The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-08
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Continued from Tenth Page,)

Continued from Tenth Page.)
 that ornamentation is undesirable, but l inasmuch as economy is necessary, il
 should be practiced so as least to inter- fere with the efficiency of school work School buildings are not for show l Economies practiced in this direction
 may make possible the erection of a i greater number of school houses, the l better equipment of those built, or the employment of more efficient teachers. These buildings should be equipped with adequate systems cf warming and ventilation, and no expense should be spared in providing suitable sanitary and hygienic conditions under which school children may work.
 In regard to school accommodations, it ought to be said, furthermore, that if the age of five years is the establish ed age at which children may enter school, then every child who has reached this age, whose parents wish him to attend school, should have the opportunity to do so That one man cannot obtain school facilities for his ch Id while his neighbor Is more fortunate is neither fair, nor just, nor expedient. This has proven constant cause of irritation in the administration of our schools.
 In providing accommodat tions for school children the plan of placing chill dren in basement rooms or in stores and dwelling houses leased for the pur- pose should be abandoned as soon as Tba lot +ny f,,,, ;1l, proper hygienic conditions for large classes of children to work in; they are, too, usually at some distance from the main school of which they are a part, which renders their administration more difficult The former, owing to dampnesa, insufficient light. and the inn possibility of adequate ventilation are usually exceedingly unsanitary At present ten basement rooms, five rooms in stores and three in a dwelling house, are occupied by school children
 I have spoken at length on the sub ject of school buildings and accommo- dations, because to me it seems a vital matter. The two essentials in school administration are sanitary school rooms and efficient teachers. Other things, such as text books, supplies courses of study, etc, are important but they all are insignificant in com parison with the physical condition of the school room and the spirit of the teachers. An intelligent teacher, loving her work and in sympathy with her children, and school room 1t the proper temperature, filled with fresh air, flooded with bright, clear light and taken care of by an intelligent and faithful janitor--these are two condi- tions without which the best school cannot exist; with them such school will not be wanting.
 Table Showing Average Expense per
 Pupil in Thirteen Cities of New En-
 gland for One Year:
 In this table the average expense per pupil is found by dividing the total annual school appropriation Cnot in- cluding new buildings or permanent re- paIrs) by the average membership or registration. In the case of Hartford and Bridgeport the divisor is the aver age attendance instead of average In case of Hartford the | dividend number includes repairs, but l does not include free text books In case of Bridgeport the dividend in- | 2ludes neither repairs nor free text | books. The figures used were taken from the reports of the State | board of education for 1900 (Mass., R. ', l., and Conn)
 pon111at tion Aver Appuo1