Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-11-19
RURAL SCHOOL HOUSES.

RURAL SCHOOL HOUSES.
County Superintendent Of School,. E,F.
Fink Gives Practical Sugges.
ttons on Building.
County Supt. E. F. Fink has pub.
1i>hed a pamphlet containing sugges-
Tons upon building, lighting, heating
ind ventilattug rural school buildings
and has distributed the same among
school officers of the county this week.
Aside from the cuts Illustrating the
hist method of ventilating school
buildings the pamphlet contains half
tone cuts of the Atwater High School
building, the new Raymond school
n''ilding, and of the school houses in
District Nos. 81, 81, 81 and 63. We
Ike the liberty of reproducing some
'f the practical suggestions made by
Mr.. Fink in his pamphlet.
Build your school house large
ough not only for the present but
for the probable future needs. Make
it vide enough so there will be plenty
+ room for seats and aisles without
GROWING Make it long enough so
That there may be plenty OF passing
space in the rear, and sufficient work.
tg space for teachers and classes in
! INT. Make it high enough mot less
Than II feet) so that there may be am
! IL air space above. II II Get a good
mason. The plaster should be ''hard
tinished." The walls and ceiling
should be tinted green, the walls a
Little darker than the ceiling. A shade
f green should be used because green
is restful to the eye. Black ards
s"ould not be more than 30 inches
above the floor. Seats of the same
size should be placed in the same row.
Remember that light should be ad-
mitted to school room from two
s1,les only, viz: from the rear and left
side: never from opposite sides, be-
suse these cross lights are injurious
~ the eyes. Injury to a child's
@ es resulting from bad or improper
light comes on so gradually that the
i"jury frequently becomes permanent
b:fore it is discovered.
''Never begin the construction of q
school building until you have given
tn, subject of heating and ventilating
G Areful consideration. It is more i'm
y 'rtant that children should constant.
" breathe pure air than that they
should 60 to school. Pure air means
lealth. Impure air means disease
and death. To put from 25 to SO pup
i 8 in q school room and keep them
t sre seven hours daily without pro-
.viding them with an ample supply of
fresh air, is nothing less than crime.
The evil effects of breathing impure
air, like the evil effects of improper
| 5ht, are not noticed until they have
,aken q firm hold upon the system,
and their result are usually either
permanent impairment of health, or q
premature grave. Children frequently
r..turn from school with a head ache
Tue parents conclude that too much
study is the cause. The parents are
wong. The cause is apt to be the
breathing of too much poisoned air in
an i'll ventilated school room.
Tour rural school buildings are u.s.
ually heated and ventilated as follows:
An old lockwood stove in the center
Of the room where it occupies all the
best space. When the teacher feels
tne need of fresh air, she opens q
window or door. The result is all
the warm air in the room suddenly
passes out, and cold air as suddenly
takes it's place. To re.heat the room
tie teacher has recourse to the nearby
wood pile, during which time the pu-
pills keep warm as best they can. This
process is repeated from time to time
throughout the day. This plan is not
effective because the supply of fresh
air is not constant. It is expensive
because much warm air is lost through
t1e open doors and windows, while
extra fuel is required to heat the new
Iy admitted cold air. Aside from the
iaiury resulting from the frequent
breathing impure air, it is injurious
t, the pupils health because those
pupils sitting next to the open win.
dows or doors are subjected to cold
draushts.
"The following simple plan for
heating and ventilating can be placed
IN successful operation in every school
building in this county, at cost Of
from fifty to seventy-6.ve dollars, pro-
vided the following conditions are
first met:
''First: The school house must be q
good, substantial, we'll constructed
building.
"Second: The school house must
stand upon firm air-tight foundation.
s"Third: All windows must be tight
( and must be provided with storm sash,
and all doors must be, provided with
storm doors.
.'Having provided the above condi.
tions proceed in the following manner:
Rebuild your chimney from the ground
4 up. The chimney should not be less
4han 00x32 inches in aiza and should