The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-17
Rural and Village
School Buildings.
ByPROFEsSOR w. H, fIECF4, Of the Curry School.

BY PROBE SOR w. III. I
1. LOCATION, CONSTRUCTION AND
fltd1iT1NG.
The location and external appearance
Of school building are far more impor.
tant than la generally realized. More
!. the school building should represent ar.
2 chltecturally the dignity, the unity, the
4 foresight and the altruism Of d true
democracy. 1t should be tho highest
81 civic representation OF the community In
which 1t Is locnted. No other public
building can do this ns WE'LL except pos
sibly the public library, which Is iii
reality q school.
"A rural school should be located on
high ground, preferably on top Of al hill
\ md In view Of tho main road. The build
ing should crown the landscape as eiu-.
cation should crown democracy ], build
Ing hidden away In low ground Is ,ih-
worthy of It's high mission. II on slope,
{ the school should have southern expo
sure. The ground should be free from
dnmpness. It Ia necessary. to have puro
drinking water. easily accessible, and
care must be taken TO keep the we'll or.
1 spring from being contaminated by the
outhoiises or by neglect. A village school
should be located. II possible, IN or near
the best dwelling section. where moral
u clean. sanitary environment Will be ns-5
surcd
The surroundings OF building can be
made attractive with little expense or
s Inconvenience. What Is needed Is some.
body that truly cares. Trees make n
fine background, but they must not be
I 30 near as to interfere with the lighting
OF the school-rooms, and they must not
s cut OFF the building from public view.
Space IN front should be reserved for
well-laid paths, shrubbery and flowers,
and on each side there should be n play
ground and, II possible. school garden.
The building should be plain and Dig
nifled. with no "frils and fnrbelows.a
which lower the tone OF education. Rect
angular buildings are desirable for archi-5
tectural and academic reasons. Every
= school building should be painted both
+ for preservation and for attractiveness.
g only two colors being preferable. It Is
Very doubtful whether school OF less
than five rooms should have two stories.
Every two-story school should be built
OF brick. II possible. and should have
two staJrways-one near the front. one
near the rear. The building should be
at least three feet from the ground,
either with well-lIghtcd and cement
noored cellar. or II that is too expen-
sive for small schools, with lattice work
+ between tho brick pillars. Easements
arc very useful for furnaces, storage
room, plny-room In bnd weather. manual
training-room. etc, etc. II there Is no
basement. the necessary ventilation un-
derncath the building will make the class
rooms cold In winter. unless there is a
thick double tiooring-f very desirable;
feature anyway. M
Fl Not less than two entrances are re-
uuired for each school. the main ones
being wide and having a yestibule. All
doors should open outward. Many large
schools have inner ard outer double doors
for the main entrances. The halls should
be wide. well-lighted (both from front
and renr II possrblel, wainscoted In
natural wood. and smoothly plastered
with a dull finish. The temperature OF
the hall should be kept near though q,
little below, that OF the5rooms. The hall
Is the best place dn the school for wise
decoration. and effort should be made.
I'm the due course OF time, not IN n hurry
for cheap effects to put It in the best--a
1 few handsome pictures. casts. vases or
growing plants. Let the school hall
represent tho artistic level OF the CONF
munity. Fla
The vital part OF any school lis the
y class room. The confinement of children
for hours together under artificial re-s
straint and constraint is serious physi-.
cal and mental problem. and tends. far
more than parents or teachers REALIZE
4 to strain the pupil, either temporarily.
or permanently. II. therefore. the child
has to suffer from Improper lighting ven
klation. heating. seating or dlen1ing,
he will run a proportionately added dan
ger OF! being injured Recent studies
Of children by medical experts have
checked Educators with their percentages
OF defective eyes. weakened lungs. SPIRAL
curyatures and nervous troubles. In Ger
many these percentages amount to q
national calamity. causing great concern.
Don't Imagine that rural and village
pupils are free from injury. Though
generally getting more exercise In the
open air, they suffer more than do city
pupils from inferior buildings and adj
min!stration. 4si3S
4 s school-room should be oblong, not
square; at least twelve feet high. and
lighted only from ore s!de-the long side
to the left OF the pupils 1t Is advisable
to have the window space one-fourth
OF the floor space. certainly not less than
one-sixth. beginning near the rear OF the
room, the windows should extend to the
front desk; beginning three or four feet
from the floor, they should extend almost
to the ceiling. as the top. light Is by
far the most valuable. AS little space
as possible should BIO allowed between the
windows. which should be wide. with
large. clear panes Of glass; the light
would then come IN almost as II unit
not as separate lights. with their sep
arate shadows. It Is criminal to make
children sit facing the light. The teach
er's eyes, also, have been unnecessarily
abused in this way. II somebody wishes
to have windows on more than one side,
! small windows can be used near the top
Of the rear or right wall. to give a
reinforcing light. not competing light.