The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-03

jorty that the teacher was well able 4
satisfactorily give the preliminary exami
nation. Many thought that the school
should have expert oculists In attendance
and DR.. William Eekoff, principal of tn
Oliver Street. School. suggested that tn
Principals Association take up the matte
of eyeglasses. Principal Thomas r. Bissel
of the Charlton Street School pointed on
a number of reasons why halliday classe
should not exist, and Assistant Superin
tendent j. Wilmer Kennedy remarked tina
In his opinion it was better to ave half
day classes in a bright, sanitary room
than a full-day class I'm dingy DID annex
Improperly lighted and ventilated.
On the subject OF ventilation he said.
In some schools the idea prevails tina
the only way to secure ventilation is Il
open the windows. With the wind oufsid,
sweeping against tie school building a
the rate Of fifty miles an hour, / foun'
windows up, and when asked why they
we're not put down was told that the win
dows were the only means of ventilation
Such an idea was being carried to an alb
surd extreme. In buildings where some
exposure. which in the first place is
wrong, whenever the sun comes out tho
shades have fo be drawn and frequently
the room Is dark, AZ least the light very
poor for work. Then again the walls CT
the rooms are painted IN dafkened colors,
which only aKSraFates conditions. They,
WIN Nhe piaCk gcaEIS. aDSorp tue HAnt
which comes in from the window and
affect the welfare nf the pupils. Then
again. the seats IN many a room are poor
~ arranged frona the standpoint of health
and comfort In one room | Inspected the
windows Two Of them had been board
ed IN and seats placed Up against the
windows Men having experience in such
thinss should supervise them so that the
best results may be obtained at the very
eeeinning.
"A committee OF principals said Prin;;
visit the schoolhouse committee and lay
the facts before them. | think a COM
nlittee Of principals should be empowered
10 look over the architects plans. with a
view to improving the hygienic and sani-
tary arrangements of the building. They
have a knowledge of such things where an
architect has not"
Principals Pitkin, OF State Street School;
Gleason, sr, OF the Summer Avenue
School; Gleason. jr.. of Charlton Street
School; Stearn, of the High School; Cox.
of the Thirteenth Avenue School; DIR. Po-
land and others discussed the problem.
Principal Charles G. Shaffer, of the Ell
liot Street School. brought up the question
of what powers a principal had over the
%ianitor. He said:
In the matter of sweeping the floors Of
rooms in my school I had TO use some
argument with the janitor to persuade him
to use dampened sawdust In sweeping up
| asked my commissioner and the
proper committee of the board what my
powers were, but got no answer. l think
some limitation should be made of just
power the principal has in such mat
tiers, whether he can order a janitor to
clean the school yard and look after the
flower beds, ! persuaded my janitor that 1t
was for the good of his health to use the
sawdust, as he would not then be CON-
PEELED to breathe the flying dust.
DR.. Poland said that instead of a set of
rules from the Board of Education, such as
suggested by Principal Shaffer. a test
should be made of n case such ms had been
to and a ruling be obtained from
he Board of Educat ton. DR.. Poland said
that it was in the power Of principals,
the common law, to delegate some
disciplinary powers they had to janitors.
The latter, the superintendent thought,
should have such powers about the courts
and school yards.
The question of stopping flying dust was
Oil was suggested by Principal
who said he had used 1t success
fully, but the objection was that women
girls might slip and hurt themselves.