The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-12-04
FRESH AIR AND VENTILATION
Cure for Some Ills and for Numerous
Irritations


Editor OF The Banner:
There are a whole lot OF educated
and respectable people in this world.
who are neat in person, immaculate
in dress and in the appointments of
their homes who are through ignor-
ance or negligence downright filthy,
regarding the air they breath, both by
night and day. This results in mud
died brains, headaches. faintness-
commonly attributed to weak heart
and disease.
The writer's attention has recently
been drawn to an article in the New
York Christian Advocate, especially
dealing with tie sanitation Of
churches: the article is so valuable
to the general public that the writer
is condensing the same for wider pub
lie consideration and use.
Some thirty years ago Henry Ward
Beecher uttered some graphic sen
fences upon the subject OF ventila-
ton, which are as true today as
when he uttered them, he said,
There are two things that God made
the most of in this world. that men
are more afraid OF than anything else
fresh air and cold water | have
been speaking for more than 80 years,
in every conceivable place-halls and
churches, and have yet to meet one
single place where an audience ought
to be detained for an hour. In most
assembly rooms the supply Of fresh
air is used up in fifteen minutes, and
as there is little re-supply, the air
will soon be breathed over again.
twice. three times, four times, FIVE
times, and in less than an hour, every
man, woman and child in this assemb-
ly will have in him something of
every other man. woman. and child
II is very rarely that one sees a
person Of whom he thinks so we'll
that he would like to eat him up. yet
this vaporous intimacy with each 9th
er's interior is as unwholesome as il
is universal. Strange to say. the filth
OF il never seems to have struck any
body at all
If you were to invite friend to
your home and put him in bed
where 50 men had successfully slept.
without any change OF sheets, he
would justly think you were filthy
house holder and you would have u
right TO be ashamed. If you sat him
down to your table and told him that
10 men had eaten with that knife,
fork and Observation-Disclosures he
came in. he would not tolerate them
for moment.
In the matter Of fresh air, the archi
tects have made clean the outside.
and beauthcd the building. but with,
in. it is full Of dead mems brcaths, or
dead breaths of men" The average
ianitor of cur churches. schools. and
public halls has never made a study
OF ventilation nor has he received
any instructions rega ding This in'
portant matter so we must not too
severely condemn him
In the first place the building Is not
suitably constructed This can be
largely overcome. at slight expense
Every church and public gathering
place Immediately after the audience
has dispersed. should be thoroughly
aired and the windows left open fer
several hours. the article referred to
says twelve hours at least. the length
largely depending upon the amount OF
breeze stirring. and to further show.
the Importance of ventilation. the ar
iicle states-"where the room is
heated by hot air. the interchange is
more rapid. but the church with a
forced d-aught. equal TO Furnishing
its occupants with fresh air in sufiici-
ent amount. probably does not exist.
After room has been thoroughly
ventilated it will heat more quickly.
The room should be tested with re
lible thermometer. placed in the cent
er OF the room and not at one
side. The temperature should not
20 above u degrees or below IS
from the Oppressive effects OF over
heated. dry. poisonous air. than from
cold air. For prOpes ventilation when
the audience is assembled. windows
should be kept open az both top ana
bottom. on all sides Of the house.
Drafts can be eliminated by thin
board TO o inches wide. the length
OF the width Of the window and this
may match the woodwork. II both
light and air are desired glass stt in
a frame may be substituted and ad
justed by hinges and hooks and ewes
OF q friction catch. The draft vii.
thus strike the board or glass. in
stead OF the nearby occupant and
pass upward. similar arrangement
az the top OF the window causes the
air 20 circulate more evenly n is