The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-08-07
VT. SCHOOLHOUSES
ARE CONDEMNED
Not Only Those in Country Districts but
Those in the Larger Centers
of Population.

Burlington, Aug. Z. Bad sanitary
conditions said Prof. NJ. b. Hillegas
yesterday, ARE not confined to the rural
/ schools of Vermont. Some of the worst
cases have seen were in graded schools
in the larger towns
Professor HiIlegas was addressing the
health officers in convention here upon
"The Present State of Vermont School
Houses and How They Can Be Inn
proved He holds chair in Columbia
university. New York City, and is spe.
eial investigator for the Vermont edu-
cational commission, BY the authority OF
which he is studying educational condi-
tions in this state. His address yester
day is taken as foreshadowing of the
report to be made soon upon the school
problem in this state.
After outlining the fundamentals OF
adequate lighting and ventilation in
school buildings he said.
Zone of the worst possible systems OF
lighting is in a city not far from here.
Although the windows are wide and OF
adequate height the shades consist OF
wooden shutters arranged in three sec
tions, so that whenever it is necessary
to keep the sunlight from striking di
rectly on the desks, at least one-third of
the light supply must be cut off.
"The pupils in many Vermont school
rooms fail to get the benefit of the up
per. and better. half of the windows,
simply because OF opaque shades.
TO get enough heat, and to distribute
it properly are two very important prob
lens. a temperature of 6s degrees is
sufficient but in some Of our school
houses it is 72 degrees, and near the
stove presume il sometimes goes up
to summer heat.
Very closely connected with the prob
lem OF heating is the matter of ventila
ton. Given room II feet high, see
that each child has 10 square feet OF
floor space, and he will then have l44
cubic feet Of air space, which is enough.
"But because you happen to have a
good ventilation system, don't rest as
sured that it is therefore an effective
one / have found sacks stnifed into the |
outlets. found one whole side of II
building ventilated from the coal bins, |
while another side was ventilated from |
the closets.
"The matter Of ventilation is some
thing you must keep eternally at. Tho |
average teacher will defeat it every time,
and the average ianitor is little better.
/ know of no body OF people with the
you health officers have to cor
rect such evil.
THAT none of the towns in Vermont |
furnish a sweeping compound | would |
not say. but if there is one that does
have vet to find it. Across the road
from one schoolhouse there was a pile
Of sawdust-that' was better than moth
ing, yet that teacher had never thought
Of using it for sweeping"
Drinking Water Is Bad.
Prof. Hilegas recommended strongly
the analyzing of drinking water.
Needless as it may seem" he in
sisted. 'it is vitally important"
81 could take you" he declared. "to 25
schools where in the spring the chill
lren get their drinking water from a
well situated in a barnyard. You have
20, 600 children in your care and this
matter is of the greatest consequence
The speaker said that the individual
Thinking cup isn't much better than the
lip their cups into a common pail, as
; done IN many scnools. Alter con- |
lemning the water soaked easements
ind wet open spaces under some Yer
mont schoolhouses, Professor Hillegas
riticized closets, both the inside and the
outside types.
Many outside closets, said he, have
10 windows but merely open spaces high
10 in the room These closets cannot
,e used in the winter. lie added The
peaker recommended urinals in boys
losets as a means If greater cleanliness.
nd said that in % buildings he had
ound closets used by both sexes.
'1t seems to me" he protested, that
rermont is too far advanced to counte-
ance this sort of thing.