Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-11-18

Reform.
School boards, intrustcd with the
lives and health of the children as well
as with the public money. should he
held responsible for the kind of build
ingS erected, for intelligent public
opinion now believes that it is quite as
important that pure air and pure water
be supplied for the children as tnat OK
ccllent teachers be provided and far
more important than that free text
books, tablets and pencils. which are
often a menace to the health. should he
furnished.
For years school boards have taken
precautions against fire and the spread
of contagious diseases. which produce
immediate and marked results. but
only within a few years has it been
understood that certain environments,
which tend to diminish vitality and
hence lessen achievement, are in even
greater need of scientific supervision.
An eminent authority says the foun
dation of all diseases (thc tendency to
which is not inhcritcD Is in % per
cent Of the cases laid before the age Of
90 years. and the cause of 9S per cent
of this number may safely be laid at
the door of the poor sanitary cOndi-
tions of the schools and homes and the
ignorance or carelcSSnCss of the par
ents and teachers of sanitary laws"
Nearly all of the laws affecting the
health of school children are of recent
origin. In the last published report of
the United States commissioner Of ed
ucation is a very Interesting chapter
upon the SANITARY Legislation Affect
ing Schools" which every parent and
taxpayer should read and mentally di-
gest.
A few facts CLEANED from the report
may be interesting. Nine subjects on
ly have been legislated upon by the
states: Inspection of buildings, vac
cination, protection from fire, from
contagious diseases, sanitary ventila-
ton, seats and floor space. barbed
wire and nuisanccS.
Seventeen states. led by Massachu-
setts, provide for the inspection Of
schoolhouse plans or buildings by some
higher authority than the local board.
The same number enact similar laws
in regard to vaccination. Sixteen
states have more or less protection
against fire. Twelve states, including
Minnesota, have the usual legislation
for protection against contagious dis
eases. The District of Columbia, the
very heart of the nation legiSlatcS on
ly upon vaccination and protection
from fire.
Massachusetts and Connecticut are
the only states that present stand
ard Of ventilation and require enforce
ment under legal penalty. Pennsylva-
mia and New York provide for the cir
culation of plans for school buildings
with "healthful ventilation" and Cali
fornia. through its state superintend-
ent, inStructS its teachers to keep the
schoolroomS ventilated, which is about
as specific as for physician to say to
an ordinary attendant, Give this pa
tient nutritious food"
Kentucky's legislation Is very help
full, and the history Of how she came
to take such an advanced position in
legislation in regard to school building
and furnishing would be most interest
Ing. There must have been very
wise presentation of the subject to
have persuaded the legislature to pass
laws so far in advance of any other
state. THE county superintendent"
says the Kentucky Legislature, shall
condemn any school building which is
dilapidated, unhealthy or otherwise un-
fitted to be occupied for the purpose Of
common school. He shall condemn
all school furniture or apparatus insult
ficient in quantity or not of the re-
Quired character and order the same
replaced with proper furniture and ap-
paratus. He shall visit at least once n
year each school and at the time of his
visit note in book kept for this pur-
pose the condition of the schoOlhOuse,
furniture, grounds, etc, and shall ad-
moniSh the teacher found remiss In
the matter of cleanliness of the house
and ventilation of the same and shall
complain to the trustees in cases Of
gross neglect in these respects" In
regard to construction of school build
ingS the law says: Each schoolhouse
hereafter to be erected shall have n
floor space of not less than 10 square
feet to each pupil in the district. and
there shall be at least 10 feet between
floor and ceiling. The trustees shall
furnish each child a seat, patent or
otherwise, with a back; the height of
seat and back to suit the age of the
child. They shall also provide a sup
ply of good water" And Kentucky Is
the only state that legislates at all in
regard to the lighting of schoolhouses.
to the water supply, to seating chill
dren and upon the air space to be al
lotted to each child. When it is con-
sidered that OvercrOwding room with
pupils may render any system of ven
tilatiOn ineffective, it certainly seems
strange that Kentucky alone has any
legislation upon the proper seating Of
schoOlhouses.
The compiler of the statistics says:
at is evident from the laws concern
ing sanitation that the United States
as states has done comparatively lit.
tie for this important phase of edu-
cational work, when only about one
third of the states and territories re-
Quire vaccination, One-third take some
slight precaution against fire. one
contagious diseases, one-siXth require
suitable sanitaries, two Insist upon
ventilation, and one state prescribes