The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1913-08-27
Reduction in Present Cost Of
Sehoolhouse Construction Urged
Speaker of Hygiene Congress Declares That Formidable Load
Is Placed on Helpless Taxpayer Relation Of School
to Industrial Hygiene Discussed

Buffalo, n. Y, Aug. 27.--Walter H.
Kilham of Boston delivered an address
yesterday before the Fourth Interna-
tional Congress on School Hygiene, on
the subject of the hygiene construc
ton of school houses from the stand
point of the architect. He spoke in
part as follows: IL 3~
$50 much advance has been made in
the, general matter of the hygiene con-
struct!or OF school houses that It
seems 2s If the last word must have
beer said as far as the architects are
concerned. No longer is schoolroom air
re-breathed by fifty pairs of lungs; the
common drinking cup has been replac-
ed by the bubbling stream; dust, once
the buSbear OF, janitors, has fed before
the combination %of rounded corners
| and vacuum cleaner, and the school
room is sunny, Wei lighted, warmed
to . uniform temperature, and, In fact
almost sterilized by the various de-
vices calculated to conserve the health
of teachers and pupils. The school
| house of today, compared with that Of
thirty years ago seems to be almost
| q perfect structures - g.F ~ -
But there is. another, side to this.
This germ proof, dustless building is
also very costly one. City after city
passes large appropriations TO provide
| the most modern school house that
can be built.' WithGtheir complicated
| equipment the construction OF these
buildings brings a formidable load on
the helpless taxpayer. How many of
the requirements of one of these build
ings are fads and how many are in
the class of things really worth while?
Heating and Ventilation. .
About the most important single
item Of school house expense, both IN
construction and maintenance is that
of heating and ventilation. Today a
twenty room school building, costing
say $4,000, of ordinary plan has to
cover 900 more square feet and con-
tain perhaps 5000 more cubic feet on
account of space devoted to vertical
| lines Of stacks. Those stacks built Of
brick or other fireproof materials, to-
gether with the horizontal ducts, cost
perhaps $4,000. The cost of the
plenum system over direct heating ap
paratus in such a building would be
about $4,000. The extra consump ton
of coal might be variously estimated,
but probably amounts to not less than
rs or 100 tons per year.
| Experiments with open-air classes
have perhaps not yet demonstrated
that perfection has been attained, but
the testimony in general shows that
pupils in these rooms make great
advance both mentally and physically
1t seems to me that much school work
especially of the kind done in study
| hours could be profitably carried on
in rooms built with windows only on
one side SO as to. eliminate draughts
and made to open the entire size of the
brick opening and kept open, the. ex-
treme cold in winter possibly being
tempered by direct steam coils. Reci-
tations, and blackboard work could be
conducted in absolutely open rooms on
I the roof, made with glass sides to
close when the wind is too strong. Il
was about to say, when it stOrmed, but
i in these times when the no-school sig
nal sounds at the least intimation OF
rain, the remark seems unnecessary.
4 iI am conscious that the arguments
III have advanced may seem weak, re-
dictionary and absurd to those familiar
with the problems Of school operation.
4 Under the prevailing laws indirect yen-
tilation to the extent of thirty cubic
( feet a minuteta a person is obligatory
and probably rightly SO, for in work
ing with open windows the personal
element plays perhaps too prominent a
part and the difficulty of supervision
4 becomes too great. But il it is pos
/ sible to give the children inyigorating
air and incidentally reduce the enor-
NOUS cost of school house construc-
1 tion,1I believe the matter lis worthy OF
parents and taxpayers will await the
4 successful investigation
School and Industrial Hygiene.
4 The relation of school hygiene TO in
4 dustrial hygiene was the subject Of an
f address by DR.. Ira S. Vile, a member
of the board of education of New < ork
i city. DR.. Vile said, in part:
i "The constructive value of instruc-
4 ton in hygiene is rapidly perneating
our school systems The hygienic facts
accumulated during the last fifteen
years are wrought3with greater signifi-
tcance for the welfare Of the world than
the accumulation Of knowledge during
any other similar period Of our his
tory. While some progress has been
lmade in disseminating hggienie in
lfcrmation to adults, the Importance
Eof proplylactic education for the CONF
A ing generation has not impressed IT.
|. self sufficiently upon curriculum malS-
ers. The stress of present day methods
has been placed upon securing IA ny
Egienic environment for abnormal chill
I dreh.
The rational processes of education
II suggest that the hygienic training oi
81 normal children should be the para
Il mount issue ia hy gienic education te
! promote future communal welfare
i Recognizing school hygiene, as at pres
ent constituted. to be Inadequate IN