The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-09-17

fame in its state trade school Base-relief figures of eight men who have won distinction in fur thering the interests of it's indus- trial plants have been placed in the building. The number will be added to from time to time. Some day when Waterbury can afford to do Justice to it's pioneer manufac- turers and mechanics it will have a long list of men who will deserve a place in its honor roll.
 Hartford has made a start with the following names:
 Samuel Colt (1S14-1s6O-In- ventcr of the Colt revolver and founder of the Colts Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing company.
 Elisha K. Root (1S0S-1S65)- Master designer and mechanic and pioneer in the manufacture Of in- Interchangeable parts for firearms at
 Francis A. Pratt (1827-1902)- Engineer, inventor, pioneer in ma chine tools of high accuracy and a founder of the Pratt & whitney
 Asa s. Cook (1s2s-1s16)-In- ventor and manufacturer or auto, matlc mdcuihee loi c screws and founder of the Asa ,. Cook company. ,>
 Charles E. Billings (1S35-192O Inventor, pioneer in the drop forging industry and founder or the Billings & Spencer company.
 Amos Whitney 1S32-192O)- Business leader, director of men in making precision tools and CO., founder of the Pratt & Whitney
 Christopher NJ. Spencer (1SSS- 1922) - Inventor and advanced thinker whose work had a marked influence on industry in Hartford.
 George J. Capewell 1S43-l9lO Inventor and founder of the Capewell Horse Nail company.
 Attorney Arthur l.. Shipman made the dedication address. Re viewing the lives and achievements of the men included in the hall or fame, MT Shipman questioned the value of the present-day system or public school education, cited the importance of inspiring teachers refnted Arguments that only a re- furn to hand work from machinery will insure human happiness, as- serted the depresion is mo fault of our industrial leaders" and saw the beginning of trend toward better times.
 MT shipman mentioned the fact that all of the pioneer industrial ists whose names were inscribed in the hall of fame had but little actual schooling. He then added:
 "When one counts up the actual schooling of these men, 1t appears that their school hours added all together were less than we give to-day to a single youth, yet they learned English; some spoke foreign tongue, all of them knew higher mathematics, physics and business law. Perhaps our present system of public education Is all wrong and the money we spend on 1t largely wasted" v
 The speaker, however recalled that each of the early industrialists were fortunate in finding inspiring teachers in their fathers or the foreman of the machine shops where they served their apprentice ships. trade school building" he said. Its nupils cannot all hope to be equals If the pioneers of Hartford's in- dustries, but doesn't it seem impof- tant who their teachers are?"
 Concluding his address. MT snip man scored claims that the ma chine age" has been accompanied by evils and that man must scrap machinery and find his salvation in the primitive tools of an earlier
 .What nonsense!" he declared. .Men are given brains to learn, hands to use natures laws. her materials and her. powers. The per- vonai rewards of our pioneers and their predecessors here and else where and their successors to the last surviving generation of men have been, are and will be trivial In comparison to their gifts to hu-- manity. Society, however. must learn to use their benefaetions Tor It's common good"