Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-20
GEN. OTIS REVIEW OF
THE MOORE CONTROVERSY

VtOSTfE WIN nv -ttS
"Dr. e. c. Moore, superintendent Of
city schools, in his letter of explanation
to the Rev. Edwin P. Ryland, president
of the Los Angeles Church federation
(Which letter was first published on the
18th inst), said, among other things:
"T owe it to you and to the people
of Los Angeles to explain the reason why
the Times has knowingly and with malice
aforethought undertaken to vilify me TO
the patrons of the public schools OF Los
Angeles. 1t was my unpleasant duty
some months ago to serve as one of
committee Of editors to whom was in
trusted the responsibility of preparing
guide book of Los Angeles and Southern
California for distribution among the
members of the National Educational
association, whose annual meeting was
held in Los Angeles at the beginning OF
July last
1.-THE first article which was brought
in to me for editorial approval was
dissertation on industrial freedom py
Gen. Harrison Gray Otis.
The article was not suited to the
purposes of q guide book, and 1 therefore
edited it. 1t was sent back to the gen.
erai, who returned 1t in modified form,
with the statement that no one should
edit his material but himself.
After repeated conferences between
the assistant secretary of our committee
and the office of the Los Angeles Times
the article in question was omitted al
together Since that day, up to last Sat
urday morning, this protagonist of free
dom kept my name upon his black list
and treated me as though were dead
''The rejoinder of the Times, published
in the issue of that paper of the follow
ing day. contained, among other state
ments, the following:
That the superintendent of the Chris
tian schools of a Christian city In
Christian nation should unwarrantably
forbid the teachers to make the Messiah
a feature of the exercises celebrating his
birthday-that the Christ significance
must be left out of Christmas in exercises
not a part of the legal school curriculum,
but coming after the close of school--it
was this that aroused the Christian peo-
pie of Los Angeles to indignation. 1t
was nothing that the Times originated.
1t was what Moore did. The editorial
criticism by the Times followed -
''Aiso a further refutation by the editor,
as follows:
''Mr. Moore takes himself far too seri-
ously. 1t can hardly be demonstrated
that he is the important factor, the
overshadowing figure in the world, or
even in this city, that he would have
the public suppose, judging from his
own shifty and contradictory explanation
and defense Of himself, his actions and
his extraordinary official and personal
attitude in the matter in controversy.
He seems to be possessed of the curious
delusion that he embodies in his own In
fated person all the public schools of Los
Angeles; that he is the custodian of the
consciences OF teachers, pupils and their
Christian parents; that refusal to ex-
ploit him personally In the Times was an
act of hostility TO the entire school de-
partment He Is mistaken; moreover he
grossly misinterprets and misconstrues
both the spirit and purpose of the law
In the case, which was never intended to
interfere, and could not interfere, with
the sentiments In reference to the Christ
entertained by Christian men and women,
nor with the practices in this regard of
teachers or pupils outside of ordinary or
usual school hours. Mr.. Moore's attempt
to impeach the motives and actions of
the editor of the Times and the course
| of the paper toward him in this mat
ter was peculiarly unfortunate-for him.
| The facts are against him and his con-
tention. In the first place, the editor of
the Times has not the distinguished honor
of personally knowing the alleged dis
tinguished city superintendent of schools,
nor does he recall the important incident
| IL he ever saw the important person. Mr.
Moore would have people believe that he
is 'disliked' by the editor of this paper
for some reason or other, or for no rea-
son. Does he suppose that. with so many
big mean men and big mean things to
hate in this sorry world, a busy editor
has time left to expend his alleged venom,
animosity gall and malice on diminutive
persons and pretenders? Huhi
This sef-appointed censor of the Chris
tian sentiments Of the community un-
} dertakes to mlsrepresent and slur the at