The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1900-11-29
THE BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL.

To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL
Will you kindly allow sufficient space to
call the attention Of your readers to the
crowded state of our High school and the
necessity Of immediate action to remedy the
injurious conditions existing there?
Everybody well knows that this is an old
building, erected before any thought was
given to the matter of ventilation and when
scientific knowledge Of the needs of the pu-
pills in this respect was lacking. 1t is en-
tirely, both in the study and recitation
rooms, devoid of any means of ventilation
except through the doors and windows.
To begin with, the study room is fitted
with more seats than there should be in a
room of that size, and even then there are
more students in attendance than there are
seats for, and in consequence the Senior
class has to be excused when their recita-
tlons are through for the day.
In the main recitation room, which is
15x1S, it is necessary to confine forty-seyen
pupils for period Of forty minutes. There
is no time to ventilate the room between the
periods, for as soon as one class comes out
another takes it's place. The size of the room
gives go cubic feet of air-space per pupil,
while modern educators all unite in saying
there should be 24o cubic feet per pupil in
suitably ventilated room. To illustrate
how crowded the pupils ale, each one has
less space than he would have if confined
in box four feet each way. 1t is unreas-
enable to expect children and teachers to do
good work in such a room.
| In the smaller recitation room, practically
the same condition prevails. 1t is absolute
| ly necessary to stive up twenty pupils in a
little room actually not so large as the aver
age kitchen. And all this, too, at an age
when fresh air is as necessary for them as
suitable food.
| Were the recitation rooms less crowded,
| they could, perhaps, be ventilated through
| the windows, but in rooms filled with chill
| dren to the very walls windows can not be
! opened without someone being subjected to
draft and catching cold.
| The Secretary of the State Board of Health
says in regard to the larger room: ''The
| cubic air-space is altogether inadequate,
but the size of the room does not make a
very great difference when ventilation is
not provided. With forty-five pupils in
room the air supply without ventilation is
very quickly used up so that the air which
has already served the purpose Of ventila-
ton is rebreathed. That recitation room is
altogether too small for the number of
pupils, and if the number of pupils were
smaller there would be an urgent need of
ventilation, which in cold weather cannot
be safely done through open windows"
If the only remedy for this deplorable
state of things was in the erection of a new
building, hesitation on the part on the au-
thorities might perhaps be pardonable, but it
is not. There is large hall in the High
school building that can be made available
for a recitation room for small sum
The old Masonic Hall, directly over the
High school, can easily be converted into a
recitation room and made the best room in
the building. At present the stairs leading
to it are unsuitable for the use of children
and would have to be changed. Other than
this the only expense would be for replas-
tering the hail. 1t could then be used for
the larger classes; the larger room that they
now have could be used for the smaller
classes, and the small recitation room could
be used as cloak room, something that is
entirely lacking now and much needed
The attention of both the School Board
and the City Government has been called to
the condition of this building, and delega-
tions from both bodies have examined it,
but nothing has been done and there is
manifest disposition on the part of both to
throw the responsibility for the delay ON
the other. In the mean time, the children
are compelled to breathe the vitiated air day
after day. Not only is it impossible for the
pupils to do good work, but they are laying
the foundations for pulmonary diseases of
the most serious description. Every parent
who will take the pains to examine the
building will emphatically demand that the
evil be remedied without a days delay.
ONE INTERESTED.
What is said of the High school building
we know to be true, and it is also true in
many respects of the Grammar school
building. The hope that these buildings
might give way to a modern school editice
to accommodate the four schools has been
entertained for many years, and has operat-
ed against their Improvement Meanwhile
teachers and pupils have suffered, and are
still suffering, from lack of ventilation and
| from over-crowded rooms. There is no i'm
mediate prospect of new building, and it
| is evident that we must for many years
make use of those we have. Various sug-
geStiOnS have been made with view to OBJ
tanning the additional room needed. One is
to build of wood between the two buildings,
and another to build brick extension at
the rear of the High school building. The
| oOSt N oithor r11n nir,tn t1af