The San Francisco call., 1909-02-09
MOTHERS START
MORAL CRUSADE
Berkeley Club Has as Purpose
the Guarding of High School
Students Against Evil

BERKELEY, Feb. S.-For the purpose
OF starting moral crusade for the
! uplift of the pupils of the Berkeley
! high school a Mothers club was or
ganized in the high school this after
noon by 400 mothers of the students
Mrs. Elinor Carlisle was in the chair
and Mrs. George E. Colby acted as tenn
porary secretary.
The fundamental purpose of the new
organization, which is a counterpart OF
the various school mothers clubs
unique in this city, will be for the In
yestiSation of the recent thefts in the
scnool and to accomplish the work
started by the board OF education in
cleansing the student body of all un-
desirable qualities. such as cheating
lying. thievery and the like, with which
the superintendent of schools and the
board are trying to cope.
The permanent officers of the Moth
ers' club of the Berkeley high school
were elected as follows:
President, Mrs. F. c.. Lacey; vice pres
ident, Mrs. S. B. Bowman; secretary
Mrs. Z. S. Wilkes; treasurer, Mrs. A. F.
Pillsbury; delegates to Federation OF
Mothers Clubs-Mrs. Elinor Carlisle
and Mrs. E. Robinson.
TILT OVER PURPOSE
No sooner had the meeting opened
i, than there were several tilts between
the chair and several mothers present
as to the scope of the organization at its
initial meeting. Mrs. Elinor Carlisle
declared that the purpose of the organ
ization was to interest the mothers in
their children's activities in the high
school, but she insisted that the initial
meeting should not be devoted TO re-
opening the recent scandal at the high
school which resulted in the expulsion
nd hA CT, -
two others.
Mrs. Andrew c.. Lawson, wife of
Professor Lawson of the university,
and Mrs. Adelaide Marquand were the
champions of the boys expelled, and de-
clared that they came to the meeting
for the purpose of discussing the rein
statement of the boys and as to the
extent of thievery that was going on
at the school.
This meeting" answered Mrs Car
Isle, was called for the purpose of
organization, We will discuss those
and other things at subsequent meet
ings. The board of education has the
matter we'll in hand and is able to ham
die the situation. Thievery is not
unique at the Berkeley high school"
PRINCIPAL OFFERS ADVICE
Principal Morris James was called
upon and said that the fathers and
mothers of the boys should know what
they were doing out of school hours.
That the father should play billiards
with his son rather than allow the son
to frequent billiard parlors was the
main theme of the speech.
F'ranks +. Bunker, superintendent of
schools, the principal speaker, told of
the value of the mothers clubs. He
said that he was glad such an organ
ization had been formed at the high
school in accordance with plans made
several months before the recent
scandal.
The boys of the high school are all
high minded young men,, he continued,
but the air in the school has become
polluted and there is urgent need of
action to purify it.
The mothers should find out where
their boys are and what they are do
ing. Some of the boys of the school
frequent the billiard rooms, cent
dance halls in Oakland, and other re-
sorts where low people congregate. The
condition in the school is serious and
needs the attention of the mothers
here"
The next meeting of the club will
be held March g.