The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-10
DEGRADING TEACHERS.

DEGRADING TEACHERS
To divert attention from the monstrOus wrong
they inflicted on citizens in denying them ths
right of petition, the main ISSUE the Messrs.
Crawford, Blake, Norcom, Dcpcw and Waters
devote a whole paragraph 10 the election Of
Nr Barrett and the changing" of teachers
from one room to another, this year and last
wear. IN this there is clumsy evasion OF tha
truth In the first place, that MIR. Barrett re.
ccrNci eight ~ the nine votes cast, is wholly
irrelevant, outside If the question: That vots
proves nothing in the point at issue here. MIR.
Barrett was not on trial as principal and his
fitness did not enter the question OF the election.
lie might have been elected hy acclamaton.
aud still the case would remain unchanged This
point to be kept in sight here is, not what
vote Mr.. Barrett received but that IN electng
him tor three ycdrs. an uuHSc thing to say
the least and holding over the election Of the
other teachers, and then degrading the Catholic
teachers, an act oi injustice was done and an
odo,lS discrimination was made by the majority
of the prrscnt school board That is so plain
that "he who runs may read but evident
that it became necessary to befog the question.
But thinking men not So easily deceived.
As To- consistency in the writer's having taken
no az ,,tlnt OF tie action OF the board last year
wucn changing tsj CECr,. the truth rs that no
dls,r;u nation was feared made account ot
tn religious professions % any one, The motive
then and now nds Lpt the same, This year ths
NDnP ladies wnO were degraded were put down
b,cause they were Catholics, to Gratity tbs
spite ct the men "truc to their ancestry and
to 'thc opportunities of the hour" who having
already invaded the rights Of men, could alone
make war on unotfcnding and helpless women
Now II they have reasons TO give in lustihcaton
of their act in that particular, let them taks
the public into their confidence after having
excluded their colleagues from the deliberations
of this years work, and tell why last year the
| question was discussed by the whole board, as
| it ought to have been, and this year only by
| the majority in star chamber secrecy
Last year the principal who had the WISDOM
| 10 consult as to the advsahlity Of bringing ths
| school commencement exercises into one OF tha
| churrlcs, had also the prejudice 10 abandon
| the idea when told that nothing good could
| come Of it and that there was nothing to Justify
| it, and last year too, the people were at peace
because, furthermore, the majority Of the school
board was of quite a different makeup, enlight'
| encd, hroadlnudrd liberal men. We're thers
sucl > hoard today, aud only men OF that char'
acter ought to be elected to mn 50 important
an office no such srrccd would have gone out
Ia the world As that which, to the dscredit ot
| lr,Ilyu has app"a ed over the names OF five
men at the head Of the cduCa'ional work Of tho
| TOWN. for they never would have disregarded the
civil rights of any considerable number OF tax
| payers and citizens nor degraded teachers through
| sptc ON account ~ their religious belief These
| two things alone form the issue. All things
else dragged into this discussion with such bad
! taste are foreign a. the subject, Aud well may
men hone that, il the school tG ard majority
Of Jermyn are not able to conduct a public
discussion Of their public acts with ability, at
least they will prove that they know how TO
observe the amenities that should obtain among
gentlemen, Rev NJ f. Lynott'
Jermyn, Pa, Aug, o.