DEPARTMENT OF SUPERINTENDENCE.

FIRST DAY.

TUESDAY-AUGUST 5th.

The meeting was called to order at 24 o'clock P.M., by the President, WM. T. HARRIS, of St. Louis, Mo.

Letters were read from Gen. JOHN EATON, jr., and others, relating to holding the annual meeting of this department at Washington in the winter; after which the following-named gentlemen were appointed a committee to report at a future meeting upon the feasibility of such a change: A. J. RICKOFF, Cleveland, Ohio; J. W. BULKLEY, Brooklyn, N. Y.; NEWTON BATEMAN, Springfield, Ill.

Superintendent A. J. RICKOFF, Cleveland, Ohio, read a paper on

SCHOOL-HOUSE PLANS.

Allow me a word in explanation of the title of this paper. At the time I received a note from the President of our section, requesting me to prepare a paper for it, on some subject belonging to general school management, we happened to be working over the plan for a school-house which you have before you. Differing as it seemed to do, in at least one important particular, from any other that we had seen, it was suggested that it might be of some practical use to lay it before you. The title should therefore be "A plan for a schoolhouse," not "School-house plans."

That you may readily understand the proposed plan, the architect, Mr. WALTER BLYTHE, of Cleveland, has kindly prepared the ground plans which you The building being a plain and inexpensive one, it was not thought desirable to present elevations or perspective views.

see.

It will be seen on inspection that the principal and generally all the light necessary for each school-room is admitted on the side of the room which is to the left of the pupils. As a consequence of this, the use of the windows behind the pupils may be commonly dispensed with, and thus the glare of light in the teacher's eyes may be avoided. This is looked upon as the special advantage of the plan. It is hardly necessary to take your time to prove the pernicious effects of the straining of the eye in childhood which is incident to protracted efforts to read and write in light which is either insufficient or which falls upon the page or is reflected from it in the wrong direction. This is too thoroughly demon

strated by the careful observations of many years, carried on by judicious and scientific observers, to be doubted. It is proved by the care which every thoughtful man exercises, if he be free to choose the location of his writingdesk or work-table. It is a hard thing to say, but I believe it to be true, that it is seldom forgotten, save when children are to be provided for. There are few who have not experienced how painful and injurious to the eye of a teacher, a light is, which is directly before him as he faces his pupils.

It seems to me that the plan is an excellent one, in that, at times of the assembling and dismissal of her school, the teacher, by standing at or near the doorway, may have a view of her pupils, whether they be in the school-room, in the cloak-rooms, or passing to and fro through the halls.

Besides the two advantages already mentioned, there seem to be some others which are worthy of being brought to your attention, though they be not peculiar to this plan.

Each school-room has a cloak-room attached, which is in every case to the left of the teacher as she stands at her platform, facing her pupils.

The direct entrance from the hall to the school-room is at the left of the teacher.

There is an unbroken space for a blackboard behind the teacher's desk. There is also an excellent surface for a black board unbroken save by the doorways communicating with the cloak-room.

Each cloak-room has a large window and a doorway directly opposite, by means of which it may be thoroughly aired at any time.

The three windows on the one side of each room and the doors directly opposite, with the two windows behind the pupils, will afford all the ventilation that doors and windows can possibly afford in warm, sultry weather.

It is proposed to warm the building by means of steam coils placed under the windows and covered by a marble slab fitted to the sash a few inches above the sill. By this means, pure air can be brought into the room sufficiently warmed, even in the coldest weather.

I do not attempt to speak at any length of that very important matter, the ventilation of the building, because I can not do so within the space I have

allowed myself for this paper. Let it suffice to say that the two shafts provided, having foul-air ducts leading into them from three or four different parts of each room, and heated by the cast-iron flues of the furnace, as indicated, afford the surest means of ventilation now known; provided, that sufficient allowance be made for the introduction of pure air, as above.

The plan is for a building of twelve rooms, because that is now almost universally conceded to accommodate as many children as ought to be assembled in any school-house, and because in any larger building the advantages of light, air, and ventilation proper, can not be well secured.

DISCUSSION.

An objection was raised against school-houses three stories in hight on account of health. Mr. A. PARISH, Superintendent of Schools, New Haven, Ct., explained a plan for a school-house similar to the last, but having the third story divided so that two of the rooms can be thrown together by means of sliding doors. Folding seats around the rooms furnish seats for the pupils of two other rooms. He thinks the objection to three stories may be largely obviated

by easy flights of stairs, six and three-fourths inches rise by eleven inches wide, and the stories not too high-thirteen and a half feet being sufficient. Superintendent J. H. Binford, of Richmond, Va., read the following paper:

THE RELATION BETWEEN SCHOOL BOARDS AND SUPERINTENDENTS.

According to HUXLEY, the duties of school boards may be classified under two heads: "the one relating to the subject-matter of education; the other to the establishment, maintenance and administration of the schools in which that education is to be conducted."

If this classification be correct, the question naturally arises as to the best method of discharging each of these duties- What division of labor will be most beneficial? Do school boards, as generally constituted, contain all the elements necessary for the proper discharge of these duties? If any board should, perchance, have among its members gentlemen who, from study, observation and experience, are fitted for the discharge of any or all of these duties, would it be reasonable or just to expect that they should neglect their private business and devote themselves exclusively to public demands, without