VENTILATION,

Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Thursday, February 12, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 7

Here is another illustration of popular ignorance. A gentleman, while attending church one evening, found that his feet were icy cold, so that he had to raise them from the floor. Calling the attention of the sexton to the fact, the latter said with some perplexity,—

“Yes, we have a good many complaints of cold feet, but I do n’t understand why we can’t keep the church warm; we surely have fires enough.” So saying, he pointed to a register in the floor directly behind the gentleman, in the adjoining pew. Looking around, the latter could see that there was a hot fire in the furnace beneath, and yet no heat came up. When a handkerchief was laid over the register, it scarcely stirred.

The visitor asked the sexton, “Have you any means of ventilation?”

“No, sir.”

“Are there no windows open?”

“None whatever.”

“How, then, can you expect the air to come in here, if it has no way to get out?”

There was no response; the man was nonplussed.

“Did you ever try to blow into a bottle?” continued the inquirer.

“No, sir.”

“Do you think, if you did, that you could force any more air into the bottle by blowing than was there before?”

He could n’t say; never had thought of it.

“Well,” continued the gentleman, “you would soon find, if you tried, that it was impossible; and neither can you force air into this church through a register, if you do n’t open a window or some other orifice.”

But the sexton demurred: “Opening a window would let in the cold air, would n’t it?”

“You just try it,” was the response; “raise some on the leeward side of the church, and see what will happen.”

It was done; and instantly the handkerchief lying on the register rose half-way to the ceiling with the force of the ascending current. The sexton stood and stared in astonishment.—Sanitary Engineer and Plumber.