Year: 1875

for good school houses. This is not the


rule, but the exception; for it has been
reported by good authority that in a GER
tain township, in our county, the school


buildings are ''Old rotten shells" The
Director is the man to whom the whole
community looks for the eonvenienees
of the school room. The Director has
power to erect good buildings, and ought
certainly to erect them. Nothing adds
more to the attractiveness of a neighbor-
hood than q neat and well.furnished
schooIhouse.


l shall now notice several important
items in the erection of school buildings.


1. The location of school buildings isa
very important item to be looked after.
In some localities appears as though the
Building Committee took special pains to
find that site for the school building
which is most unfavored by nature
Very often little contracted corner by
the roadside is taken for the school
room site. Again, the center of the
district is favorite point for the school
room site. Now it so happens that ma
ture has, in a majority of cases, favored
the ''centre" with catponds, &c. But
the school building must he erected here
for accommodations sake The Direc-
tors have power to locate school buildings
where nature has east some of her IA
vors; and why not use this power2 If
nature has not cast many of her favors
where it seems absolutely necessary to
erect the building, put forth some effort
toimprove the surroundings of the build
ing. Old rubbish should be removed
from the play ground, which should be
large, and burned. Shade trees should
be planted and protected by being fenced
in. If nature has PLANTED shade trees
they ought to be trimmed. If nature
has not supplied running water near to
the school-room, a well ought to be sunk
to supply it. But if she has supplied it
in superabundance, underground bitches
ought to be made to carry it Off A lit
tie effort on the part of the Directors
might make the surroundings of the
school building as attractive as those of
their own residences. Men seeking new
homes would be more apt to settle
among people who take enough interest
in the cause of education to erect and
care for such nice buildings. Instead of
of these fine buildings making you poor
by taxation, they will enhance the value
of their property by inducing men of
wealth and influence to locate among
you.


2. The size of tie school building must
be controlled by the demands Of the
community. But as our country is grow
ing rapidly, it would be judieious in
School Boards to erect buildings some
what larger than are demanded for pres
ent use. We find it in our experience
that schoOl-rOoms are almost universally
too small. Other things being equal,
we find the best schools of our country
in the large airy rooms. Many reasons
could be offered for making this state
ment. a nice location, attractive sur
roundings, and house of commodiOus
size, are three very important essentials
to be observed in erecting school build
ings. But we come now to notice the
most important feature of the school
house, which we dGnominate


FURNITURE





Friend Directors, presume that you
cannot find many school-rooms which
are properly furnished. In order that
you may fully understand what mean
by properly furnished sehool-rooms, we
will mention the furniture, &c, which
should be in every sehOol-room in the
land. The best seats, desks, maps,
globes, charts, blaek-boards and appa-
ratus which is needed to illustrate the
studies which are pursued in the school,
ought to be furnished by the Board of
Education The days of the fail have
passed away and why should not those of
the ''round pole" writing desks pass
away? One may say ''We don't propose
to make colleges of our common schools"
Say of them just what you please. but we
could save hundreds of dollars to our
selves if we had schools at home to which
we could send and educate our children.
Another may say, 'Where viii we get
the teachersl" 1t is a known law in
business that We get what we demand
and pJy for.


In conclusion, say, that the success
of-our schools depends upon the Direct
or. Hence he should be the best man
that can be elected for the position. He
should be up with the times; familiar
with our school system. He should be
a reader of some practical school jour
nal. He should be morally upright He
should take the Office, not for the honor
but for the sake of doing good. He
should look to the conveniencies Of the
school-room. He shonld be prompt in
doing his duty. He should use all the
means he can summon TO make the
schools success.


If this article induces one Board of
Education TO erect a modern school.
house, 1 will be well paid for my pains
in writing il. N. V. SwTTZER.