HEAT AND VENTILATION. 



amount of radiant heat with the least quantity of fuel. In this they have been very sue 

 cessful, and, if warming a room in this form, were all that its inmates required, mankind 

 would be under lasting obligations for the philanthropic efforts of these distinguished 

 scholars. From the tenacity with which they have adhered to their several models, one 

 would suppose they were entirely unconscious of the consequences of introducing such a 

 fuel-saving apparatus into a close room without any means of ventilation. Although the 

 Germans, Russians, and French formerly excelled us in their construction of stoves, we 

 are probably quite equal to them at the present day. The poorer classes in Germany and 

 Russia, probably make their houses much closer than ours, and exceed our people in saving 

 all the heat generated. In Russia, the great mass of the population exclude the external 

 air in cold weather as for as possible, and they much prefer to respire the vitiated air to 

 any admission of cold air, for the simple purpose of improving the atmosphere of their 

 rooms. 



"Among the poorer classes, fainting or asphyxia is, by no means, uncommon, and all 

 their rooms have that close, unhealthy smell which is so common among those who live 

 in underground cellars in our own large towns and cities. "With such an atmosphere as 

 this and common as it is among the Russians, we need not wonder that Cholera remains 

 among them during during winter, while in cold weather in other countries it ceases. Al- 

 though many of the most scientific men of the present day — several of whom are of the 

 medical profession — have depicted in the strongest language, the injurious and oftentimes 

 fotal consequences of this mode of heating buildings; still very little attention is given to 

 their warnings. Within the last two or three years, many of the most distinguished 

 writers of the age have written volume after volume, upon the necessity and feasibility of 

 ventilating our dwellings. The great mass even of intelligent and educated persons seem 

 to be unaware of the disease, pestilence, and death, so often resulting from the use of 

 what is called the " tight air-stove;" and the manufocturers of the article are making as 

 many preparations for the continuance of the demand as though their wholesome quali- 

 ties were as well established as the elegance of their various designs and patterns. It is 

 a very common thing for persons who are abundantly able to secure all the comforts of 

 life even in profusion, and construct a dwelling-house in strict accordance with all the 

 modern improvements in domestic architecture, to leave out entirely the fire-place, and in 

 its stead have a small circular opening, six inches in diameter, to be closed perfectly tight 

 during summer, and opened only in winter; to receive the smoke-pipe of a fuel-saving 

 salamander, which shall admit no more air than is barely sufficient to support the com- 

 bustion of the fuel. He will avail himself of the skill of the architect, to make all his 

 windows and doors perfectly tight, and as the cold weather approaches, he will oftentimes 

 invite his neighbors in to spend the evening sociall}', and at the same time demonstrate 

 by the small amount of fuel which he uses, that he has the best stove and the warmest 

 dwelling in town. Indeed, the whole company will soon testify to the fact that the room is 

 realljf warm — so warm that they are inclined to leave early in the evening, and if the same 

 persons should frequently visit similar establishments, they would soon come to the conclu- 

 sion, that going out on evening visits is very unwholesome — a species of dissipation which 

 ought to be abandoned. The owner of such an establishment, as the one alluded to, is ge- 

 nerally far from being parsimonious, and very likely fond of giving sumptuous entertain- 

 ments, and in all his intercourse with his family and society may manifest the most generous 

 feelings, and show his liberality in a thousand acts of kindness and benevolence; but did he 



the consequences upon himself, famil}^ , and friends of his heating apparatus, i 

 aving qualities would have very little influence upon him. We are fully aware that to 



