proof brick should be turned between these beams, so formed as to entirely cover them. (See plate V.)

Strips of wood two inches square should be firmly secured to the top of the beams, to which to nail the floor, and the spaces between these strips, on top of the arches, should be carefully levelled up with solid cement.

A single hard wood floor may now be laid and firmly nailed to the strips, and the plastering may be applied directly to the under side of the brick arch, without cross-furring, lathing, or any wood-work whatever. If hard-wood ceiling should be desired, it is only necessary to screw strips to the under side of beams, as described for the upper, and nail the ceiling directly to these strips. For play-room or basement ceilings, the surface of the hollow tiles is all that is necessary, with carefully struck joints, to make a perfectly neat job. If the holes at the outer ends of the lines of hollow tiles are carefully stopped, as they should be, you will have a floor that is not only absolutely fireproof, but through which vermin have no chance to circulate; sound cannot be transmitted through it; it is perfectly rigid, and will support five times the weight of a wooden floor without deflection. The flooring boards should be oak or maple, laid in narrow widths and blind-nailed.

INSIDE WALLS.

It is the universal custom to line all our stone or brick walls with wood, that is to say, that we fur the inside surfaces of brick or stone walls, with wood strips on which to nail lathing: even when wire lathing is used, furring strips cannot be dispensed with. This method of construction introduces highly inflammable material on walls that otherwise would be incombustible. Again: we cover the lathing with a thick coat of plaster— a substance of a most perishable nature, and which is, moreover, an absorbent which becomes loaded with impurities; dampness is often perceptible upon its surface, and it is no rare thing to see mould. However much care may be taken in its preparation, and carefully as it may be applied, it is but a short time before a dirty, grimy appearance is noticeable.

You ask how all this is to be remedied; and I would answer, By the use of enamelled brick. These are made in large quantities and of excellent quality, in all colors; their surface is like porcelain, and as hard as adamant; if they are laid with cement to match their color, they form a wall not easily marred, non-absorbent, and very pleasing to the eye. Not only the walls, but the door and window casings may be built of these bricks, and there need be no more wood about the doors and windows than their actual operation requires, which is very little, as may be seen from the detail drawings on plates IX and X.

A dado may be carried around the room, of dark brown or chocolate colored bricks, the door and window casings being of the same; above the dado, a slate blackboard of suitable size is set, and above this a field of buff or neutral tinted brick, finished by a frieze laid in fancy patterns of different colored bricks. A picture moulding, from which to suspend maps, &c., should run entirely around the room at a suitable height, this being, with the blackboard band and chalk rack, all the wood, outside of the doors and windows, required on the inside wall. This wood, so far as practicable, should be of ash, filled with a heavy coat of stone filler, varnished in two coats, and carefully rubbed down.

A room well built, as I have described, would last, with ordinary care, for a century. The walls could at any time be scrubbed down with hot water, or a hose turned upon them, without injury. The effect of a room finished in this way is far more pleasing than the ordinary glaring white walls, and I can see no sustained objection to the introduction of this class of work.

For the ceiling, I should recommend, in rooms that have nothing over them, light iron beams, upon which narrow ash ceiling boards are firmly fastened (see plate V); where there is room over room, ceil them, as I have before mentioned, directly on the hollow flooring blocks. These wooden ceilings may be panelled and made as elaborate as desired, according to taste and the length of the purse. By all means, do away with plaster: it is an abomination, and the sooner it is banished from our schoolhouses the better it will be for the health of the children.

The main argument against finishing walls, as I have described, will be, I presume, the expense; but when it is considered that we do away with, entirely, the furring, lathing, and grounds, all