HV 3517r 1835 Ek' S^liS IlBlilf gifflBJiiBSK ■SMtfE'f ^y^f^;,h/i:f.r^.\i\:''.\::: "■-K"'. i:^l '?!■>" ■*&•?'■:■ /{"% i f REPORT COMMITTEE ON CLOTHING, DIET, &c. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OP THE V i&ituvtj eoiitae cot: #r»8an0, PRESENTED APRIL 1st, 1835. 6(5l1r. I £3b REPORT. The Committee appointed " to consider and report upon the regulations proper to be adopted in the Girard College, in regard to the clothing, diet, and personal cleanliness of the pupils, and generally upon all subjects connected with their accommodation and the preservation of their health," ask leave to report.— In preparing to report upon the various subjects referred to their attention, the first question which occurred to the Committee was, whether they should enter into minute detail in relation to these subjects, or should present to the Board only general views, to be filled up as circumstances might subsequently suggest. After much consideration, they came to the conclusion that the latter course was preferable; and for the following reasons. In the first place, the action of the Committee is not final. The result of their inquiries must be submitted to the Board, which may possibly not approve the principles they may have adopted. In this case, it would be a waste of time to dwell upon particulars; as, if the principles are not admitted, the details necessarily fall. The most economical plan, both as to time and labour, is obviously to present general ideas, which, if adopted, may serve as safe guides in subsequent inquiries and action. Besides, it does not appear to be the present object of the Board to form a plan for the Girard College, complete in all its details. Their duty is to prepare a general system of gov- ernment and instruction for the establishment, to be submit- ted to Councils, and, if approved by them, and finally estab- lished, to be carried into full completion by those to whom its practical application may be committed. It would, indeed, be impossible, even with the greatest in- dustry and most prudent forethought, to collect and arrange beforehand all the minute parts of so extensive an institution. ( 4 ) and to provide for all contingencies. It may be safely assert- ed, that any set of regulations. intended to embrace all the operations of the establishment^' in every department, must, when they come to be carried into practice, be found defec- tive, and in some instances, perhaps, inapplicable. Much must necessarily be left to the gradual suggestion of expe- rience ; and the details will be more likely to be filled up cor- rectly by those who are called on to act, than by those whose business is only to plan. The Committee having determined to make their report in conformity with these views, proceeded to examine whether any general principle could be ascertained, which might serve to guide them in their inquiries.as to the regulations proper to be adopted in relation to the several matters committed to their charge. It appeared obvious to them, that the character of these regulations must take its hue from the opinions they might en- tertain concerning the nature and objects of the establishment, and of the present as well as future condition of those who are to receive its benefits. The arrangements which might be suitable in a seminary intended for the reception only of children from the lowest grades of society, and for imparting to them only so much instruction as might be necessary to fit them for gaining a decent livelihood in mechanical pur- suits, would be very different from such as would be requi- site in a great collegiate establishment, where children of all conditions of life, who might happen to be without the means of comfortable support, should be received, educated in a manner corresponding with their natural talents and the de- gree of their industry, and ultimately placed in situations adapted to the bent of their genius, and the character of their attainments. The Committee, therefore, conceived it of the greatest importance to come to some conclusion, at the very outset, upon the points alluded to. The following is the course of reasoning by which they satisfied their own minds, and in which it will be perceived that the chief stress is laid upon the probable intentions of Mr. Girard. The question first suggests itself, what are the materials of which the institution is to be composed ? To what class of individuals are its operations to be extended ? Mr. Girard designates " poor white male orphans between the ages of six and ten years." He does not restrict his bounty to children born in the humblest conditions of society, to those who have passed their earliest years in all sorts of wretchedness. To ( 5 ) bring a child within the intentions of the testator, nothing more is necessary, in relation to his pecuniary circumstances, than that he should be poor, that is, unprovided, either in his own person or in that of individuals legally bound for his maintenance, with the means of a decent support, and a good education. Application will undoubtedly be made for admis- sion into this institution, on the behalf of orphans, whose parents were in comfortable or even affluent circumstances during life, but have left destitute families behind them, and whose early habits, therefore, have been of decent and even delicate training. Most assuredly they cannot be excluded; and it is highly probable, that of children who may come from a distance, a large proportion will be of this class. Admitting, then, that the inmates of the College are to be taken from all conditions of society, it cannot be denied that their treatment should bear some relation to their former habits, at least that it should not be glaringly contrasted with them for the worse. Mr. Girard could never have designed, that the children of reputable parents admitted into his asylum, should be reduced to the coarsest fare and roughest treatment, to the modes of life adapted to alms- houses or houses of refuge for the vicious. It may be said, that, as no distinction of treatment can be allowed in the establishment according to the previous condition of its inmates, the children taken from the humblest walks of life will, upon the supposition that a somewhat elevated standard may be adopted, be raised too much above the level of their original state, and placed at too great a distance from their early companions, by whom the posses- sion of parents may thus come to be regarded as an evil. It would undoubtedly be improper, and of injurious tendency, to select pauper children from the mass of the population, and furnish them, at the public expense, with opportunities which may be wanting to the children of parents in good circumstances. But this institution is not founded upon the public funds. A private individual of great wealth has chosen to adopt destitute orphans as his children and heirs. Whatever may have been their previ- ous condition, they are now entitled to the benefits of his leg- acy ; and should they, through its means, be elevated above their former companions, no accusation of injustice can lie against that instrumentality which merely fulfils the purposes of their benefactor. Again, it is an error to suppose^ that Mr. Girard intended ( 6 ) to restrict, by any other limitation than that of age, the amount of knowledge to be communicated to the pupil, or to confine his choice of an occupation upon leaving the school, to the humblest pursuits. The very name of College which he conferred upon the establishment evinces his desire that the scheme of instruction should be liberal. This name is usually applied to institutions in which all branches of knowledge of general interest are professedly taught, or at least so much of them as to enable the pupil, after the completion of his course of study, to pur- sue profitably any branch to which he may devote his atten- tion. It was not an unmeaning phrase with Mr. Girard. We have, moreover, his positive declaration to the same effect. The will enjoins, that the orphans " shall be instructed in the various branches of a sound education, comprehending read- ing, writing, grammar, arithmetic, geography, navigation, surveying, practical mathematics, astronomy, natural, chem- ical, and experimental philosophy, the French and Spanish languages, and such other learning and science as the capaci- ties of the scholars may merit or warrant." Every thing, therefore, is to be taught that a pupil can profitably learn within the age designated for his separation from the esta- blishment—namely, somewhere from fourteen to eighteen years. In relation to the precise age, a discretion is left with those who may have charge of the school; but the obvious inference from the terms of the will is, that, should the incli- nation, capacity, and industry of the pupil warrant, he shall be allowed to remain till eighteen, and shall be taught all that he can advantageously learn within that age. It is not less clear that Mr. Girard had no wish to compel the objects of his bounty into the humblest avocations. Why such ample provision for a thorough education, unless the subsequent course of life should be such as to admit of its be- neficial application? There can be no doubt that the inten- tion of the testator was, that the orphans should be appren- ticed to trades, arts, and professions, in accordance with their attainments and character of mind; and such in fact are the directions of the will. "Those scholars who shall merit it " says Mr. Girard, " shall remain in the college until they shall respectively arrive at between fourteen and eighteen years of age; they shall then be bound out by the mayor, aldermen and citizens of Philadelphia, or under their direction, to suita- ble occupations, as those of agriculture, navigation, arts me- chanical trades, and manufactures, according to the capacities and acquirements of the scholars respectively, consulting as ( 7 ) far as prudence shall justify it, the inclination of the several scholars, as to the occupation, art, or trade to be learned." On the whole, then, it appears, that the College is to em- brace among its inmates individuals from all conditions of so- ciety so far as relates to breeding, habits, and association ; that it is to afford these individuals opportunities for acquiring knowledge in accordance with their capacity, zeal, and ap- plication ; that it is to facilitate their entrance into active life in such a position as may agree best with their taste, attain- ments, and peculiar bent of character ; and that, finally, by thus developing and giving a proper direction to talents which might otherwise be neglected or misapplied, it is to benefit society at large exactly in proportion to the extent of its ope- rations. If this view of the nature and ends of the institution be adopted, it is obvious that all the arrangements for its regu- lation should be of an accordant character. It is not the duty of this Committee to consider the subject of instruction. But in relation to the matters committed to their charge, such as the clothing, diet, accommodation, and all that concerns the physical condition of the pupil, the same rule holds good. On each of these points the regulations should be accommodat- ed to the general view here presented. The pupil should as- suredly not be clad with the coarsest clothing, fed upon the most meagre diet, lodged in the roughest fashion, and educat- ed with the most unpolished manners; nor yet should the greatest refinement in all these respects be aimed at. A pro- per medium should be observed, and the tastes and habits of the pupil so formed, that, if his subsequent course of life should throw him among the most humble, the contrast might not be too great, and, if among the highest, that he might not be altogether unprepared to associate with men of cultivation and refinement. His treatment should, on the whole, be such as that received by children in the middle walks of life, with, perhaps, somewhat greater attention to cleanliness and neat- ness of person and dress, and refinement of manner; so that the influence of the institution, so far as it may reach, shall tend to raise the general tone of society in these respects. Another general inference may be drawn from the peculiar nature of the institution, relative to the treatment of the pu- pil in regard as well to his physical as to his moral wants. As he is to be sent out into the world dependent on his own re- sources, it is important that he should be qualified both to act and to think for himself even in minute matters; so that he ( 8 ) may not suffer from the want of that assistance which persons more favourably circumstanced are in the habit of receiving from others. He should, therefore, be taught to perform all the offices of ordinary life, however humble; and a regard to this principle should be observed in all the regulations which are to have any bearing upon his habits and actions. Having adopted these general principles as their guides, the Committee next proceeded to consider more particularly the several items of the resolution under which they act. They soon, however, discovered, that, in order to give precision to their inquiries, and to be enabled to report their sentiments without irksome repetition, it became necessary to fix before- hand upon some classification of the pupils, to which reference might be made in every subsequent step. It seemed obvious to them, that in the treatment of the pupils, there must be great difference in accordance with the difference of age. The Committee concluded, that, so far as concerned the matters within their province, the inmates of the College could be arranged in three classes, which might, perhaps, also accord with the arrangement that might ultimately be adopted in re- lation to their instruction. Though age was considered as the most convenient basis of classification, the Committee did not think it best to draw a precise line ; as, upon the supposi- tion that their plan might essentially agree with that which the board should sanction in matters of tuition, it would be found that the younger children might sometimes make their way into the higher classes, and the older take place in the lower; and it appeared desirable, that those pupils who might be on a foot- ing in the classes for instruction, should be treated in the same manner in all other respects. The Committee concluded to recommend, that,of the three divisions, the first should include children from the age of six to ten, the second those from ten to fourteen, and the third those from fourteen to eighteen ; the intermediate boundaries of ten and fourteen years being variable according to the po- sition of the individual in the classes for instruction, the ex- tremes of six and eighteen invariable, because fixed by the terms of the will. Satisfactory reasons for this arrangement will probably present themselves in the progress of the report. The Committee will here merely observe, that children require variable treatment with the progresssive development of their physical and mental faculties; and yet some classification is essential; as it is impossible to adapt regulations precisely to in- dividual peculiarities, or to every different step in advancing age ( 9 ) With regard to the general superintendence of these se- veral classes, the Committee came to the conclusion, that the first ought to be under the charge of a matron and female as- sistants, in whatever relates to the care of the person ; the se- cond, under that of tutors, in the same respect, with more or less individual liberty; the third, under their own charge, with a due responsibility for the observance of certain fixed regulations. The reasons upon which they founded this opinion are the following. Universal experience teaches that females are best acquainted with the wants of infancy, and most skilful in its management. With advancing growth, feelings peculiar to the male sex begin to be developed, and re- quire the superintendence of males for their proper regulation ; and children, if too long under exclusive female direction, are apt to become unruly, or to acquire an effeminate bent of character. The precise age when the change from female to male superintendence should take place cannot easily be de- signated, as it varies in different constitutions ; but, as a ge- neral rule, it may be safely fixed at ten. It is obviously pro- per that, as they grow older, children should gradually learn to take care of themselves, in order that they may acquire habits of thoughtfulness in regard to the supply of their own wants and necessities, against the period when they must be thrown upon the world. Hence the boys, as they grow up into young men, should be gradually freed from the close oversight of tutors, but still amenable to strict regulations; so that there may be planted in them, at the same time, a pro- per degree of self-confidence, and a due feeling of responsi- bility. The subjects specially referred to the Committee were " the clothing, diet, and personal cleanliness of the pupils, and ge- nerally all subjects connected with their accommodation and the preservation of their health." Every thing is here includ- ed relating to the personal treatment of the pupils, which does not. come under the head of tuition, discipline, or moral culture ; in other words, whatever is strictly physical in the arrangements of the institution, and even moral subjects also so far as they have any bearing upon the health and bodily comfort of its inmates. In reporting upon these points, the Committee do not propose to follow precisely the order indicated by the resolution of the board, but will take care that nothing is omit- ted which they are enjoined to notice. They think that what they have to communicate may be most conveniently arrang- ed under the following heads:—1st, lodging; 2nd, cleanliness; 2 ( io ) 3rd, clothing; 4th, diet; 5th, exercise and recreation ; 6th, ac- comodation for sickness; 7th, general convenience. 1. Lodging. The Committee propose that the children belonging to the first and second divisions, namely, those between the ages of six and ten, and of ten and fourteen respectively, should lodge in dormitories each containingfrom twenty to forty individuals; and that at least those of the second division should be ac- commodated with separate beds. Adjoining each of the dormi- tories, they recommend that an apartment be appropriated to the matron, assistant matron, or tutor, as the case may be, to whom the superintendence of the children may belong, so that a degree of supervision may be exercised, and order pre- served, during the hours of rest. As the school must, for at least the first few years, consist exclusively of children belonging to one of these two divisions, the Committee deem it advisable that one or more buildings should be planned and erected, so as to be in readiness for their reception by the time that the main edifice intended for the business of instruction shall be completed. It is proposed that for the pupils of the third division, name- ly, those from fourteen to eighteen years, small dormitories should be arranged, each with a communicating apartment for study, and each adapted to the accommodation of three individuals in separate beds. By separating the pupils in this manner, discipline will be more easily maintained than if, at an age when the spirit of enterprise begins to be developed, they should be allowed the opportunities of contriving mis- chief which the collection of many in one apartment during the night would afford them ; while by associating three to- gether, sufficient indulgence is given to their natural fondness for society to prevent those irregular and disorderly efforts to obtain it which might result from solitary lodging. By this plan of small dormitories, moreover, the young man is taught to consider a certain apartment as his own, to feel a degree of responsibility for its preservation in neatness and good order, and thus to acquire a habit of carefulness which may in after life contribute no little to his comfort. An opportunity is by this arrangement also given for solitary study, without which few minds can sufficiently abstract themselves from surrounding circumstances to pursue profitably any course of intellectual effort. The distraction occasioned by one or two companions is inconsiderable, and is more than counterbalanced by the mutual aid and encouragement resulting from such asso- ( 11 ) ciation. A small study distinct from the dormitory, but com- municating with it, is deemed advisable, from the inconveni- ence of arranging a confined bed-chamber suitably for the pursuits of the student, and from the disadvantage to the health in winter, occasioned by that inequality of tempera- ture during the night which results from using the same room as a sitting and sleeping apartment. As no children beyond ten years of age can be admitted into the institution, and as fourteen is the proposed period for entering into the third division, it is plain that a building for the accommodation of the pupils attached to this division will not be wanted for use until about four years after the opening of the school; so that no immediate action in relation to such a building is necessary. Without intending to interfere with the duties of those members of the board to whom the subject of tuition has been referred, the Committee may be allowed to suggest, that, should it be determined to divide the institution into a preparatory school, and a high school equivalent to our Col- leges, the distinction in relation to accommodation may be made to correspond with that relating to instruction, and the limit of age between the second and third divisions be left somewhat indefinite; so that a boy who may be considered suffi- ciently advanced at thirteen to enter the higher school, may have the same accommodation with those of the third division, and one at fifteen not sufficiently advanced, may, if not separated from the institution, be retained in the second. By draw- ing such a line of distinction between the first two divisions and the third, considering the latter as having greater ad- vantages and higher privileges, a stimulus is offered to the children of the younger classes to conduct themselves pro- perly, and exert themselves diligently, in order that they may be allowed to advance into the higher grade—the consequence being understood, that, if not qualified in a reasonable time to enter the third division, they must cease to enjoy any longer the benefits of the establishment. In reference to the subject of lodging, the Committee fur- ther recommend, that, for the sake both of health and comfort, the pupils should sleep on matresses at least during the warmer seasons. They also recommend, that there should be adopted an hour for retiring to bed, and an hour for rising, to be varied with the season and with the age of the pupil—about ten hours in bed being allowed to the children of the first division, eight or nine to the second, and seven or eight to the third. ( 12 ) 2. Cleanliness. This is insisted on in the will in regard both to the person and clothing, and is highly important from its influence on the health, and on the general tone of character. The face, hands, and mouth should be washed every morn- ing; and an apartment in each of the edifices intended for the accommodation of the pupils, should be arranged with suitable conveniences for this purpose, where the boys may repair im- mediately after rising in the morning. Each pupil should be supplied with the requisite implements, as towel, basin, soap, comb, &c. to be under his own charge, and for the good order of which he should be responsible, except in the case of the children of the first division, who in this, as in all other points relating to their person, should be under the care of female superintendents. The Committee think that frequent general bathing also should be resorted to; and recommend that a distinct bath- ing establishment be fitted up on the premises, provided with separate baths, and a large bath in which the smaller children may learn to swim. In reference to the influence of bathing upon the health, they are decidedly of opinion, that the water employed should be of a comfortable temperature, neither so cold as to produce a shock upon the system, nor so warm as to relax the skin, and thus render the indivi- dual liable to be injured by subsequent exposure. It is a question which merits consideration, whether advan- tage may not be taken of the inequality of ground on the premises, to make a pond adapted to the purposes of bathing in summer and skating in winter. 3. Clothing. The directions of Mr. Girard on this point are, that the pupils shall be clothed with " plain but decent apparel," and that no " distinctive dress shall ever be worn." In correspondence with the latter direction, the Commit- tee recommend that the clothing be of a character adapted to the age of the pupil, and such as is usually worn by persons of the same age in general society. The term dis- tinctive the Committee consider as applicable to the relation between children belonging to the school, and those not be- longing to it; and the meaning of Mr. Girard they conceive ( 13 ) to be, that there should be no particular mark or badge by which the pupils of his establishment should be distin- guished from other boys of the same age. But, according to this view of the subject, uniformity of dress is not forbid- den. It is desirable, as a matter of convenience, that the chil- dren belonging to the same division should be dressed in the same manner, as regards both the quality and style of their clothing. In the choice of the materials, the Committee think the points to be considered are, the comfort and health of the in- dividual, convenience and economy in relation to washing, duration, &c, and the general custom among persons in mid- dling circumstances, in regard to the quality, value, or degree of fineness. The clothing of every pupil should be marked with a par- ticular number, which may also be employed to designate the individual in other cases, whenever it is desirable to indicate any object as belonging to him or under his care. The clothes, in like manner with the person, should be kept scrupulously clean, and the same remark applies to the bed- ding. The Committee suggest/ that the laundry be in a building outside of the plot of ground occupied by the princi- pal buildings, and that it be connected with the bathing esta- blishment; as the same apparatus may be made to afford warm water for both purposes. 4. Diet. Little need be said on this subject. The will requires, and common sense would indicate, that the food should be plain and wholesome. As to the time of the meals, and the choice of particular articles of food, some reference should be had to the general practice in these respects; for the children, upon leaving the institution, will be under the necessity of conform- ing to this practice, and their habits should be so formed as that the change may not be too great. Hence there should be three meals daily. Hence, also, tea, coffee, relishes, desserts, &c, should be occasionally allowed, but always in moderation. The use of distilled and fermented liquors as drink, should be scrupulously avoided; and care should be taken to estab- lish principles of temperance in the minds of the pupils, so that, upon entering into the world, they may be doubly guard- ed by habit and conviction against the influence of these seductive poisons. Tobacco, also, should in every shape be strictly forbidden. ( 14 ) The meals should be taken in an apartment specially de- voted to this purpose in each of the edifices intended for the accommodation of the pupils; and all the children in the same dwelling should eat together. 5. Exercise and Recreation. Exercise is essential to the full development of the various bodily organs, and even to the preservation of health. It is, however, too apt to be neglected by students, particularly the spirited and ambitious. Though no immediate obvious injury may result from this neglect, the foundation of complaints is often laid, which shorten life and render what remains of it a burthen. Young men should not be left to their own control in this respect. Those of naturally feeble powers, who most need the invigorating influence of exercise, would be most apt to neglect it, as well from an indisposition to physical exertion, as from the impression that their time might be more profit- ably employed in study. A certain amount of it should be secured to every individual, even though against his own wish- es, by the regulations of the institution. Recreation is also highly important. Nature never intended that our faculties should be always on the stretch. Man is endowed with various susceptibilities and powers, which must all be brought into due exercise in order to produce proper mental and bodily development. Study acts on one set of the mental functions; physical labour, according to its kind, on one or more sets of the bodily organs. An exclusive devo- tion, therefore, to study or physical labour occasions the de- velopment of certain faculties at the expense of the rest. This is conducive to the health and perfection neither of mind nor body. The feelings, dispositions, and propensities of youth should be cultivated, under proper regulations, as well as the faculties; and this may be done in the way of recreation from study. Cheerfulness may be thus promoted, the affec- tions fostered, the susceptibilities to the beauties of physical and moral nature cultivated and refined, and the general tone of feeling rendered vigorous and healthy. So also with the bodily powers. Play brings all the organs into exercise ; for children naturally vary their motions to answer the calls made by the wants of the system. Tired of one mode of amusement they fly to another, and when this wearies, to a third ; and thus, by successively exercising the different parts of their frame, give to each its proper stimulus, and preserve ( 15 ) the due relation of all. Besides, in consequence of the close connection between mind and body, they reciprocally act on each other, and whatever tends to promote a proper subordi- nation and healthy operation of the different functions of the one, produces, to a greater or less extent, the same effect in the other. A due degree of mental recreation, therefore, pro- motes health, and a due degree of bodily exercise, the vigour of the mind; and both are necessary auxiliaries to study, in a system of education intended for the improvement of our whole nature. It follows that, in the management of youth, exercise and recreation should be united ; but, as the pupils of the Girard College will often be compelled to provide for themselves in future life by bodily labour, it is proper to habituate them to this, in a certain degree, during the progress of their educa- tion, so that the change may not be too violent. Even to those who may engage in some intellectual pursuit as the means of livelihood, the early habit of physical labour will be useful, both by affording them a resource, should that on which they mainly rely fail them, and by giving them the means of pro- fitable exercise in connection with their professional avoca- tion. Exercise, then, may be regarded, so far as relates to the regulations which it is the duty of this Committee to propose, in two lights ; first, in connection with labour, secondly, in connection with play or other recreation. The question now occurs, how much time should be appropriated to exercise in general, and how much to each of its two varieties. Allow- ing from eight to ten hours out of the twenty-four for sleep, from eight to ten for study—for the two, eighteen hours—we shall have left six hours for meals, exercise, and recreation. Of these, the Committee think that four hours may properly be appropriated to exercise, to be divided equally between its two modes of application. Exercise with Labour.—In relation to labour, some attention should be paid to its character. The Committee think that it should be such as, at the same time, to be useful to the insti- tution by its products, conducive to health by its nature, and calculated for future usefulness to the individual. They par- ticularly recommend farming and horticulture ; and therefore propose that a farm and garden should be maintained upon the premises. They also recommend such mechanical opera- tions as are not of a sedentary nature, as, for example, join- ing, carpenters' work, coopering, smiths' work, &c. The ( 16 ) sedentary pursuits, such as shoemaking, tailoring, and weav- ing, should be excluded. Exercise with recreation.—Under this head are included dit- ferent kinds of active sports, for which play grounds should be provided, and an apartment fitted up for winter and wet weather. The Committee suggest/ that a part of the third story of the main collegiate edifice may perhaps be appropri- ated, at least for the first few years, to the latter purpose. Riding on horseback, and the art of driving and taking care of horses, may with propriety occupy a part of the attention of the older pupils. Some horses will be required for the bu- siness of the establishment; and,as they will not be always in use, advantage may be taken of their leisure to give to the pupilat the same time, pleasant exercise and useful instruction. In this way, the young men educated in the establishment will, upon leaving it, be on a footing with persons of the same age in ordinary life, most of whom enjoy opportunities of learning to ride, drive, and harness, if not to take care of horses. It is perhaps advisable that practice in horsemanship should be confined to the pupils of the third division ; as the younger will have sufficient opportunities after leaving the school, should they do so before entering into the older class. Among the modes of active recreation may also be men- tioned excursions out of the limits of the college grounds, un- der the guidance of tutors. These excursions should be di- rected to useful purposes ; such as the examination of the va- rious operations and employments of active life with which the pupils could not otherwise become familiar, the acquisition of practical botanical and mineralogical knowledge, and in- struction in the art of swimming. The practice of vocal and instrumental music may possibly not be considered incompatible with the purposes of the insti- tution. It is, when not carried too far, useful as a mode of exercise to the lungs and organs of voice, and,under the same restriction, may serve as a harmless amusement. The proper period for exercise is not a matter of indifference. Reason and experience have combined to prove, that much physical exertion either immediately before or immediately after eating is detrimental to health. It is advisable that the pupils should be collected together, and kept in a state of quiet- ness, for a short time.before and after meals, particularly din- ner. There can be no difficulty in filling up this time advan- tageously, by means either of books or conversation ; and a ( n ) good opportunity would thus be afforded for pleasing and use- ful social intercourse between the teachers and their scholars. Whenever the regulations of the school may require/ that the pupils should be kept for several hours during the day in the school room, as will probably be the case with the children belonging to the first and second divisions, the practice ought to be adopted of allowing short intervals of recreation, to the amount, perhaps, of from five to ten minutes every hour. The effect of this plan will be to prevent that stagnation of the bo- dily functions, which, in children especially, is apt to result from long sitting in one position, and which not only proves injurious to health, but materially diminishes the capacity for study by producing a nervous uneasiness that tends to distract the mind. 6. Provision for the Sick. The Committee propose that, in each building occupied by the pupils, an apartment should be set aside as an infirmary, and provided with all the materials and conveniencies adapted for the relief of sickness. The propriety of separating the sick from the well is so obvious that the Committee do not deem it necessary to dwell on the subject. They think the plan of having an apartment in each edifice devoted to. this purpose, preferable to that of a general infirmary for the whole esta- blishment ; as the removal of the patient from the roof under which he might reside would often be accompanied with in- convenience, and sometimes with danger, particularly in win- ter. Besides, it is advisable that they who have the superin- tendence of the children in health, should also take care of them in sickness; and this could not well happen, if the pa- tients should be collected into one infirmary from the different parts of the establishment. Even where the pupils are placed in small dormitories, as is proposed for those of the third divi- sion, the plan recommended by the Committee will be found convenient; as it would be difficult, in case of any prevalent sickness, to give due attention to all the patients, if scattered here and there, through a large edifice, in separate rooms. One or more physicians should be engaged, at a fixed salary, to superintend the health of the establishment. It is not pro- posed that they should reside within the college grounds, or devote their attention exclusively to the business of the insti- tution. No physician can be a good practitioner, who is not in the constant exercise of his profession. There will not, in ( 18 ) all probability, be sufficient disease among the inmates of the College, to engage the whole time of a single individual; and it would be a bad plan to employ, in this capacity, any officer of the institution who might happen to have studied medicine, and to have on his hands some superfluous time. It would be best to select the medical attendants from among those in practice in the city, who might reside within a convenient distance from the College. A person to be styled the apothecary should reside in the establishment, whose office it should be, under the instruc- tions of the physician, to bleed, cup, prepare medicines, and perform other* subordinate offices in relation to the sick. A single individual would be sufficient for these purposes; and, in the infancy of the college, he would have much spare time which might be profitably devoted to other concerns. 7. General Convenience. Under this head, the Committee propose to make a few suggestions in relation to the subjects referred to them, which could not be conveniently introduced into the preceding sec- tions of this report. It has been already proposed/ that a building should be erected, without the plot of ground devoted more particularly to the college edifices, to serve as a bathing establishment and a laundry. The Committee suggest the propriety of having a bake-house, an ice-house, a milk-house, and other appurte- nances of a like kind in a similar situation. A large clock, with the face exposed in some conspicuous position, and a bell by which the operations of the community may be regulated, will be found very convenient. In the erection of the buildings, care should be taken to se- cure them from danger by fire, so far as may be consistent with a due attention to economy. The Committee recommend that the different apartments should be heated bv means of furnaces in the basement story, which should be arched over so as to render it absolutely fire proof; and the stair-cases of the houses in which the pupils lodge, should, in every instance, be made of stone or marble. Still further to increase the security, a fire engine/with all the necessary appurtenances should be kept in some convenient part of the premises. In the construction of the buildings, care should also be taken to provide facilities for thorough ventilation. As an abundant supply of wholesome water is of the utmost ( 19) importance to the health and comfort of the establishment, the Committee propose that inquiry should be made whether this object may not be accomplished by means of the works at Fair Mount; and.if this be impracticable, whether some other plan sufficiently economical may not be fallen upon/ for introduc- ing the Schuylkill water. Finally, they suggest that an officer be appointed, with the name of steward, or some other convenient title, who may have under his immediate control all the concerns which re- late to the accommodation and convenience of the pupils. In the present report, the Committee have endeavoured to embody all the suggestions which occurred to them as of immediate importance. In accordance with the principle declared in the outset, they have in general avoided entering into detail; and, in order not to be too prolix, have on many points merely stated their convictions, without presenting all the grounds upon which these convictions were founded. As they do not profess to have exhausted the subjects committed to them, they propose, with the approbation of the board, to continue their investigations, and to communicate^in future reports, any new views, which may occur to them as worthy of attention. GEO. B. WOOD. HENRY TROTH. THOS. M'EWEN. A. D. BACHE. S. RUSH. Joseph and William Kite, Printers. f LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NLM D1DD1ED2 5 NLM010012025