Evening journal., 1919-04-29
SCHOOL CONDITIONS
MOST DEPLORABLE
Housing Committee Finds
Only Two City Buildings
Modernly Equipped
SAY SHELTERS
ARE UNHEALTHY

At a recent meeting OF the educational
committee Of the Bureau Of Hygiene Of
s the Delaware Chapter of the American
Red Cross. the president Of the Board
( Of Education requested the cooperation
OF the Red Cross in an Investigation or
ihe sanitary condition in fifteen Of the
+ public schools a report has Just been
received by the Bureau Of Hygiene and
submitted to the Board Of Education.
The Board Of Education recognized
these conditions two years ago and in
cluded IN its budget a sufficient amount
20 take care OF the urgent cases. This
was eliminated by City Council when
that body made IFS appropriation 20 the
board. This year lt win be necessary
70 ask for nearly twice the sum. which
the board has included I'm its budget. so
as 20 make the changes and repairs 10
be absolutely necessary by the report
OF the Philadelphia Housing Associa-
tion. The report follows:
The sanitary accommodations OF the
4 Wilmington public schools arc called
archaic, degrading and unhealthful in a
report submitted TO the Delaware Chap
fer OF the American Red Cross by the
Philadelphia Housing Association. The
report emphasizes the fact that our
public schools are supposed TO be our
most effective instrument for American
izati0n, reaching the children Of the i'm
migrant In their most impresslonable
years. Pending the time when we have
awakened up enough TO provide facili-
Ties for decent cleanly living in the
homes OF the city's poorest districts, it
. says. the schools must be depended
: upon TO modify bad home environment
and teach good habits and cleanliness as
well as Lessons from text books.
"The report deals IN detail with con-
ditions found IN fifteen public schools.
All but two Of these were served by
shelter houses outside the school build
ing. In several schools teachers and pu-
pills must use the same sanitary conven-
iences. In one case it was reported that
teachers went home in preference TO do
ing this. In several other schools the
teachers are given an indoor toilet
while the pupils still use the outside
shelters. But these indoor toilets some
times show that they are er-thoughts
and make-shifts as In school No. i5
where the toilet IS placed in one end OF
a cloak room next the window. Though
IL IS partitioned off from the cloak room
The partition door must be left open to
iight and ventilate the space where the
children Of three classes hang their hats
and coats.
IN all but two instances the type Of
outdoor toilet used Is the old-fashloned
school sink which many cities con-
demned and abandoned a generation
ago. This IS a long trough running
under a row Of seats. The ianitor Is
required 10 flush 10 out to the sewer
periodically. Though the inspection
showed that the ianltors perform this
duty as frequently as is expected the
shelter houses in nearly every instance
were foul smelling.
THE evil Of these conditions was in
creased by the lack Of light and air in
the shelter houses, most Of which are
lighted and ventilated by opening OBJ /
scured by heavy fixed louvres. not by |
windows. AS a result the doors are /
usually left open TO let In more light |
and let out some odor. Largely be- |
cause Of the obscurity the seats in sew
eral places had Nth upon them. And /
largely because OF this the nlth on seats .
was increased because the children
could not use them properly. Instead
OF teaching American habits OF cleanli-
ness such conditions increase habits Of