Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-21

| has been provided for along lines
equally unique For these purposes
| the new school contains theatre with
seating capacity of 1900 in which
histrionic ability may be encouraged,
which particular attention will be
paid to the physical deficiencies of the
students together with their upbuid-
ing, shower baths and a lunch room in
which 200 pupils can eat at one time.
AS the most advanced of the newer
education. particular attention will be
paid to this most upt date school in
the world, by means of which New
York expects to establish new stan
dard of practical education.
In the above report from a special
correspondent of the Kennebec jour
nal, we see one extreme of modern
educational system In the over
crowded, poorly ventilated, badly
heated miserably lighted school
house fire traps of an alarmingly dis
couraging number of our cities, we
find the other. While Maine is con-
sidering an arrangement to increase
the efficiency" of our schools by put
ting a premium on lack of that spirit
with which we would endow our
school rooms. Connecticut is wrestling
against fire in school buildings In
our humble opinion the Maine idea is
retrogressive and the Connecticut one
progressive.
Only one state in the Union is given
a clear record, by the Sage Survey,
for safeguards against roasted chill
dren. That is Ohio, and it required
the Collingwood disaster in which 165
children persisted, to arouse that state
to an intelligent standard of fire pre-
vention.
While we talk teachers, and pen
sions, and methods of perfecting or
CARNATIONS of those in control of our
schools, in most of our eastern states,
we gamble on the roasting of our
children alive. When some one be-
comes alarmed and makes fuss
enough, cities begin talking of fire es-
capes to quiet the minds of parents.
But it costs money to remodel school
houses, and in spite of twentieth cen
fury progress and our commendable
desire to provide for the future of
are still ready to take chances on the
lives of our little ones in contract
construction based upon the efficiency
of the fire drill and the rapdity with
which the structure might be expected
to burn.
Connecticut has some laws that look
well till you happen to notice thai
there is nothing about fire escapes in
them, and anyway they are purely
ornamental, as the Sage Survey of
Greenwich last year (the richest town
| in the United States, by the way)
showed, demonstrated, and rubbed in;
everything was ready in half a dozen
places for repetition of the Colling-
wood fire. often on an enlarged scale
! and a slighter opportunity And there
was nothing peculiar about Green
wich. All over the State the APP
plicable laws are treated as dead
letter. The new bill provides that its
laws can be enforced by the State
police or by any chief of police or
marshal or fire inspector or factory
Inspector. not to mention several 9TH
er people 1t is women who are agi-
| tating for the new bill, and when wo-
men get the ballot we may expect bet
ter laws governing schoolhouse build
ing and less gambling on child life.
When it is hammered into US and
we pause to give it thought, most OF
us have children or grandchildren or
close personal interest in some other
children, and we would hardly care to
practice economy that might mean 4
repetition of the Collingwood tragedy
any day. We would rather that law
makers take it into their own hands
and provide for safety.
A minimum wage for teachers
turban, suburban and ruraD. wage
worth fitting some of our brightest
and best students to compete for,
might be pretty good way to build
up our schools and hold our good
| teachers.