The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-10-07
MAKING CIGARS.
Schools whore all the Steps from stripping
to Packing are Taught.

S'"oois NHcre All the steps from stripping
to Packing are Taught.
In the columns of the German daily news
papers there constantly appear advertise
ments of which the following is transla-
ion instruction given in the art of cigar
making and packing work given after
learning" Up two flights of stairs in a
tenement house in Orchard street lives an
aged Jew named Herman Rosenberg, an
old man with a patriarchal appearance. A
black velvet skull cap surmounts his head,
from which depend silvery locks, while a
flowing white beard conceals his person To
the waist. The teacher of the art of cigar
mrking courteously greeted the reporter in
the school-room, and, busting three
legged stool, babe him be seated. Seven
students were seated upon benches and
busy with their studies. Before them were
piles OF tobacco and the tools of the cigar
making craft.
Yes" said Mr.. Rosenberg. II have
been engaged in the business of teaching
the art Of cigar-making for ten years, and
have had hundreds ofpupils. My books, in
which record the age, residence and date
OF entry OF each pupil, show that since 1878
l have given lessons to more than 100 pu-
pills. Most OF them are now earning good
wages as workmen in large shops, but some
never could be made to know how to make
cigar"
What isyour method of instruction."
Pupils are taught first how to strip to-
bacco; that is how to take the stem from
the leaf. In weeks time they are ad.
yanced step, and taught how to bunch
that is putting the inside of cigar together.
In 1nnt bar NVaak If ~, thn,, To-
rolling, as puttingon the wrappers is called
The rolling on of the, wrapper is difficult
thing to do. The leaf is tender and it has
to be stretched and manipulated with deft
fingers, lest ii be torn and become worth
less, except for scraps. The time varies
when pupils are ready for grad
uatlon. So ne get through IN two or three
weeks Others find course of six weeks
necessary. There is also a postgraduate
course. Graduates, after they have left me
and find themselves still imperfect, come
back and get additional instruction
make no charge for this. The fee of $40
once paid, pupils can come and go as often
as they choose. For a fee of S25 | teach
how to pack cigars. This is the best paid
branch OF the trade, and requires ewes
quick to discern slight shades of color. The
cigars, after they have left the rollers
hands, are placed in Il heap before the
packer and 1t is his business to sort and
pack the cigars IN boxes according to their
shade, when they are branded 'Claro. 3
light b. own, to 'Maduro, dark brown"
DO you guarantee employment to your
graduates
mo; they must take their chances of find
ing work. But guarantee to fit them so
they can readily obtain employment. Cigar
employers, us general rule, don't inquire
INTO the antecedents of their workmen.
They are satisfied If they do their work
well and my instruction is all that is needed
to- iulill the conditions imposed by en-
ployers' so Tar my pupils have all readily
obta ned work"
"Ofw what nationality are your pupils"
Germans, principally; but number of
Americans, seeking good trade, have
come to me for instruction. The Hebrew
hmlgrant Aid society desired me to instruct
some OF the Russian refugees, and offered
me $40 head, but | can't do much with
those pupils. | did instruct one refugee,
and he is now working in large shop. /
conduct my school under n cigar.maker's
license, and sell its products"
The reported visited several other schools
OF the same sort, and found the pupils all
foreigners, mainly Germans and Bohe.
mians, The curriculum appeared to be
the same IN each, and so did the cost of
tuition Mr. a; Strasser, president of the
Cigar-make,s' International union, was
asked II graduates from cigar schools could
Join cigar makers unions? There is no
obstacle in the way said he, "if they
prove themselves to be practical workmen.
In country towns the local unions require n
regular apprenticeship, but in New Work
the anteccdents of applicants for member.
ship are not particularly inquired into.
The application must come through the
shop, and the applicants fellow. workmen
nave every opportunity to Judge of his
| ability in and knowledge of the craft, Ifhe
understands the trade, his application is
endorsed and forwarded and in due time
he is Ia ken into the union. The fellows
who graduate from cigar schools, as rule,
find work in busy times, and are thrown
out of one shop after another until, by
harI KNOCKS they gain some knowledge OF
the business. From two to five in every
lity become cisar.makers. "-[New York
Sun.