New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-17
pOTTTyG THE skirt BRIGADE"

MAYOR Grant has refused to reappolnt Mrs
Williams as Commissioner OF the Boaru Oh
Education for reasons which are not Ih'eii'-
o;ble lie admits that he has been over
whcmed with petitions in her favor' anu ina.
those were signed by the associate alumni Oh
tbe Normal College, by the leaders OF many
,yomcn's societies. and by business and pro-
eos.;or,I men in large numbers lie does not
attempt to meet these petitioners OH 'ho'r ""N
cronnd which was this :: That the sex was en-
titled to representation On the boa'u o.0"u'0
,noro than nine-tenths Of the teachers In the
nublic schools are women, and more IMAM ohc-
half of the scholars are girls lie contents
b;msolf with the declaration that ne Is ho'
convinced of the value of the services OF "oi''e"
:, Tho Roard of Education, and with citations
frorn ANONYMOUS letters and petitions against
,rrs Williams's rcaCpointmcnt 1t is needless
% odd that This method of disposng Of pub
lie question is neither courageous HOT wi"
elusive. If the evidence OF the unllthess Vi
uomon for this work has been or sulncleh'
weight TO overbalancc the influential pettiohs
for n continuation Of the policy 1t ought ao
Lon + IN have been accompanied By the names Oh
Nrs Willams's opponents and critics.
Those ANONYMOUS platitudcs, which have IN
financed fhc Mayors action. are too trivial to
no sorously considered. The argument that
tbcro should be women on the Beard Of Edu-
cation because an Overwhelming maIoll.s vi
tho tc9chors are women is pronounced falla-
cious Why it is fallacious the Mayors men,
tors do not state. We merely have their Woru
for it. and that can hardly be regarded as con-
clusive Then. again, these worthy people,
whom the Mayor judciously keeps IN the back
ground under cover, assert that the petitlons
~ favor IF Mrs. Williams were signed without
knowledge Of tho prophecies" and from mis-
apprehension of the duties of School Com
missioner What these proprieties' are ana
what has been the precise source OF " mlsap-
prchension' the Mayors advisers DO not eN-
Lain. Moreover, it is int:matcd that far
minded discussion in the Board is prevented
nv the desire of men ." to be courteous and
compliant (, women" That is considered an
argument for not having woman on the Beard.
va would take il tho other way and ORA"
from IL tho conclusion that there ought not
~ he any mon on the Board II they arc such
supple and sentimental creatures.
We have neither space nor patience Tor
taking up tho other feeble congratulations OF
tho Mayors mentors When they admit as
they do that the schools would have 70 be
abandoned if there were no women to teach
in them. and that women can do excellent SER
vice as school inspectors, but declaim against
their employment as Commissioners as some
thing utterly prcpostcrous, they beg the whole
uesiion ut issue. If Mayor Grant preferred
70 reverse the policy introduced by Mayor
Grace. he wa, at Liberty II do it but it would
have been in better taste if he had argued the
case himself on its merits. 1t was hardly
mdicious for him to bring his closely yelled
correspondents upon the scene, and to allow
them TO sncer at "tho passing of the skirt
brigade"