Business of the Plumbers' Examining Board
WIIMNC. JOINT
"V 1 1 UN jokes iihoiit plumbers
IIIIk won- in u nn man who
If V lmll"''l hN hand while t r
1L Jl 'UK Wipe II Jnlllt K-lrd H
plunil el' Now 11 1 1 1 t In lay a
nlc 1 1 rvi In mi longer hi 1 1 1 a man "
mctuhcishlp In Ihi' I'lumhers iinliin 'I'll
man liu would 1 it hi ii 1 1 plumbing miri'
know nil there Ih to he known nlmiil sanl
in t tii anil v n 1 1 lilt In n Ills knowledge
IIIIISl In' pill! I ll'.'ll IIH "I'll UH llll'lll'l'tl
iiil, fur ( lie modern plumbing linanl has
II faslllllll llf rcqllllillg ii I 1 1 11 1 1 1 1 h for
I ii'ciisi'H to iln all sorts of work. All I lie
largo rltli'H In tlic Utilli'il SlnlrH b M vi'
plumbing Inspectors anil iIiiiiiIi"I'h' ovumin
Ink luiarilH. Tin' era of iiiai'l plumbing In
cllli'H has passed anil liii'iiniprtrntH liai'
lii'i'll forced to seek work outside I In- Juris
diction of plumbing experts.
NnliraHka'H IiihI legislature gave Omaha a
liiianl fur tint examination nf pliitnln'i"
Tin) city health commissioner. Ur Vli tor
II Ccilfinan the itj plumbing inspei (or
I I. I.ym h llnrry U M Von Joitnii'ymati
I'liiinlii'i' an I .laiiiis Cameron, master
ptiinilM'r. make up the prison! hoard Tho
law requires that I he hi'iilth iiiutnissloitor
ami plumbing inspei tor shall lie members
of tin' board ami I lie mantel- plumbers ami
Jiiiirni'ynian plumbers are always to have
rcprcscntnt ives nameil by the maiiir ami
apptoveil liy the city council.
In the basement of the city hall Ih a
miniature plumbing simp. I'lpis ami Joints
of all soils are arranged arottml the walls
Tools of all ilcM'i Ipt Inns are sloreil away
In chests ami lmes and a few machines
aro kept for the embarrassment of grecti
hortiH. Applicants for licenses to iln plumb
ing are suintiioiicil before the exa minim,
hoard In small qu.nls The first part of Ih
examination lakes ilace In the olllco of th '
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 u In lor ('harts representing
bouses of .i rtiniH siis arc lalil before the
applicants ami they are asked to tell huw
stldyin'o skwku tii: ciimits
they would connect bathtubs anil wash
stands locateil In Mirlous parts of the
houses (iucstlons are also asked rmii crn
lug the proper local Ion of ventilating pipes
It Is not the purpi'sc of the hoard to
examine iln- applicants In writing ami com
position The plumbers give answers
verbally anil a member of the board writes
them ilown as dictated. All answers are
read to the applicants and they are given
an opportunity to malic corrections.
After the persons desiring licenses have
been qui..eil on the proper means of con
nect ItiK up the various parts of a house they
are eonfionted with charts which show tic
complete plumbing of buildings, varying In
size from n one-story cottage to an apart
ment house. In many of these charts the
plumbing Is faulty ami the connections arc
maile In the worst pussible tnatititr. The
applicant who does not pick out the faults
In the plumbing charts Is certain to llnd
he has struck a snag, for the correction of
KI.l'l'IDATlNtJ A l'ltdHLKM IN SANITATION.
ert'eis u aile In in oiupetent workmen Is
an important duty of a modern plumber
Three of the members of the board ar
piM'innl pliimbi rs of wide experience an I
have no tumble in doicitiug a man who Is
trying to slip through the examinations on
Miperllclal knowledge of Ins traile. Such an
applicant Is given a course in practical
work which will tench him many wrinkles
In plumbing. All sorts of queer joints and
connections are stored In the workshop for
the tnyst lllcatlon of the fellow who be
trays his Inexperience in unswoiiug tin?
iticstltin.s on the charts.
Thi' man who succeeds in passing the
board Is competent to do any sort of plumb
Ini,'. Many capable plumbers will not do
work as It should be done because there
are cheaper ways, but the board Is prepared
to handle fellows of this class. It Is within
the power of the board to revoke the
license of any plumber who violates th
city ordinances or to Impose lines varying
from $ o lint) for violations Through th
plumbing in-spci tor the board keeps thor
oughh in toin h wiih the work of nil the
llietise liobli rs u ml all proteit the public
front frauds.
To the uuiiiiiuit d tin- 1 1 plumbing ordl
liimc Is littli better than a ptt..le. It
makes .ipei Me provisions concerning the
h lo of pipes to he used in certain work
ami lays down rules for the liistallath n )'
vontll.it lug pipes. The oriliname was drawn
after a careful study of similar ordinances
In other cltlts ninl sots forth the most
ad:imiil libas concerning sanitation and
ventilation.
Ill the pluinbetH' examining board the
public Is provided with a safeguard. All)
plans for plumbing must be submitted to
this board for approval. After wotk Is
iiislallnl It is Inspected. If the contractor
has slighted the work he mint bring it Up
to hpeclllcallons before the plumbing In
spci tor w III approve It.
Beautiful Feature of English Village Life
familiar
Ing It
IONIION, Jul) J I tSpe. lal folic
Mpoliilcnce of The lice ) A typical
Kngllsh village llepeated visits
extending back oer a long period
1m to maile the phi -e as il ur and
as a Mciiuil home. Vet In dcsci lb-
no iiauieH will be given, not
even the name of (he village itself, for the
object Ih, not to draw attention to this one
place in particular, but to use this one
little Hpot ill the beautiful louiitty dis
trict -i of old Kiigland us an Illustration
of MiiKlisb vIII.ikc life 111 K'Uir.il. with all
Its charms, all its bllos) inraclcs, all its
diawbaeks, hut Willi special r. fi n nee to
the chntiKcs hioiiKlit about In it In the last
tweiiiy-llve years. Thu topic Is freshened
and vl tiled by a recent visit to the an
nual horticultural show. ThM In Itself has
m'catly 1 1 1 1 1 ti i I upon what II used to be
and (he vety fail of such a show beitiK an
auuinil event In a place In which there Is
little to s ( exi-eplliiK tlic lieaiilles or na
ture ami llllle to do bejetid the dall) hum
drum of cultlvalliiK the Intnl. has had a
distinctly uplifting and bioadeiiiiif; In
lliteii.e upon all clas-iiH, mi less upon the
well-lo-ilo than upon the laboteiH and his
family.
I'lrxl Mum a I'iikI,
Since the llrst llower show tweut) yeats
have told (lulr Htoiy of stcriu ami shine
unit wlbti I llrst saw It. eUhtein years
ami, t wiih only an experiment, with not
much promise of eitlur hint; life or nre.it
wWiilm'SP. slttule smnll tent was the
only Bheltcr from die sun's rays or the
treacherous clouds of this chitiKcful I'.llK
llsh climate. Very haul did it seem to
Kt the uiiKophisllcali d vllhiKcts to under
Htand what entries were to be muile, how
exhibits were to he clasHlllcd. as well as
hmv Itnposslblo It was for every exhibitor
to Kot lite llrst irle. Itiuovatloiis of any
kind have a h ml row lo hoe lu lltiKlaml.
This Ik oven im re noticeable In the hoi ltd
customs of vllhiKc life than In the slow -KoltiK
way in which business is done In
the centers of trade. Hut one Hilim ib'
chledly favorable to these horticultural ex
hibits wns the Intuitu paHslon of the coun
try laborer for rultlvatltiK t Kitrdeti imtch
and the cot rcspondlm; fondness of his
bolter half for llowers There Is scarcely
n linn who hasn't his llllle allotment n!
Inii'l. It kciii rally urn's In with the small
rent he pays for his dwelling. t'Ut If It
doesn't attach to his house he Is sure to
get It somewhere III some eases after his
Iouk day's work he will trmUe n mile to
spend an hour or so of Joyful labor In his
own little garden patch. Similarly, too.
will the good housewife bo devoted (o the
little- llower garden she usually 1ms nt her
front door. Such bright, tasteful little en
closures these nre ninl nfter the oyo has
delighted iinelf with the profusion of
llowers oiiiside the iiiltnge one may then
look at the windows and Invariably Itml
Hint ilnse, (oo, are adorned enticingly In
the same way.
I'll I lelliM' Sill l i'n I lie I'l iilileoi.
Flowers in every window and llowers in
front of nearly every cottage seems to bo
the rule In these trim, quirt country places
of old Kugluml. Naturally, therefoie, tiles.'
horticultural shows, in seeking room for
themselves In the i:iigllsh villages, found
congenial soil In tlic popular taste. The
dllllc ultlt'H were all In the business and
social department. How (o hi lug the slow
golug people to time, how to make (hem
utidcrsluml and how to blend the classes lu
u social way so that the gentry should not
be too ostentatiously patronl.lug toward
the laborer and the laborer not too obse
quious or bashful before (he gentry? These
were (be problems and throughout the
length and breadth of the laud time and
p.itleuci have so successlully solved those,
problems that the annual llower show-,
with lis prles fir Hardening and cooking
and table ilecorat Ion, besides the premium
which i ncourage hoitlculltire and with its
one day in the year when gentry and com
mon foil, all mingle together In the midst
of large gleaming tents, topped off by
Hags, Is now the established thing every
where ninl Is neceiisarlly e cr w hoi e hav
ing n most happy effect.
Inevitably at lluse village exhibitions
i here will be in evidence what nn American
at llrst thought would look upon as I ho
remains if mi odious caste spirit. The ad
van. e schedule will have duly notified the
laborer which Is his clas and tradesmen
atul others to which classi s they belong.
but i his Is really the laborer's Interest,
tine may be as surely nun hissed in culti
vating turnips or roses as lu entering the
ring for a prlzellght and everyone will see
that lu compel It Inn with the squire at
the hall, who has plenty of leisure and
plenty of help, or even with the well-to-do
tradesman, this would bo exactly the
predicament of the farm laborer. And as
to the caste spirit of which one used lo
seo sn much In theso out-of-the-way place-t
my observation Is that it Is yielding grace
fully to common sense and the trend of
events One does not Hud now the bowing
and rcmplng to superiors that was com
mon lu this (yplcal Kugllsh village twenty
years ago and really If (his custom were
still lu vogue it would seem more Incon
gruous than It used to, because (he class
who formerly yielded this homage are to
inui h better looking than the were, not
only better dt'osced nnd inure cleanly anil
tldv but with a new look of Intelligence
on their faces, due no doubt to what
through the .wars the excellent village
school has been doing for them.
I'liprr I'lnsNi't l.eiiio lu.
And while the lower orders are becoming
more Intelligent tho.se higher up In the
social M-ale are evidently becoming much
more sensible They, too, have learned
Komethlni: lu the Might of the years, mid
not a llllle of this new light has come to
them through the school of adversity. Only
for the conviction that such discipline will
wotk out Is compensation In nn enlarged
and enriched social Intercourse, I should he
sorry for the gentry and farmers of Rag
land, l-'nr long years they've had hard lines.
IJvcrylhlng has seemed to be ngalnst them,
but more e-peclally the Incr. using Importa
tion of cereals nnd meats fiom America.
Forming hasn't paid. Landlords and ten
ants have nil Buffered. In many parts laud
has depreciated one-half In a store of years.
So thnt the landed gentry have had to got
along on incomes cut lu two and still there
has been no better chance for the farmer,
because the reduction In rents is not even
yet what It ought to be In view of the low
price to which farm produce has fallen
It was this condition of the lauded ntid
fanning Interests which brought to the vil
lage Mr. Itlder Haggard and It so happened
that his visit occurred while the annual
llower show was In prigtvs. !r Hag
gard has given up stcry writing for the
present. Ho has called a halt to that fervid
luiaglu itlon out of wlihh "She" was born
and Is gathering facts on the prosaic stlb
Jci" of agriculture The author of "King
S dnmon'H Mines." himself an Kngllsh cottn
Hy gentleman, has conceived the notion th.v
i lien- Is a mine of Imiue.isuntble wealth
right nt the doors of Kngllsh people, which
they nro not working ns thev should, lie Is
making observations in every county and
und r the title, "ll.ick to the I.nud." U
writing artlcbs for a London dally, the
object of which Is to point out. If possible
what Is the matter with tho country ills
lib ts and then Indicate by what new laws
Mid methods the present depressed con
dition of agriculture may be relieved. In
taking alarm at the situation. Mr. Haggard
has i aught a fever, which properly of late
his become common over here, and In his
bugle cry of "Hark io the Land" he Is uti
lities! humbly calling for u much needed ro
form It Isn't merely tho predicament of
fanners and landowners thnt Is Involved
With F.uropeau navies ever on the Increase
the danger of a blocknde becomes more Im
minent, and that, under present conditions,
ns everyone Is well aware, would reduce th
country to starvation within n few weeks
Hut it's an ill-wind imbed ih.it doesn't
bring good to Bonn one and n has seemed to
mo that good of a certain kind has nlreadv
resulted from the pirn h thui hits fallon
upon these lords of Knglllsh agriculture
They nre not so prosperous ns thoy
were, neither are they so Independent and
exclusive. The splilt of fraternity Is abroad,
lu the country dls'ricts as lu London on"
cannot help seeing that rich and favored
aro in these days showing theniselvos
brothers to tho poor and lowly. To get
everything lu order for that llower show
involved no i ml of labor mid what an In
spiriting sight It was to seo the rough
work of Hie curly morning, when nil the
exhibits llli there were - bad to bo ar
ranged and numbered, clRorfiilly under
taken by those who aro classed amongst
tho leading families. The vicar was haul
nt It in his shirt sleeves. Tho village doc
tor nnd the schoulmnster and tho leading
farmer, who is always an Important per
sonage, buckled down io work with as much
zest ns they ufterwards showed in dis
posing of the champagne that was passed
around, and lu all that was done that hot
summer morning the squire from the hall
was as busy mid sweaty ami good natured
mid approachable as any man on the
grounds.
l hero I In- squire Lives,
The residence of this villagu nolablo
stands far bnik from the road, embowered
In foliage, surrounded by beautifully kept
gardens, and Is approached through an ave
line of trees as tall and symmetrical us one
could wish to hoe. on his mother's sldo tin-.
..liable gentleman Is blond kill to Itulwer
Lyttoii- He is furty and a baihelor-a line
catih for sumo enterprising American girl.
Hut unfortutiatoly ho hasn't a title, though
a not distant nncestor had one. Through
this titled progenitor a charity was Insti
tuted by whli h for all time the poor
children of tho village are tu be clothul
and otherwise helped. The boys and girls
who shati' lu this chanty are always
dressed In green. To keep up this charity
and to t ii a 1 u i u 1 n the other generous tra
ditions of his family, has been at t lines
fully ns much ns tho present squire was
equal to, for like other landed proprietors
his Income has been reduced Hut ho is
still the perfect gentleman, generous nnd
hospitable to a fault. Ho Is always at
church on Sunday, where ho and his mother
and sisters sit in a corner fenced off to
themselves, surrounded by the mural of
tlglcs of their departed ancestors, and fot
the rest, ho la just ns unassuming when
cvciy second Monday he sits nmongst the
magistrates to administer Justice ns when
ho lends a willing hand In tho miscellane
ous work of a horticultural show.
This gentleman spent some years
"roughing f in tho United Stntes and
Canada Many of tho sons of country
squires do tins and It dois I hem good. In
roughing it lu America they themselves got
smoothed down quite u little. They never
after that put on quite no many airs, ami
besides being more approachable they are
also more intelligent. This reminds mo how
many lu that Kngllsh village have relatives
on tho other sldo of tho big pond. Across
from the little cottage in which this
writer has hpenl so many happy days Is
the village postolllce. Ii is kept by two
estimable sisters, who have another sister
III the I'niled States, the wife of mi Kpls
eopal clergyman, on the same side, a little
farthet down, Is one of the village public
houses, it has been handed down from
father to son for lung years. Two out of
'ho family are lu America. So one might
go through tho entire village, lludiug that
the families which do not have some repre
sentative near or remote seeking fortune'
under the stars and stripes aro tho small
minority. Naturally these people do uofc
ask ih- silly questions about our great
count iv that 1 1 1 1 used to. Loiters and the
Interchange of visits have convinced them
nt last 1 1 in l Texas is not u suburb of New
Voi Is City and that one who lives in Ohio
is not necessarily acquainted with every-'
body who happ us to be out lu Oregon
Its 1 Iiiii-iii Iv :'ci ion lien i
Hut no Influence from the new world mi'l
none of the modern Impinvcmcuts that are
gradually creeping In can i ver divest a vil
lage like this of Its nspoct of oldnoss or of
the charm which f.irsiietehing tradltloti.
give to it. We are In that part of Knglnnd
for wlili h the lliitons and Hams contended
und not far from an Immense dyke whbh
was thrown up by the Unmans its a defense
against the I'b is and Sen's. The village
i hurell litis stood nil Hie same spot eight
bundled years nnd a part of tho llrst build
ing still stands The surrounding grave
yard has been burled In over and over
again, and there are ghastly proofs that the
graveyard foimerly exceeded Its present
limits If not, why wero several skulls
turned up when they were ixcavntlng fof
bulldlng purposes In the adjacent school
yard? Hut things like these do not In iTie
least detract from the beauty nf the place
In fact, to think of the gun rations that
havo preceded you 111 these sylvan haunts
gives an ndded charm to the lazy, droning
llfo of tho place, In n certain way you
feel that your llfo Is so shut off In so qtilot
a retreat from tho great rushing llfo of the
world at largo that you yourself are nlmost
dc,.d Hut If this were diatb how ell
trancingly comfortable thnt state would bo
nnd how beautiful tho surroundings!
KvorywhiTP tho smoothest roads, the
trimmest hedges, tho stateliest trees Short
i Continued nn Kigluli Tag. i f