The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-06
LEARNING BY EXPERIENCE.

LEARNING BY EXPERIENCE.
 It is. of course. one or the regretta- ble peculiarities of human nature that we learn in no way more surely and lastingly than by bitter experience. The Iroquois theatre fire in Chicago, of recent date, brought about many needed reforms in theatre construc- tion all over the country. The terrible happenings of Wednesday at the Lake View School fire in Collingwood, the suburb of Cleveland will bring brood ing sorrow to many home heretofore happy, in the midst of which little lives have been plotted out in few short minutes. But out of the sorrow will come some good. As the eyes of the country have been focused upon the awful calamity two facts of note have been recognized. The first of these is that school fire drills are all right in their way, but are worse than useless if incapable of modification when it is found that the fire itself lies in the usual path of the main avenues of escape made use of by the drills. The other object lesson is no new one It concerns the utter absurdity of hay ing the doors at the exits of public buildings opening inward.
 It is with no such object in mind as of criticising the local building de- partment that attention is drawn to the latter matter. Nor is it to critici SC the New Haven board of education that the necessity of fire drills is men, toned, The bVlding inspectors have long since compelled those in the city who open their doors to the general public to have them hinged outward | Furthermore there is every assuran .e that pressure will be brought to bear | to compel those few procrastinators to the chalk-mark, who have failed o comply win the city's building regula- tions in this regard The matter is very analogous with the question of fire es- capes and -proofing, and what ely building inspector has been more com mendably active in this regard of Ia C than our MT Austin? Not only has he ordered new escapes built on some 4 our. hotels and schools within the last fortnight but he has also pushed :, into another field and demanded tn ... which has long been source of grca, concern to the Fire department, bt thoroughly overhauled and equipped with fire-resisting walls and safe .lA. vator shafts.
 There is not school in the city but has its fire drill Many of them greatly pride themselves on the speed with which they can get every child out oi the buildings. Just so did the Lak, View School. The trouble was in grea, part that the children had been drilled to march to the very place which was the worst possible one for them to be when the fire broke out Wednesday. I, would be well for the educational au. thorities of the city to take this under earnest consideration, if indeed the, have not already done so, and see tc it that the schools have flexible sys. tems of fire drills. which can be read. fly changed as the emergency de. mands
 That the Cleveland fire has been a. object lesson is already manifest With the very reports of the fire came tho announcement that the State of Hi. nois in consequence of the fire had or. dered all it's schools closed which hal doors opening inward and inadeuuars fire escapes until the much-needed i'm provements are installed. And repoy., of like nature are coming from man, other places. It is regrettable that bis ter experience is our best teachec 
 Even then the lesson is far too apt
 be temporary one. The great Brook lyn theatre fire but taught the sam. lessons that the 1roquois ire taught and the Lake View School comes but t,
 find that the Iroquois fire did not ever effectively teach the secret of tn, ounce-of-prevention theory. And S, we learn May New Haven learn onl, through the experience of other cities if she has not learned already.