Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-04-17
CITY AND DISTRICT.
A PLUMBERS TRAINING SCHOOL.
Night school Opened for the InstFuc.
ton of Apprentices.

TEXT BOOKS OR PRoFES5ORS-B0Y9 WHO ARE
LEARNING BOTH HOW AND WHY.
One phase OF the problem Of industrial educa-
ton is being solved In q very satisfactory man.
ner i'm this city by the school which has been
recently organized by the Journeymen
Plumbers union for the instruction of appren-
tices. The school is located in German hall, on
11th street, and Is held for q couple of hours
every Friday night. 1t has now been in oper-
alton for eight weeks and the attend
ance has averaged between sixty and
CONNECTED with this branch Of trade In the Di
trict. The idea of the school Is to supplement
the training which the boys receive in the shops
during their five years of apprenticeship by
practical instruction from practical men. The
school Is in charge of q board of directors, APP
The membe of the board are Nicholas j. Plass.
CHAIRMAN; James Roach, Frederick Tip,
Francis McGann and Charles Garrett. These
gentlemen constitute not only the board of di-
rectOrs but the faculty as well.
ave would have employed professors" re-
mar ked Slr. Plass, who has been dubbed the
Professor by his friends, as q STAR reporter was
told. but we had no money to pay them, and
have been a success. These learned gentlemen
make use of so many technical and scientific
phrases. that question IL the boys would have
understood them. / know that have diff
Guilty in reading articles written by learned men
on the subject of plumbing, In understanding
what what they say, and 81, 4 imagine that the boys
any rate We had no choice in the matter, we
had not the funds to employ instructors. We
do as well as We can under the circumstances,
and having no text books, and none of what
would be regarded rs educational facilities, we
bring The boys together and talk to them as we
would ID at work"
lone method of instruction." continued Mr..
Plass, ais simply this: The committee meet to-
gether and decide upon the subject to be studied.
Something connected with sewerage and ven-
tilaIion occupied the first few evenings, and
FIX upon a line of questions relating, of course,
70 the practical work of laying pipes, making
connections, and the reasons for doing the work
N certain ways. These questions are given TO
the boys who write the answers and the papers
are afterwards examined and marked by the
committee. After the papers are taken up then
the entire lesson is gone over by some member
of the committee and the questions answered
ana explained We make use of the black
class have any questions to ask, we try to
answer them For instance, We are now on
boys were asked TO draw a diagram OF a boiler
TO give reasons why a pipe Is placed inside the
boiler and why hole is made in the pipe
Also whether the hole is made in the pipe
which Is placed in an upright boiler. Most of
the boys perhaps know that this is done, be-
cause they have seen the men putting up boil
ers, but they don't always know the
reasons. II is these practical matters
that .S we g, consider and nd We , try as far
selves and not to take things for granted or on
the say so of some one else. We had recently
sewer gas, and the question involved the proper
location and uses of soil pipes, drain pipes,
vent pipes and the causes and effects of sewer
gas. Tine boys are required to give their idea
as 10 how the pipes should be run in "a house,
and what would be sanitary and unsanitary In
the arrangement. Soyou see they are not only
expected To know the how, but the why and if
In this way they can be taught To think intelli-
gently and correctly, the night school will have
accomplished good work.
Under the rules of our union the boys bave
fnrnled an organization of their own, resumed
Mr.. Plass. "Known as the Plumbers Appren-
tice Union. Their officers are VIM Sullivan
president; j. q. Darneli, vice president; Edward
Mgyers' treasurer; W. Brown, secretary. and
tribute twenty-five cents a month each, and
this money pays tor the hall and leaves small
balance 10 be applied TO other purposes. All
such matters are under the direct control of the
boys. So far they have taken great interest in
the school and IL seems to be entirely success
ful- Ii Is rather in the nature OF an eXper .ment
although believe there is school for the
same purpose in Philadelphia, established
in New York where tie boys are required TO
pay !. tCition fee. Many of the master plumb
Interest in this school, and they have promised
that if it is Considered advisable in the future
To establish 4 shop that they will furnish all
the material. think that We are approaching
the point when q shop will be needed and the
boys can be given instruction in working in
lead and other details of the business In this
way they will gain information which
perhaps they would be years in acquir-
Ing, and then they would not lake
addition TO this, IL boys are taught to think for
themselves they will master any trade more
ef0cleNt
than il they are simply blind followers of the
1o0rneymen. In our business intelligent work.
men are very necessary. because on the plumb
Ing depends to a very great extent the health
OF the community. i have often thought that a
law should be passed prohibiting any but prac-
teal plumbers from engaging in the plumbing
business. A man that has to depend on his
employees for the practical work, and does not
know a good job when he sees it, in my opin-
Ion, is noi a MT person To have charge of such an
Important part IN the work of building houses
D~~
To the Editor Of THE EVENING STAR:
In support of your suggestion that Congress
ought 10 provide Tor taking the whole of the
ground In front OF the Capitol instead of one-half
only, let me call attention to what was done
before.
When IL was determined to enlarge the Capt.
toi grounds by taking the two so uares 6S7 and
SIS, which now constitute the northeast and
the southeast corners OF the grounds, Congress-
In 1860, directed the district attorney to ascef-
tain what the property owners would sell 1t for
he Gid so, and, as shown by his report, submit
sell those two squares for $29o, 1880
AT the same time the district attorney had
the property appraised by a commission OF
OF those two squares at S15,6lS.9O more or a
total of $50, 1920.
The war coming on, nothing was done about
the matter until 1872, when the government
paid 1851 ,S16.75 Tor the two squares that tine
owners offered To sell in 1860 for S295 llS3O.
The Proposition then was TO take in squares
615 and 516 at the loot OF the Capitol Grounds
on opposite sides Of the Botanical GARDEN i'm
addition 10 the two squares now Included
within the Capitol grounds at the northeast and
southeast corners. As shown by the report of
Inc district attorney OF February Ia 1861
the citlZenS offered 70 sell ali y four
squares for $417,1oi.9O, a trifie over ttoo-
HsudS OF what the government subsequently,
paid for the two squares 6s7 and 6ss
eince and before then various PROPOSITIONS
have been made TO take not only ali the SQUARES
between LIST and I'd streets east aud norm
and south, but also those along the north and
south sides OF the Capitoi grounds so As to ex-
TEND Tie grounds from north to e. south That
this will be done III time have no doubt The
only wonder l., how those VINO designed such a
magnificent plan for the city could nave failed
~ see the importance originally OF extending
The Capitol grounds on ali sides to the foot Of
the slope, so as ~ have afforded an unobstructad
View oi the Capitol building from all directions
But W neither That shall ever be done or not il
the other hall OF the ground east OF the Capitol
not now taken for the library, will, as a matter
OF necessity, be taken sooner or later When the
library is erected and the grounds around IL
liked up, 1t Will appear absurd to have that log
In The public grounds, 10 say nothing Of the ne.
cessity OF ground for the erection OF & building
Tor the supreme Court, Court OF Claims and
department OF Justice, which was the original
intention; and the result will be that within
Ten or niteen years the government will buy the
other iiaii, aud pay ftctce much for as ca,.
be had Jor noU. Hence it would seem to no hnt
the most obvious economy TO take II now
Whllt on this subject, IL may not be amiss tn
call tue attention OF Congress, more Especially
OF the new members, To the fact that the gov
eminent Is paying ABOUT $500, 600 q wear for
the rent OF private buildings, In which to trans