The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-01
DR. GREENS EXPLANATION
Tells the State Board Of
Education All About the
Cuban Flag Episode.
BOARD SUSTAIHS THE PRINCIPAL.
Says No Other Flag Except
the American Should Wave
Over Public Buildings.
rsoso,a, 3 ..Tbe 1ersey CITY News."l

Especial TO TIne Jersey lily ->r"Ss
TRENTON. June /. lS9s.-Principai J. NJ.
Green, of the State Schools. sent the fol-
lowing letter to President James L. HAYES
of the State Board Of Education, in refer
ence- to the Cuban flag affair at the
schools which has been given such a SEN
sa tional aspect by some newspapers
Trenton, N. j., May 80, 1898.
Hon. James =. Hayes, President State
Board of Educatien:
MY Dear Sir-In reply to your inquiry,
What is the cause of the press contro-
versy questioning your patrfotism9 per-
nit me TO say | am utterly at a loss my
Self to know how any such controversy
could have arisen.
Il have been so busy watching. myself
as others described me that | hardly know
whether / viii be able to recognize myself
under my W description or not, but as
nearly as / can recall the following Is a
correct statement of the Incidents as they
occurred
Some two or three weeks before the
newspaper publications, two or three OF
the boys of the Model School stole to the
flag lott, by the use Of pass keys, at some
time before the opening OF the school IN
the morning, and ran up the cuban nag
on the school hagstaff. and knotted the
rope SO that the mag could not be nau!ed
down. They then fastened, from the IN
side. the door leading to the flag loft, and
climbed down over our slate roots TO the
main roof below, from which they lower
ed themselves by the fire escape or
through some of the roof traps When
the ~janitor discovered the Cuban nag
floating he prled open the door leading 70
the flag loft and went up TO haul down
the Cuban flag. Being unable to haul II
down, owing to the knotting of the ropes,
he stripped it down. AT about $3.50 TWO,
of the boys cane to me and asked me II
the janitor had any right to take down
the Cuban flag. | stated to them that l
presumed he had as much right 20 take Il
down as amy one had to put 1t up; that 1
had not been consulted concerning the
putting up of the nag; that the janitor
ing of the American flag. and | should
say the weight Of authority was With
him. They complained that their flag
down, and l said to them that thought
they would have to suffer that for the
cause. They asked Il the ma nag I'M might aan PC
About three days later these same boys
came and asked if they might have my
told them that theyScould not; that it was
not customary to float any Nag except
ing our own; that no public buildings.
either of the State or nation, were ioat-
ing any but the American flag, and that
we wished TO conform to the general Gus
tom; that If they wanted TO float the GU
ban flag they could get poles Of their
own ana float it all they pleased. but that
it must not go on the oficial fagstaiI.
They complained thai the American nag
that the instructions to the ~jaiitor were
to float our flag on every school day un-
less it was stormy. The following Sat
to the nag loft and ran up the American
flag, which had not been put up that
morning as ii was not a school day.
They then came down and informed the
janitor thai they had run up the dag. The
following week, in speaking 10 the school
as II whole. on the customs Of nations IN
the use of their eInblems, [ explained that
no nation ever ioated any other flag than
it's own; That its own flag stood for all
that the nation stood for, whether free
dom or bondage; that with reference to
the Cuban flag there was as Yet no CUBAN
Government whose flas WAS Official; that
our Government had declared that Cuba
should be free, which meant free to estab-
lish any form of government it chose;
that after the war, Ii the cause was sue
cessful, Cuba might. II II chose, set up an
absolute monarchy, in which case L CUES
ton whether we should be glad to have
foated their flag, hat | had explained
this matter at length as ! felt that educa-
tiohal institutions were responsible for
keeping their minds clear % questions
of this kind: how easy it was N go wrong
would be appreciated by those ~ our own
students who had failed to recognize
proper authority in connection with the
flag
ION Tuesday night last, after the APP
pearing of the sensational articles in the
morning papers, some persons again
stole to the flag loft, through the use OF
pass keys, put up the same Cuban flag,
knotted the ropes and drew them through us
up the staff 50 that the flag could not be
taken down without. climbing the pole.
They then nailed the door and hatchways
with heavy nails, and escaped over the
roof. The following morning, without
any suggestion on my part, the boys OF
Cuban flag, one of them climbing the staff
in order to do it. We were then unable
to float our nv flag until we could find
knotted ropes from the pulleys. One of
the members Of the senior class offered to
do this, but / was unwilling to have him
do it, owing to the great risk. 1t was
some two or three DAYS before we could