The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-03-01
TWO NEW SCHOOL HOUSES.

TWO NEW SCHOOL HOUSES.
| The local board of education at its
meeting Thursday evening wisely
voted to submit to ths voters of the
district at a special election to be
held April It'll, next, proposition to
issue bonds to the amount OF $4,000
for the purpose OF building two new
school houses and adding two rooms
to third. The proposition to be
voted on contemplates new buildings
In thu First and Seventh wards. There
lis no building in the Seventh ward
and never has bsen one The new
building for the First ward, if author
lied. will take the place Of the pres
ent Garfield building.
1t is devoutly to be hoped that the
proposition will be endorsed at the
polls by decisive vote. The need
of building In the Seventh ward is
imperative and has been for some
time. Children in that part of the
! city now attend the Carey school
which has been overcrowded for sew
eral years. The building has capac-
| ity of 300 pupils; there is an en-
rollment of 457, an overcrowd of 1877
This means that there are huddled in
that building over 90 per cent more
children than 1t is capable of accom-
modating properly. Such a condition
cannot be permitted to exist a mo-
ment longer than is necessary for its
correction. Besides, many of the chill
dren attending from the Seventh ward
are compelled to traverse long dis
tances to reach the school. Thus an
additional hardship is put upon them
which is especially felt when the
weather is bad and the street cross
ings muddy. AS already pointed out
in these columns, every consideration
of fairness, justice and good citizen
ship demands that school building
bs erected in the Seventh ward at the
earliest practicable date.
The need of new building to take
the place Of the present Garfield struc.
ture is also pressing one not to BE-
ignored or denied. No less than 200
citizens have declared over their own
signatures, in a petition presented to
thu board, that the present building is
unsafe, unsanitary and totally unfit
for use as school house" The build
ing was erected forty years ago and
is wholly unsuited to present day de,
mands. Besides being unsanitary, it
! is yeritable firetrap, dangerous to
the lives of the little ones at present
compelled to make use of it in their
efforts to acquire an education. TIL.
furnace is located directly beneath the
main stairway. and fire originating
from that Most common source OF
fires would prevent egress from the
building by the usual route. In case
of fire and accompanying panic
among the little ones many lives
would be sacrificed, and Keokuk
would never forgive itself for permit
ting such sacrifice of innocent lives.
Suggestions have been made from
! time to time that it might be pos
siole TO remedy conditions by putting
the heating plant outside the building.
but this proposition has been vetoed
by building experts who say that the
present condition and value OF the
building would not justify the ex-
pense. Time, Use and the weather
have decreased the value of the struc-
ture to such an extsnt that it would
be waste Of money to expend any
thing on attempts at remodeling. I'm
der the circumstances there is only
! one thing to do. and that is to erect
an entirely new building.
Two new rooms are to be added to
the Lincoln school building in West
/ heokuk by the terms of the PROPOSE
ton to be submitted to popular vote.
Inc necessity for additional SCHOOL
facilities in that part OF the city can
not bs gainsaid. In communication
TO the board Superintendent Aldrich
says; ] wish to call your attention to
the TACT that the Lincoln building is
/ crowded far beyond satisfactory usage
at present. and with only eleven to
4 De promoted to the grammar school
\ IN Juns, and large list OF beginners
IN prospect for September, | cannot
see how they can be handled satigfac-
toriiy There are six rooms in the
present Lincoln structure. capable Of
accommodating 1870 pupils comfort.
| ably. The present enrolment is 2go
an oyercrowd of $50 Here we have
lacking only thirty. twice as many
children as the building will accom-.
modate properly. This is grossly nm.
Just to all concerned. we read that
the pupils are sitting and STUDYING
In the coat rooms and halls. Tn ~
are exposed to every draft, have had
light, and conditions are not conduciv.
to good work" We should saw NOT,