Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-23

signing sanitary engineering and athletics
of all kinds. A large number of students
are preparing themselves for the examina-
tons required for appointments in the civil
service, the postal and telegraph service,
the railway service and other branches of
the government. There is a department
to prepare boys for examinations for army
and navy cadetshps, and it is always well
attended, and the increase in the use Of
automobiles and other motor cars has
brought together large class of chauf-
feurS.
Social Life.
The social side of life inthe Polytechnic
Is considered quite as important as the edu-
cational features, although the faculty
leaves it's management entirely to the stu
dents, who have not less than 200 clubs
and societies in which birds of feather
have focked together. These organiza-
tons afford opportunities for the young men
to become acquainted with each other; they
keep them diverted and occupied during
their leisure hours. inspire their social am
bition give them something to think and
talk about and plenty of wholesome recrea-
ton. The athletic clubs hold the worlds
amateur championships in several lines;
the photographers club has taken multi
tudes of premiums at exhibitions; while the
cricketers, golf and foot ball players are al
ways busy in competition with the teams
of other institutions. There are separate
sex has its own distinct organizations for
social, mental and moral Improvement, al
though they meet on a common level with
out any distinction in the class rooms The
students print weekly newspaper devoted
entirely to their own affairs, and every copy
contains something OF interest to the $4,000
subscribers.
There is also religious side to the insti-
tuition, and that also is entirely controlled
by the students. Religious study and par
ticipation in religious exercises are entirely
voluntary, but the rooms of the institute
are always ready for the use Of thestudents
meetings, Bible classes and Sunday school
work, which is going on all the time. There
are two or three prayer meetings almost
every evening; there are a dozen ormore
Bible classes organized and conducted by
the students. Mrs. Hogg, widow of the
founder, takes an active interest in the re-
ligiouS culture.
The Excursions.
department of great and growing i'm
portance is the excursion bureau of which
wrote you from Lucerne in a letter that
was published September II. 1t began in
small way few years ago when the secre-
tary of the institute succeeded in obtaining
reduced rates on the railways for party
of students who wanted to visit Switzer-
land. The next year several parties took
advantage of the opportunity, and this year
IL. 600 persons, students or members of the
alumni and their families, bought tickets
through the Polly" at a reduction of from
25 to 30 per cent below the regular rates.
All of them were sent out in parties in
charge of conductor and they went to
every part of Europe. The largest number
went to Switzerland where the institute
offers a round-trip ticket and a weeks
board for five guineas chat Is $26.25). The
tickets can be extended for those who de-
sire to stay longer. Several thousand Lon
don mechanics and their families took their
vacations in that way, tramping over the
Alps or stopping at one of the five chalets
which the institute has erected to accom-
modate them on the bank of the lake near
Lucerne. These chalets can take care OF
200 people at time, but this year they
were SO crowded that the Union Hotel In
the city Of Lucerne was chartered for the
overflow.
The institute owns steamer called the
Ceylon, which makes an excursion to Nor
way every other week during the summer
season and down among the Channel ISL
ands during the winter. The charge is SAT. 80
for cruise of two weeks, everything in
Guided. There are winter vacation trips to
Italy. Portugal, Spain and other poi is in
southern Europe for corresponding rates
The institute makes a little profit on each
ticket sold in order to cover any possible
deficit, but at the same time it enables
from 1900 to 1900 hard-working me-
cnanics and students to make a pleasant
and profitable journey at very small ex-
pense every year.