Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-25
A TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
DR.. Lane Believes Such an Institution Will
Be Developed.
Success of the Course ut the Central
SchOol-A Good Reputation
Achieved Abroad.

The work at the Central High School has
begun smoothly, to the great satisfaction
of the principal and teachers Of that insti-
tuition. DR.. F. r. Lane, the principal, said
to Star reporter this morning that he had
TO time yet to figure up the total attend
ance, but 1t was very satisfactory and
wholly up to the expectations. He was
particularly gratified at the popularity OF
the new technical course, which was insti-
tuted about two years ago.
This course has a great future before 1t, !"
he said. 1T unquestionably fills just ex-
actly the niche that many people felt ex-
listed in the High School system. These are
the people who plead for what they call the
practical in high school education. The
technical course was, of course. an expert
ment at first, but it is destined, l am sure,
to become one of the strongest features of
the High School system. l believe that it
will develop in time into separate branch,
just as the Business High School IS today,
with building of its own and a separate
corps of teachers. 1t is now in operation in
the first three years of the school. and can,
OF course, be extended to the four years If
desirable. There were about thirty boys Of
the first year class who elected to take this
course the other day, and l have no doubt
that If 1t were generally known among
parents throughout the city that this course
can be chosen by pupils there would be 4
very general increase in the attendance at
the Central school, where this work Is at
present confined.
special teaching force, but the pupils are
given instruction in the various studies
along with the regular classes in those
branches. Better work could, of course, be
done If we had a separate establishment
for the technical training, which could be
expanded in many directions and made
vastly popular. There are about seventy
five pupils now receiving this instruction.
A Good Reputation Abroad.
Zone of the best Indications Of the sue
cess of the experiment is the fact that Mr..
Gardner, who is in direct charge Of the
shop work at the school, has been assured
by the authorities Of Worcester Technolog-
ical Institute that they will receive our pu-
pills of the technical course and place them
one year in advance in all shop work.
Boys from this and the similar course
which preceded it have been obtaining po-
sitions of value throughout the country.
The training IS admirably adapted for the
preparation of students who desire to en-
ter the technical courses at Princeton or
the other universities that make a spe-
cialty of scientific instruction, and 1t will
doubtless develop into a great training
school for. those universities But 1t will
be of great value also to the boys who do
expect to go to college, but who desire to
enter remunerative WORK Immediately after
graduation. One of our boys left school
before graduation recently and obtained
at once position at the navy yard as ma
chinist at $3.50 per day.
Those who knew the beginnings of the
technical course seven or eight years ago
would hardly recognize the shop and the
manual department today. They have
grown out of all recollection. The boys
make things now that would have been
considered impossible five years ago. One
year they made an engine, full, working
steam engine of no mean power, and last
year they constructed dynamo that is in
use today to light the shop. All the old,
antiquated, rickety materials that were
originally given to lis have been replaced
by solid, substantial, modern implements,
and If we only had more room and more
teachers we could build up one of the
finest technical Institutes in the country.
I am absolutely confident that we have to-
day the nucleus for magnificent :echni-
cal school that will compare favorably
with any in the country"