The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1911-12-14
PATRONS AND TEACHERS
Both These Can Also Make Improve
ment In Some Directions-A
Valuable Paper
Given.

Center township teachers held Satur-
day at the K. P. Hall Mrs. Frank
Hobby, living north of Inwood read
very valuable paper on the needs
of the school. This meeting was
what is called patrons day, all the
patrons of the schools being invited
to come and tell their views on the
schools, and especially how they
think the schools can be improved.
Mrs. Hobby is patron of the In
wood schools and is herself former
school teacher. She read the fol-
lowing paper:
The needs of the school: First
We neel more sanitary. buildings.
Many buildings ara too small. re-
sulting in a crowded condition of
the rooms. While many of our
buildings are well lighted there are
many of them without proper venti-
lation 1t is we'll established fact
that bad air is responsible for many
diseases, therefore our school build
ings should be furnished with a
good system of ventilation Any
teacher will bear me out in the state
ment that under existing conditions
in three-fourths of our school build
ings that the air is decidedly foul in
a short time after the school has as
semhled and long before the rush
period it often becomes necessary
from a health standpoint, to raise
and lower windows in order to get a
reasonable amount of fresh air, to
enable the children to continue their
work in anything like proper man.
ner. To do this, means that some
one is exposed to a chilling draught
with resultant cold, sore throat, etc.
Where windows must be used for
ventilating, they should be fitted
with a device that allows free cir
culation Of air without draughts. OF
course, our health officers look after
the water supply so we care only to
mention that good, pure water is an
essential
I would put in plea, from a
moral, as well as sanitary standpoint,
especially in schools that are crowd
ed as our centralized graded schools
are, for adequate toilets, furnished
with sanitary hoppers and lava
tories, these rooms should be, at
! recess time in charge IF the janitor
for the boys and Of the lady teach
ers in turn, for the girls. Of course,
this means extra expense to our
school system, but could we as tax
PAYERS. ask for better expenditure
of our money, if judiciousIy used
than in the endeavor to safeguard
the morals of our childrel. Our
children are not only "the aopes OF
our Nation" but they are our most
precious possession, SO / say God
speed the day, where more attention
is given 20 this phase of school life.
Unde. the teachers care, from
day to day, come from 80 to 40
pupils from possibly as many homes
The majority Of these children come
from what we generally term. re-
spectacle homes. Yet, I believe
am safe in saying that at least one
half of these children have very
little attention given them, as to
the use Of even well established
hygienic rules. They do not bathe
regularly, the teeth are neglected
and in fact the conditis ms are such
that it is simply appalling to one
who enters the average school room
from the pure outer air, to be greet
| ed with the stencil Of body ordors
which All his nostrils.
This condition exists in most ol
the lower and elementary grades
and I am sorry to say tlast many