The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-08
Discipline in the Schools.
The Self Control of Children When Ac-
customed to Fire Drill.

CuSt0med TO FIRE OIlll.
A good deal was said just after the
Iroquois Theater fire about the fact
that the audience was composed main
ly of women and children, and some
pains was taken in certain quarters
to create the impression that nothing
could have prcvented loss of life from
a panic in 81 an audience. There Is
nothing more sinister in the whole af-
fair than the attempts made to mini
mjze the responsibility of the owners
and managers of the theater for their
criminal negligence, and put the
blame on the victims Of the fire and
the panic. These attempts have been
abandoned since it has been discov-
cred that the skylights We're fastened
down, the asbestos curtain was of
poor quality, and the doors mostly
locked, one leading into a blind gal
lery. ANY sort of an audience would
hardly keep It's self-control with a
sheet of flame and smoke pouring into
the thester, and the doors locked
As matter of fact, however, an
audience of women and children is not
so much more susceptible to panic
than an audience Of men, and it Is sus-
ceptible Of control if the right meth
DDS are used. A striking illustration
Of the value of discipline, GOODNESS,
and drill came to light in No. 43 of
the New York public schools this
week. There were 2,200 children IN
the building. Incendiary fires had oe-
Cured often enough of late to unset
tic the children's minds, and make
them liable to panic, but all attempts
to catch the guilty persons had failed.
Then came the news of the IrOQuOIs
horror, which will undoubtedly affect
the self-eontrol of both children and
grown people for some time to come
n fire broke out in the girls cloak
room, and discovered by a teacher and
monitor The teacher ran TO the
cloak room and smothered the fire
with some eloaks; meanwhile the chill
dIen were left to themselves, AMI
could smell the smoke. 1t made them
uneasy, but they stayed where they
were. The principal, arriving on the
scene, suggested that this would be a
good time fora fire drill, and the sig
rails were struck. The children
marched into the street in perfect or
ger. and the building was empned in
two minutes. The fire drill has It's
place in the routine of all New York
schools, and occasionally false alarms
are given to keep the children in prac-
tice and increase their GOODNESS IN time
Of real danger. Usually they do not
know until they reach the street
whether the alarm is real or not, but
IL this case they did, for the smoke
was in evidence. If that building,
full of children, could be cleared
quietly without disorder in two min
utes, with no restraint save habit and
a corps of women teachers, when the
children knew there was fire, 1t is folly
to regard an audience of women and
children as so peculiarly susceptible
to panic that nothing can stop them
when they get frightened. II, in the
face Of this story, anybody has the
effronteTy TO say that unreasonable
fear on the part Of an audience.
threatened by flames, smoke, and fall
ing pieces Of a cheap concrete roof,
caused the loss Of life ii Chicago, it
wiz be well for him to go TO some
Pathologist and have his logical facul-
ties examined. They must be out Of
order