The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-12-10
MORE ABOUT
HEALTH IN SCHOOL
ANOTHER LETTER IS SENT
OUT BY THE STATE
BOARD.
Question of Proper Heating Light
and Ventilation Is Subject Of
Discussion.

why Not Protect the Health of
School Children" is the title OF a
public letter which the State Board
of Health is sending out 10 the peo-
pie of the State The questions I
pure air, proper heating, lighting and
Ventilation and good water supply are
taken up in way that is intended to
make them appeal TO the parents OF
school children
I'VE find in nine schoolhouses out
of ten that the simple matter OF ven
tilation is not properly attended to,
and the school children suffer- says
the board Parents in any locality
would stop work and spend their last
cent to prevent their childrerr>from
being injured in any opol and plain
| ly seen way, but they do hesitate to
prevent injury to their children when
it occurs b a slow and not well-un-
derstood process. Let us consider
what happens whe children are shut
up in schoolroom that is heated by
stoves, and no ventilating ducts in
the walls, and perhaps where cross
Lights, or direct lights or insufficient
light strain and nj,lre tie eyes
Not Uniformly Warmed by Stoves.
"A schoolroom in which there as
stove is never evenly and uniform
" warmed, and the same air, or about
the same arr is heated over and over
denying the pupils the amount which
nature says they must have to keep
we'll Besides TINS the children near
the stove are overheated, made
sweaty and uncomfortable, and in
consequence can not study and pro-
gross as they should. They are also
rendered more liable 10 catch cold
when they go out. All OF this is a
handicap upon them. But remember,
also, that the children seated away
| from the stove are cold and chilly
| and in consequence can not study
and progress as they should, and rley
| like the overheated ones near the
stove, are more liable TO catch cold
So it appears that heating school
room with stoves is a money loss, for
it puts handicap upon the progress
| Of the pup Is, and besides makes them
more liable TO c Ilds Indeed, it is ex-
travagant, bad business, unjust and
cruel to the children.
Matter of Ventilation.
at is absolutely impossible to
properly reatilate a schoolroom by
windows and doors in the winter
time To ventiiate properly it is nec-
essary TO have ventiiating ducts oil
ample size and alw"ys in good work
| ing order, and also necessary o'have
4 furnace of ample size, taking fresh
air from outside, warming and then
Introducing it into the schoolroom
School children should have plen-
ty of good pure water TO drink. No;
to supply it is cruelty. Yet, the
schoolhouses in Indiana are not few
where good water is wanting, and
again and again we have found
schoolhouses in the country which
had NO wells and the pupils were
compelled TO carry water or run quite
a distance TO the nearest farmhouse
to get a drink. We know OF some
such schoor1iouses which have
churches near Them and in which col
lections are taken up for the heather
Strange inconsistency!
Water Supply.
I'm cities, schools are generally
supplied with water from the public
water-work and the matter is sup
posed to be looked after by the loca'
health board; but in the country, the
county trustee is the governing au-
thority and the people make the trus-
tee. 1t is, therefore, in the power Of
the country eople to have about
what they want in the way OF schools
Deep tubular wells give the best
water supply. Dug wells should moi
be used, because they easily become
polluted by surface drainage, and the
State Board Of Health advises thai
it is dangerous to drink water frcir
them All dug wells should be aband
oned. They can not be trusted Buck
cts with tin drinking cups should
never be used. 1t is impossible tC
drink from any drinking vessel and
not leave splttle on the edge AS scar
let fever, diphtheria and sore throa
are passed from one child to another
in spittle, we should not arrange mat
tiers so that spttle may be passed
from one mouth to another. for this
| is no invite disease.
| Buckets Pass Disease.
Water buckets and common
drinking cups are a fine invention for
passing disease from one child &c
another, and while hundreds have es-
capped disease from this source, 9th
or hundreds have been made sick and
numerous deaths have resulted Small
smooth, thick glass drinking cups
should be supplied TO school children
and the drinking water drawn direct
into them from a faucet of the water
cooler, or direct from the pump spout
This makes possible the rinsing @:
the cup and prevents adding spittle
to the water supply as happens when
a bucket is used. Do away with the
common water bucket and old tin
cups, because they are nasty and con-
stitute, a splendid method for trans