Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-02

the next car That came along, ana TO
, request that its operator stop at the
nearest service station as he passed
and send skilled assistance to the
stranded equipage.
Soon a diminutive roadster rounded
the distant curve and speeded toward
the chauffeur, who determinedly
stood in the middle of the road and
signaled the onrushing car to stop.
Brakes creaked and groaned as the
youthful driver brought his steel
steed to a halt abreast the costly
closed car.
The professional chauffeur told the
youth about the dilemma and re-
marked that his employer had an i'm
portant engagement in our National
Capital within the hour. He asked
the Young fellow to send expert aid
from the nearest garage.
Perhaps / can help you," respond
cd the lad in knickerbockers, as he
scrambled from his abbreviated ma
chine.
ITS no use" replied the profess
sioual driver. Il can't locate the trou-
hle, and l don't believe you can,
either"
Let the young gentleman see what
he can do" ordered the owner of the
limousine. who was worrying about
her Washington engagement.
With adept hands and an evident
knowledge of automobile mechanics,
the lad went to work. examined the
wiring, tested horn, lights, starter and
other electrical equipment. Eventu-
ally he found a short circuit, repaired
ii eXpeditiously and soon had the mo-
tor purring its dulcet melody once
again.
The matron in delight handed the
hoy a greenback which he returned
politely. Il couldn't accept any money
for that simple little service replied
the lad, launching a barbed dart at
the crestfallen chauffeur.
How does 1t happen that you know
so much about an automobile?' in
quired the lady as she returned the
bill to her handbag.
4 have taken a course in automo-
tive shop work at Central High
School, where l am preparing for col
lege," answered the clean-cut young
chap. 1T is really good sport for me
to be able to apply some Of the things
which l have learned and to aid a
fellow motorist in distress"
x x
THIS is not an every day occurrence,
= but one which has been enacted
frequently enough in recent years in
the vicinity Of Washington to inter-
est the local motoring public in the
scholastic curriculum which includes
automotive study as one of its popu-
lar electives. Fathers, mothers,
brothers and sisters have come to I'M
derstand that what Willie, Molly. Tom
and Polly are learning in the autorno-
bile shop at the educational establish
ment on upper Thirteenth. street is
'all wool and one yard wide"
Yes high school misses handle
wrenches, pliers and tire irons as ex.
pertly as do the boys. They work
amidst the grease and CRIME, dirt and
dust of the automotive shop with the
same enthusiasm, interest and native
ability that they display in the home
economies laboratory, the music stu
do or the aircraft class.
Fifteen-year-old girls Remembering
and reassembling sections of modern
motor cars, lassies as prim as Pris-
ella Of colonial fame greasing and
packing wheel bearings and young
ladies who can tell you all about the
electrical system in your car or mine
yes, you will meet many such If
you take the time and trouble to visit
the Central High School automobile
shop during one of the class periods.
Inc GDQTSCS dKG dS pldLbll1At 0dS
motor car manufacture. They include
the complete and comprehensive study
OF the horseless carriage propelled by
gasoline. They feature the detailed
study OF this motorized vehicle from
the bottom up and from the top down.
From rs to so students a year are
enrolled in the various autofnotive
shopwork classes. One-quarter OF the
enrolment consists of high school
girls from IA to II years of age.
The idea and ideal of this extraordi-
nary feature in the scholastic schedule
is not to develop professional mechan-
les. who will fare forth from high
school to engage in service station or
garage activities as life work. The
aim of this Capital City school is the
cultural development of the ordinary
student. 1t aspires to prepare the
majority of its graduates for college.
A large number of them will study
one or another of the many forms Of
engineering. The automotive shop
work will be of outstanding value to
them under such conditions.
More than 20.000,0 600 automobiles
are now being used for pleasure pur-
poses in these United States. The
average driver really knows next to
nothing about the mechanical science
AfikulNEd an NIIE AiAla w
Grafton of his car. He can drive and
grease the machine, repair punctures,
change tires and tighten loose parts.
In most cases his practical or techni-
cal knowledge ends with these simple
achievements. If the average motor
ist had taken a course in automotive
shopwork during his school days, such
as Central High School now offers, I'M
told millions of dollars would now be
saved annually in funds which are
passed along to professionals for re-
pairing, adjusting and maintaining
motor cars in good mechanical condi-
ton.
Inquire among some of your friends
whose sons and daughters have matric-
ulated at Central and who have en-
rolled in the automobile classes. You
will be amazed to learn that many of
these youngsters perform all the re
pair work on dads coupe" or
mothers limousine" They spend
their spare hours after school as well
as their Saturdays working in the
home garage. They do anything and
everything, from removing the carbon
and grinding the valves to repairing
and assembling differential gears,
rernedying kinks in the rear axle
worm drive, cleaning and adjusting
carburetors, refining brakes and re-
vising errors in magnetic ignition of
the high-tension type.
+ x * I:
CTRANGE to tell, the automobile
~ courses are a direct result of the
dissemination Of Central students for
the so-called "horseshoeing" work
which formerly was offered at that
institution. Some years ago, when
tho new building was constructed, a
large shop. IS by 35 feet in dimen-
.sions. with excellent skylight and win
dow illumination, was designed and
,,inrnd as a forge shop. 1t was