SCHOOLHOUSES AND GROUNDS

He urged increased expenditure of money, and this money spent first of all in making all school buildings as nearly as possible perfectly fire-proof and sanitary. To this latter end he offered the following wise suggestion:—PBE 233.5

“All flues, ducts, and boxes for the reception and conveyance of cold or hot air should be so built and disposed that their interiors can be cleaned. Any one who has examined with a lens the extraordinary amount of animal and vegetable matter which accumulates on a sheet of ‘tangle-foot’ fly-paper placed in a cold-air box, at any season of the year when the ground is not covered with snow, will heartily concur in this prescription. The observance of these rules would, of course, demand additional initial expenditure on school buildings, but would diminish the cost of maintenance.”PBE 234.1

As to the school grounds, he presented the following beautiful thought:—PBE 234.2

“Whether in town or country, a large open space, yard, or garden should surround every school building, and should be kept with neatness and decorated with shrubs and flowers.”PBE 234.3