people is threatening to maKe us 8 nation of invalids; and the pu bile health depends more upon the con- dition of our school houses and the in- structions given therein than upon all other causes combined. Nature has laid down a law of life which has no executions, namely, warm feet and cool head are essential to good health, and indispensable to mental growth.
 The ordinary method of heating school rooms by the use of stoves is, in almost every sense, wholly un- satisfactory.
 Those pupils who are seated near the stove are constantly "scorch- ing" while the remote ones are con- tinually chilled by currents of air rushing toward the stove. If stoves are to be used an excellent method of dealing with them is to provide each stove with a sheet.iron jacket, by which the loss of heat by radiation is easily and effectually prevented. For the admission of an adequate supply of fresh air. tubes should ex- tend from the outside, under the floor, and enter the room beneath the stove. The heated air within the jacket rises and thus current of fresh air, properly warmed, con- stantly enters the room.
 In order to remove the ventilated