The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-14
MISS NATURALIZATION.
No Committee or women 10 InvestiRnte the
pubttc Schools.

Miss Grace Dodge, Mrs. Valentine Mott. and
the other auxiliary members OF Good Govern
ment Club + nrc much distressed that n speech
made on Tuesday by Miss Dodge at Mrs. Motifs,
at n meeting OF women interested in tho public
schools, has been misconstrued This has given
rise to q report that the women members Of tho
Committee on Educption are about to begin an
investigation similar to that Of the Lcxow
committee. but having for its object tho schools
and school trustees instead Of the police. Miss
Dodge is reported to have said that while she
was School Commissioner. about eight years
ngo, she had run across many wrongs 70 redress
and many abuses which required remedy and
punishment. Many md many a time she was
quoted as having said wronged teachers had mp
pealed to her to redress injuries which they had
suffered for years at the hands Of immoral truss
tees and Indifferent and apathetic officials, who
allowed themselves to be guided by their un-
principlGd colleagues. AS a result OF these OK
pericnces she had become convinced of the me-
ccss!ty Of having women, not men, as School
Commissioner.
Miss Dodge was asked last evening II sho
wished to elaborate and make specific nny OF the
charges She was reported to have made.
81 have no charges to elaborate or to specify"
she said. IL have been totally misunderstood.
In the first place, | spoke on condition that no
reporters should be present. and said many
lnlnB3 10 Ine women WHICH 1 SnOnlu not nave
SAID in public, thinking | was talking only 20 my
friends. When | spoke of the immoral condition
OF affairs rs being appalling, | meant the over
providing in the schools. the lack of air and
light, the frightful condition Of closets In some,
and the lack of sanitation. | made no charges,
whatever, for / have mono To make. When |
spoke HbOnt teachers coming 10 me with wrongs
To- he redrCsscd, ] referred back to the time
when | was Commissioners years ago. and at the
scandals of tnnt period. but that is all history
now. l merely wanted to impress upon the
women present the necessity of their taking
active interest in the sChOols and of their
tsing their influence in getting sotuo of the
abuses corrected. j am convinced that women
should serve as commissioners for there are n
hundred and one things that n women teacher
can talk about freely to a woman that she can
not to n man.
81 cannot express my distress Mt having been
so misunderstood and at having had a sensation
mad, out of nothing. There Is TO be no %investi-
CATION, because. so far as | know, there IL Moth |
Ing to investigate. Once again let me say that |
have no charges whatsoever to make against |
officials or teachers. A better, truer. higher
toned lot OF men and women than the latter l
Mrs. Mott was even moro emphatic In her
that the women were not trying to
stir up a sensation. |
Mr.. j. Augustus johnson, President of Good
Club +, said:
Tho work of the Woman's Association for
is to see the needs OF the schools. to
work for more and better buildings. The COM
that has just been appointed, of which
Mrs. Mott IL the Chairman, has for its work the
of this association and the choosing
Of the right sort OF women to visit the schools,
not those who will 20 around smiling here and
there and magnifying u harmless Irritation into
gO.npthinR nwlnl"