Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-18
DR.. E. C. MOORE
ANSWERS ATTACK
GIVES REASONS FOR ATTITUDE
TOWARD CHRISTMAS
At Request of Rev. e. p. RyIand
School Superintendent Addresses
Communication to Church
Federation

III C4plt1udttOn VI Ills dltlluQc tLOWdlO
Christmas services in the public schools,
Superintendent E. C. Moore has sent the
following communication to the Church
federation, at the request of Rev. e. p.
Ryland:
'As you are the only clergyman who
has done me the charity to inquire
whether the Times has represented me
fairly, I welcome the opportunity ybur
letter gives me to make known the facts
of the matter In question.
II owe ID to you and to the people of
Los Angeles to explain the reason why
the Times has knowingly, and with mall
ice aforethought, undertaken to villify me
to the patrons of the public schools of Los
Angeles. 1t was my unpleasant duty sew
eral months ago to serve as one Of conf
mittee of editors to whom was entrusted
the responsibility of preparing guide
book of Los Angeles and Southern Cali
fornia for distribution among the mem
bers of the National Educational associa-
ton, whose annual meeting was held in
Los Angeles last July. The first article
which was brought to me for editorial ap-
proval was a dissertation on Industrial
Freedom General Harrison Gray Otis.
The article was not suited to the pur~
poses of a guide-book, and I therefore
edited 1t. 1t was sent back to the general.
who returned it, in modified form, with
the statement that no one should edit his
material but himself. After repeated con-
ferences between the assistant secretary
of our committee and the office of the
Los Angeles Times, the article in question
was omitted altogether. Since that day.
until last Saturday morning, this protago-
mist of freedom kept my name upon his
blacklist and treated me as II l were
dead Meanwhile, the school department
has had occasion to protest against mis-
representation of school matters by the
Times. call your particular attention to
the internal evidence of animus and mis-
representation in the article, namsiess in
terviews which the newspaper code for
bids, etc.
~ am Responsible"
Nothing ever has been said by me, or,
as / alone am responsible in this matter,
by anyone connected with the administra-
ton of the public schools, concerning the
omission OF the name of Christ from the
closing exercises which are held the last
day before Christmas vacation. Such a
request is as far from my thought of pub
lie propriety as it is from yours. On the
other hand, did make the request, which
from year to year has been made in this
city, and which / understand is made in
practically every city of the land, that the
teachers should, in arranging their exer-
cises, remember that the public schools
are secular schools, and that only those
forms of religious reference which give
offense to no one have any place In them
AS everyone who was present knows, l
explained that while no one could reason
ably object to the historic and customary
In the Christian festival, there was room
for grave objection to introducing the
doctrinal, dogmatic and proselyting fea-
lures of Christianity into public school.
my reason for doing this was two
fold one. First. the constitution of Cali
fornia enjoins it upon me as my duty
Section of that document reads: No
public money shall ever be appropriated
for the support of any sectarian or de-
nominational school. Nor shall any
sectarian or UNCONVENTIONAL doctrine be
taught, or instruction thereon be per-
mitted, directly or indirectly, in any of
the common schools Of this state
represents All
my second reason is my own interpre-
tation of my duty as superintendent OF
schools. Just as you look to me to pro-
tect your child from any form of dcnomt-
national sectarianism or any irreligious
teaching Of which you do not approve, so
does the Jewish parent look to me to
protect his child from any form other
than his own, and the free-thinker his,
from any form of dogmatic teaching at
all. This is an ancient and fundamental
foundation principle of the American pub
lie school, and it needs but to be stated
to be believed in any American COM
munity.
a4That my instructions to the principals
went no further than those of former
years and requested the elimination only
of dogmatic and doctrinal matters, and
not at all of the name of Christ, or Of
any form of exercise suitable for q public
school, you should, I think, learn for
yourselves, and to that end / am sending
herewith the directory of the Los Angeles
city schools. which contains the names
and addresses of all the principals of the
schools in the city. AS my Instructions
were given out at a meeting of principals
Of schools, it will be easy for you to find
out from them exactly what was said at
the meeting.
zone point further; 1 am enforcing the
law, not out of the fulness of my own
zeal to do so, but because complaint has
been made to my office of the presence OF
sectarianism in the schools.
IT regret that I have by an unscrupu-
Ious enemy, been made cause of offense,
but am confident that the most exacting
members OF your federation could not
possibly have objected to anything which
was actually said at the meeting"