By an examination of the plans, it will be seen that the pupils in passing to and from the school-rooms, will generally pass through the wardrobes. Each of these rooms are wainscoted from the floor up about 24 feet, and the corridors and wardrobes from 5 to 7 feet, with boards, neatly grained and varnished, (as is all the interior wood-work,) and above these on each side of the rooms are blackboards. The rooms are ventilated through the large ventilating shafts or buttresses in the exterior walls. The building is 68 by 86 feet on the ground, and each school-room 27 by 33 feet, and 13 feet high. The exterior (Fig. 1,) is in a plain Americo-Italian style of architecture; is entirely devoid of any thing like ornamentation, save in its bold projecting buttresses which form the ventilating and chimney shafts before mentioned; its deeply recessed doorway in front, with massive buttresses on each side; and its elegant Mansard roof, the steep sloping sides of which, covered with slate, and pierced with Dormer windows, gives it altogether a unique and pleasing effect. Externally, the finish of the basement to the principal floor is stone. Above this the building is faced with red pressed brick, neatly pointed, and has stone-dressings to doors, windows, buttresses, etc. The building is warmed by a boiler located in a room at the rear of the building, and covered with a lean-to roof rising no higher than the basement. The boiler is of the tubular form, twelve feet long by forty-two inches in diameter, of quarter inch best American iron, steam dome 24 by 20 inches, with forty-one three inch flues, grate bars four feet by four feet, boiler set in double eight inch walls with full cast iron front, braced with 67 inch bolts through each way, with cast iron braces outside and inside the walls. The whole amount of pipe in Haven School is 13,294 feet, of which mains and returns contain 3,102 feet, and inch coil pipes, 10,192 feet. In each school-room there is one large coil of 530 feet, of inch pipe and one small coil of 50 feet, making 145 square feet of radiating surface in the coils. There is an average amount in addition to the above of sixteen square feet in the mains and returns in each room, which makes the total amount of radiating surface in each room 161 square feet, which gives one square foot of radiating surface to 75 cubic feet of air. This we think may be set down as a rule for low pressure heating, when the pressure is not to exceed from 5 to 15 lbs. In the corridor, there are four coils containing 1,500 feet of inch pipe; in the Hall there are two coils containing 1,000 feet 4 inch pipe; in the Gymnasium there are two coils containing 792 feet, and in the Reception Room one coil containing 100 feet 4 inch pipe. In the dedicatory exercises of this house, the President of the Board, Mr. Haven, remarked: My acquaintance with the public schools of Chicago, commenced in the winter of 1851-twelve years since. From that time to this, I have occupied a seat in this Board. In 1851, there were but four public school buildings in the city. Those buildings accommodated less than 1,700 pupils. The Franklin and the Washington, one on the north and the other on the west side of the river, were erected that year, each with capacity to accommodate 340 pupils. In 1856, the Moseley was erected on the south side, and the Ogden on the north, accommodating 693 pupils each. In 1857, two more of the same capacity as the last were erected on the west side-the Brown and the Foster. In 1858, the Newberry was erected, seating 1,260 pupils, and in 1859, the Skinner, of the same size and character. The new and elegant school building on Wabash Avenue was completed during the past year, with a capacity for 756 pupils. In addition to this building, five branches have been built, making an aggregate number of seats provided during the year just closed, of 2,420, nearly double the number furnished in any one preceding year. In 1857, the High School building was erected, with a capacity for 360 pupils; making a total number of seats provided for the children of this city, 10,995. In 1851, less than 1,700 pupils could be accommodated with seats in our schools-to-day, more than 11,000! It is proper here to say, that the buildings provided during this time have been of the most substantial character, so that now few cities can boast of more ample accommodations for those due at the school-rooms, and few if any can equal us in the beauty of our houses, the completeness of their plans and furnishing, or in the thoroughness of their construction. These buildings have cost the city,) a little over $300,000. W. H. WELLS, Superintendent of Public Schools, spoke substantially as follows: Notwithstanding Chicago was somewhat distinguished for the frequency and enthusiasm of its conventions and celebrations, this was the first instance in which the friends of education had come together for the dedication of a school building. He alluded to the rapid progress of the public schools. No other city in the Union has so early in its history manifested such a degree of liberality in the establishment of a High School for the education of both sexes. In Boston, a public Latin School was instituted as early as the seventeenth century, and an English High School more than forty years ago; but these schools provided for the instruction of boys only, and the arrangements for a Girls' High School were not perfected till within the last ten years. The Central High School of Philadelphia was organized about a quarter of a century ago, and during the first ten years of its existence was without a rival in the completeness of its appointments and the extent of its course of instruction. But it receives only boys, and it was not till after the opening of the Chicago High School that Philadelphia established a High School for girls. The Free Academy of New York was organized in 1849. Like the Philadelphia High School it embraces a course of instruction that is equal to an ordinary college course, and has the power of conferring the usual college degrees; but it is for boys only, and no special provision has yet been made in the great metropolis of the country for the higher education of girls. He then alluded to the advantages of a new city establishing a system of public instruction. We can profit by all the successes and failures of those who have gone before us. In an old city, defective systems once established, can not easily be rooted up. In a new city, we have no such prejudices to contend with. In olden cities, the question whether the sexes should be educated together has already been discussed for more than a score of years, and it will probably require another score of years to dispose of it. In Chicago we have omitted all discussion on this point, and demonstrated by actual experiment, to the satisfaction of all parties, that the sexes are best educated together. The speaker then alluded particularly to the efforts that have been made to improve the character of the Primary Schools. More than half of all our public instruction is given in the Primary Schools, and a large portion of the children do not remain in school long enough to pass into the higher departments at all. He had devoted much the larger portion of his time to the primary grades, and the Board of Education had introduced many important improvements in these schools. Instead of being required to sit a large part of the day with folded arms, in a constant struggle against all the laws of their being, the small children are now all provided with slates and pencils, and during a considerable portion of the day combine instruction with entertainment, by copying the words or figures of their lessons, and drawing a variety of simple objects from cards, or blackboard sketches, or pictures in books. Another feature of the system, which the superintendent regarded of vital importance, is the oral course. We have not, said he, imitated the example of those who make object teaching the basis of their system of primary instruction, but we have introduced in both the Grammar and the Primary divisions a systematic and graded course of oral lessons, interspersed in such a manner as to afford an agreeable variety and healthful relaxation, without retarding the progress of the pupils in other branches. We have labored particularly to give such shape and direction to the oral exercises as to remove, in some degree at least, the common objection that school instruction is not sufficiently practical. The following is a summary of the Statistics of Attendance, Teachers, and expense of supporting Public Schools, during the year ending December 31, 1862: Whole number of different pupils enrolled in 1862, was.. 17,521 2,063 Number of pupils over fifteen,. 964 Number of colored children,. 212 Whole number of different pupils admitted and readmitted,. 21,730 the year,.. 2,093 Whole number of different pupils belonged to the schools less than three months,. . . . . 5,539. Whole number of Teachers, viz., 23 males, and 166 females,.. 189 $75,326 18 Labor and supplies, including fuel, repairs, care of buildings, office expenses, printing, etc.,. 16,217 46 Rent of school buildings, furniture, and lots belonging to city, estimated,.. 16,706 46 Rent of school lots belonging to the School Fund, estimated,. 3,025 00 835 22 $112,110 32 Amount,.. The whole cost of instruction the last year, was $112,110.32. This amount divided by 8,962, the average number of pupils belonging to all the schools, including the High School, shows the expense per scholar to have been $12.51. The expense of sustaining the High School during the last year, was $12,370.53. This amount divided by 299, the average number of pupils belonging to the school, shows the cost per pupil to have been $41.37. The whole cost of sustaining the District Schools (Grammar and Primary,) during the last year, including estimated rent of buildings and grounds, was $99,739.79. This sum, divided by 8,663, the average number belonging to the schools, shows the expense per scholar to have been $11.51. PLANS AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PUTNAM FREE SCHOOL-HOUSE, NEWBURYPORT, MASS. We are indebted to W. H. Wells, Esq., the gentleman who has been selected as Principal of the Putnam Free School, and to whom the work of organizing this important institution has been committed, for the following plans and description. The Putnam Free School was founded by Mr. Oliver Putnam, a native of Newbury. It has a permanent fund of fifty thousand dollars, besides the amount invested in the school-house and its appur tenances. The number of pupils to be admitted at the opening of the school (April, 1848,) is limited by the Trustees to 80. No pupil can be received under twelve years of age, nor for less time than one year. The object of the Institution is to lead pupils through an extended course of English studv. It is open to students from any portion of the country, who are prepared to meet the requirements for admission. No charge is made for tuition. This building is situated on High street, directly opposite the Common or Mall. It is constructed of brick, with corners, door-sills, underpinning, steps, etc., of freestone. It is two stories in height, exclusive of a basement story, 85 feet in length, and 52 in breadth. The upper story is divided into two principal school-rooms, each 494 feet by 40. There is also a small room in this story for the use of the Principal. The lower story contains a hall for lectures and other general exercises, and four recitation rooms. The hall is 44 feet by 481. Two of the recitation rooms are 14 feet by 17, and two are 11 by 20. Each of the principal school-rooms is furnished with 64 single seats and desks, besides recitation chairs, settees, etc. The desks are made of cherry; and both the desks and the chairs are supported by iron castings, screwed firmly to the floor. In form and construction, they are similar to Kimball's "Improved School Chairs and Desks." The central aisles are two feet and eight inches in width; the side aisles, four feet and four inches; and the remaining aisles, two feet. The building is warmed by two furnaces. It is ventilated by six flues from the hall on the lower floor, six from each of the school-rooms on the second floor, and one from each of the recitation rooms. Each of these flues has two registers; one near the floor, and the other near the ceiling. The two principal school-rooms are furnished with double windows. The institution is provided with ample play-grounds and garden plots, back of the building and at the ends. It has also a bell weighing 340 lbs. The first appropriation of the Trustees for the purchase of apparatus, is one thousand dollars. Other appropriations will probably be made, as the wants of the school may require. In addition to the apparatus procured by the Trustees, the institution is to have the use of an achromatic telescope, which will cost between three and four hundred dollars. The cost of the building and ground, with the various appurtenances, exclusive of apparatus, has amounted to twenty-six thousand dollars. The accompanying plans give a correct representation of the arrangements on the two principal floors. The building was erected after designs and specifications by Mr. Bryant, Architect, Boston. |