The Washington times., 1905-07-02
An Unfortunate Muss.

Every parent of every school child
in the District of Columbia has fol-
lowed the development of the present
disagreement between Principal
Swartzell ana the pupils of the East
ern High School with marked regret
That officers high character and adj
vanced scholarship have contributed
as much to the general dismay at this
controversy as the misconduct of his
pupils. It has been, and is now, a
most regrettable affair
According to the report made to the
Board of Education by a committee
commissioned to investigate the mat
ter, the company OF cadets at the
Eastern school, carried away in en-
thusiasm over their victory in the an
NAL competitive drill, defied the prin-
cipaFs authority and broke the
bounds of the school. For this they
deserved punishment and ought yet
to receive it, in spite Of the POSSIBLE
ity-which is often urged in mitiga-
ton of their conduct-that no breach
of discipline would have occurred un-
der another principal with more un-
derstanding of the bcy-nature.
With all this no one vii find fault
But the report Of the committee does
not go to the end. Following this
disturbance-sccord to other au-
thority than the Board of Education,
but authority which is abundartly re-
liable, nevertheless--Princi Swat
zell and some of his teachers permit
ted other engagements to prevent
them from accepting invitations to
the regular class day exercises with
which the school year was to close.
Now the graduating class is In or
ganization and fact entirely separate
from the company of cadets. The
former consists of about forty pupils,
mostly girls, and includes at the ut
most less than ten members of the
cadet company. In the latter body,
furthermore, about six-tenths of the
enrolment is obtained from the first
year class, two-tenths from the sec
ond year class, and the remainder
! from the third and fourth year
| classes. If only one class were to be
sighted or punished, it would better
have been the first year Or If the
/ leaders only were to be punished-on
/ the assumption that they were mem
| bers of the graduating class-it was
an entirely unwarrantable proceeding
| to include their classmates and the
class organization in the penalty.
! Accordingly, the class objected
With dignity not usual among youns
girls and boys, they gave their pro
| test the form OF a disayowal rather
! than a complaint, and sent theil
president to the principal to explain
that they had had no part in tht
disturbances and did not in any degre.
sanction them. Thereupon the prin
| cipal committed what must seem Il
/ the non-teaching public a grievou.
and lamentable mistake: He refused
point-blank to hear the representa-
! lions of tbs class.
To these two missteps the observer
must add the manifest inability of Mr.
Swartzell to understand boys. Ant
| those three elements ought surely tt
move the Board of Education SO II
place his services that, while hi
learning and his admirable characte
are still put to full use. his lack U
! discretion and human sympathy ma.
not involve the schools IN any furthe
muss.
Such a decision viii prove unpleas
ant to the Board of Education, n
doubt. Faithful service like tina
y given by Mr. Swartzeli is almost a
!; rare as his character and his erudi
), ton. But it is the only conclusion
/. which proper view of their RESPONSE
! bilities can approve; and it makes al
together impossible Of belief the a.
, sumption that this teacher, hayin
been found too lacking in tact TO con