The Washington times., 1910-11-25
Citizens Answer to a Wash
ington Teacher Dis
cusSes the System.
AIR IN ROOMS
STIRS DISPUTE
Parents Have AS Much to Do
With Education of Children AS
Tutors" He Declares.

To the Editor o. The Washington Tines.
In your issue Of the 18th instant, IN!
der the caption, Air in Schools" there
appeared a communication signed a
washington Teacher" OF which the last
paragraph was as follows:
It Is savage for any citizen Of the
District Of Columbia. to crlticise our
schools and the system in use"
Inc dominant idea sought 10 be en-
phasized IN said communication is that
II IS an unwarranted presumption and
proof positive OF savagery for any citi-
zen to Criticise either the schools or the
system.
Upon what meat does this, our teach
or, feed, TO have became so autocratfc?
In the quoted paragraph there is an i'm
piled disclaimer OF responsibility for the
system, but note the prOuoun OF pos
session which Drecedes abe words
schools" They are ''Our schOoIsT' This
Is a too prevalent notion which obsesses
the mind OF many OF the washington
school teachers According 70 their
conception OF their own Importance the
citizen has no rights IN the schools OF
the system that the teacher IS bound
To respect
presented BY this particular teacher ve
suspect that this genus does not even
entertain respectful subordlnation 10
their superior officers, but IN devious
ways oonspire- to circumvent them
Another Criticism.
II a Washington Teacher" had been
a consistent reader Of The Times she
would have asCertained that AIr. Cox,
member OF the Board OF Education.
had seen ut TO make some criticisms of
the schools and the system. Likewise
We have observed that another member
Of the board. Captain oyster, has seen
1T 70 disapprOve Of some things in the
schools and the system.
Concurrent with the communication OF
a Washington Teacher, there sunears
on page twelve an account Of the mo
ceedings IN a board meeting. from,
which we see that Mr.. Blair. =tUI an
other member OF the Board or Educa-
tiOa, Is not seriously impressed with
any self-satisfyfng convictions Of the
projections existing in the schools or
system
Mr. Blair also has something to say
OF the same import IN the issue OF the
18th instant Warden Mckee, OF the
District Jail. IN the issue Of The Times
OF the 18th instant. does not mince
words In characterizing the schools and
system in vogue IN the DIstrr-s Of Co.
iumbia- he plainly terms them crfmi-
nal.
These men, though erstw.lile officials.
yet remain citizens
Rights Of Citizens
Savage all SAYS "A washington
Teacher" The ordinary savage citi-
zens have no voice in choosing the
teachers in the District, nor in fixing
their compensation; nevertheless, they
are not unmindfuI OF the fact that they
are responsible for being the fathers Of
children Children necessitate schools
and a system for teaching, and the law
compels the attendance at school Of
children Thus we discover that re-
motely the citizen is IN reality the per
son who makes the vocation OF the
teacher possible.
The citizen may indeed be & goose for
having childrln. but il comes with a.
very poor grace from a teacher TO met
aphOrtcally Kill the goose which pro
duces the egg BY which the teacher
must be clothed and fed We rather
suspect that this particular teacher is
constitutionaIly impetUous, abn0rmaIly
vain, and presumptuoUsly aspiring To
such, cheap nOtOriety is a most defect
able mOrsel-a subtle sycOphaucy 10
gain unmerited promotion.
II the several members Of the Board
OF Education quietly submit TO and pass
over such disrespeCt and incivfIity 10
them from a teacher. a mere layman-
patron does not hope TO escape a savage
stigma should he disagree
lrITrT-TE-N-